![]() ![]() tesserae) is usually in the shape of a small cube, employed in mosaic production (Verità et al. Although the (direct) context of this find is unknown, it is possible to interpret the collection in the light of what is known about the history of the terp.Ī tessera (pl. 1 2) is therefore an exception, forming the largest find of glass tesserae in the Netherlands to date (Henderson et al. ![]() The recent reappearance of an collection (first mentioned by Arbman in 1937) consisting of hundreds of glass tesserae from the terp settlement of Wierum in the Dutch province of Groningen (Figs. The number of glass tesserae from Early Medieval archaeological sites in the Netherlands is low compared to Scandinavian sites. Sites with evidence for glass bead production often also have indications that other materials were worked, including amber (Henderson et al. Evidence from several archaeological sites indicates that these tesserae were probably imported to address the demand for coloured glass to produce decorated glass beads. Significant numbers of mosaic glass tesserae were brought into Scandinavia and the Low Countries during the Early Medieval period (eighth to ninth centuries Henderson et al. Mosaic tesserae recycling in medieval glassmaking in Northwestern Europe The hypothesis seems to be confirmed by the presence in the collection of tesserae still embedded in mortar, stone tesserae fragments and a rounded fragment of Egyptian blue. We assume that these tesserae were collected during the spoliation of a lavish building and reused for glass objects produced locally. ![]() Alumina and calcium oxide contents together with the adoption of antimony-based opacifiers are compatible with mosaic tesserae of a first to third century AD Roman tradition. Low levels for magnesium and potassium oxides (<1.5 wt%) and the chemical components linked with the silica source, fluxes, opacifiers and chromophores are compatible with an older Roman soda-lime-silica glass production. The combined use of electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (HH XRF) allowed us to examine glass tesserae and other vitreous samples from the site. Although challenging, because of the uncertainty of the material’s context, the Wierum Early Medieval collection represents an extraordinary opportunity, being the most significant find of glass tesserae in the Netherlands to date. Mosaic glass tesserae were imported to Dutch sites during the Early Medieval period, probably to address the demand for coloured glass needed in ornamental bead manufacture. ![]()
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