Published: 22023-12-27 — Updated on 2023-12-27

Reflections on the beginnings of ancient Russian glassmaking

Maria Dekówna
Archeologia Polski
Section: Studies
DOI https://doi.org/10.23858/APol68.2023.006

Abstract

The origin of non-alkaline lead-silica (PbO•SiO2) and lead-potassium-silica
(PbO•K2O•SiO2) glass-forming technologies, which many Russian researchers believe to be typical of
ancient Russian glassmaking and attesting to independent glassmaking in early 11th c. Rus’, is discussed
in this paper, limited to a few selected aspects of the issue. Research has proposed two sources of these
technologies adopted in Rus’: Byzantium (Shchapova, Noonan) and, in the case of the first one, the
Far East (Brill). The number of discoveries of glasses of these two chemical types, both artifacts and
production waste, from Europe as well as from the Far East in particular, has grown in the past few
dozen years. New studies presenting the results of chemical composition analyses of glasses of these
types have also increased exponentially. The growing body of data substantiates a return to the subject
of the origins of ancient Rus’ glassmaking. The research should be based on a comparative analysis
of the results of laboratory tests of remains from workshops of type A (with full production cycles
attested) as well as ready products found in ancient Rus’ and in other regions, especially in the Far East.

Keywords:

early medieval Rus’, glassmaking, provenience of PbO•SiO2 and PbO•K2O•SiO2 recipes

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Dekówna, M. (2023). Reflections on the beginnings of ancient Russian glassmaking. Archeologia Polski, 68, 181–207. https://doi.org/10.23858/APol68.2023.006

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