Research Summary

The central aim of this project is to investigate the role of the Maghreb in the transfer of glassmaking technologies and recipes from the Islamic East to the western Mediterranean between the eighth and the thirteenth century CE. This study will use a cross disciplinary research strategy, combining archaeological, historical and analytical data as well as statistical tools to define the production and consumption profile of glass in the Maghreb. A multi-analytical methodology based on μ-PIXE, LA-ICP-MS, UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopies will be used to characterize the assemblages. The compositional classification of early Islamic glasses from well-dated archaeological contexts from the Maghreb will be compared to collections from the Al-Andalus to construct a model for the production and circulation of glass in the West Mediterranean.