Glass In Central Europe From Late-Medieval To End Of Pre-Industrial Era: A Materials Science Approach (Abstract Only)

This paper provides an overview of the technological and compositional development of vessel glass in central Europe from the late-medieval to the end of pre-industrial era. Concentrating on glass as a material, it outlines the basic types of glass composition, their historical development and geographical distribution. This process is shown in the wider context of European glass technology. The paper is based on the results of quantitative chemical analyses of several hundred glass vessels from various historical collections and archaeological deposits. Moreover, the results of over one thousand vessels analysed non-destructively with the use of EDXRF are included. They concern mostly valuable museum objects, which could not be sampled. The paper focuses on the glass compositions and its evolution throughout the centuries drawing attention to local variations.