Provenancing Glass and Metal
Ancient glass and metals were usually made from relatively impure raw materials, and not subjected to high degrees of sorting or chemical processing to remove impurities. They therefore frequently contain trace levels of other elements which have been accidentally included in the finished product. These accidental inclusions can, under ideal circumstances, give evidence of the place of manufacture of the glass or metal, and hence yield evidence of trade routes and contacts.
Often isotopic techniques are now used, especially the isotopes of Pb, Sr and increasingly Nd.
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Dr Andrew J Shortland
T: +44 (0)1793 785642
E: a.shortland@cranfield.ac.uk
Centre for Archaeological and Forensic Analysis
Centre for Forensic Anthropology Research
