Groundwater corrosion on three archaeological model glass compositions, a replica Roman glass (B1), a medieval glass (B2) & a 17th century glass (B3) from the Ballidon glass burial experiment has been characterised by optical & scanning ion microscopy (SIM), infrared reflection spectroscopy (IRRS) & field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). A multi-technique approach was adopted to gather as much information as possible on the weathered sub-surface areas of glasses. The Ballidon experiment, now into its 36th year, is one of the longest running tests of its kind. The samples studied chart up to 32 years of natural soil burial in controlled conditions (i.e. known burial time, composition & alkaline soil pH). As the three glass compositions are replicas of ancient counterparts, the findings are relevant to both scientific & archaeological communities.
