[MR] Re: Glass and Beads and Faience

[rmhowe]

KAHLENR0SE at aol.com wrote:
> ...when did glass or china dishes begin being used? - Kahlen

Bone china is a relatively late introduction I believe, however
glass goes back a long way. Definitely Pre-Egyptian, although 
they certainly had the most advanced techniques of the time, 
like laminated bars with faces, to cut apart for fancy beads,  
etc. in them. A wonderful article on their laminated glasswork was 
in either Scientific American or Smithsonian about twenty years ago.

A few references:

McKerrel, Hugh:  On the Origins of British Faience Beads and Some
Aspects of the Wessex-Mycenae Relationship; in Proceedings of the
Prehistoric Society, Vol. 38, 1972, pp. 286-99 with chemical 
analyses of the different faiences from Egypt, Britain, and Mycenae, 
and a full page bibliography. Charts but no pictures.  Suggests 
import to Britain about 1450 BC. 

Newton, R.G., and Colin Renfrew: British Faience Beads Reconsidered;
in Antiquity XLIV, 1970, pp.199-206 including a partial page
bibliography. No illustrations. Takes up the pre-Childe attitude 
that British and Scottish beads of the Bronze Age were locally
manufactured on the basis of spectrographic analysis. 

"The History of Beads : From 30,000 B.C. to the Present" 
by Lois Dubin. 

Jargstorf, S: Glass Beads from Europe, with Price Guide; US 1996. 
4to (21x28cm) sc 16Opp 475 colour photos Mint. Phoenician, Celtic,
Viking, Venetian, African, Bavarian, Bohemian, Dutch, French and 
Russian styles. 

Failing that see books on Egyptian artefacts or just about any
of the Corning Museum books on glass. I believe the Metropolitan
and the Boston Museum of Art also contain collections. Most of what
the Romans learned of glasswork they learned from their colonies
and Egypt. _Glass: 5000 Years_ is a good start.

The Anglo-Saxons had wonderful beaked glasses, horns with wound
decorations, and hanging/ground lamps. Unfortunately a whole lot of 
illustrations in the archaeological material, or even modern
books on historical beads simply lack color. Pointilism in black
and white may be great for depicting most items but it absolutely
sucks for beadwork. Looking at the difference between Viking glass
beads colored and the same items in Black and White illustrations
is nearly equally disappointing.

Evison, Vera: Anglo-Saxon Glass Claw-beakers; Archaeologia 107, 
1982, pp. 43-76 plus plates IV-XIII, with numerous cross sections 
and additional illustrations in text and large two page bibliography.
Large format. 

Evison, V: Anglo-Saxon Finds near Rainham, Essex, with a Study of 
Glass Drinking-horns;  Archaeologia 96, 1955. 38pp, 12figs, 
11b/w pls, pp. 159-98 and plates LIX-LXX, last plate is the Torrs
Chamfrein which uses drinking horn ends as horns. A-S Square-headed
brooch, glass whorls, girdle hanger, coopered bronze-bound drinking
vessels, diagrams of pattern welded swords, shield bosses, pottery 
cups (4), spearheads, round mouthed pitchers, pots, gold pendant, 
36 views of mostly different drinking horns. 

Evison Vera: 'Some Vendel, Viking and Saxon glass' in B Hardh, 
L Larsson et al (eds) _Trade and Exchange in Prehistory_ -
_Acta Archaeologia Lundensia_ 16 (1988) 237_45.

The Frisians, and their neighbors, had a habit of mining the old
Roman period mosaics for glass bits to trade with other cultures
for beading. If you ever wanted to see the height of Roman / 
Byzantine interior mosaics get books on Ravenna.

If you can locate one - out of print - the World of the Vikings 
CD illustrates a Viking bead making process on it. Preheating 
and annealing was done on a pan near the fire of the little furnace, 
and coated wire was used to wrap the glass on, much like we do now.

Also see Forbes - Studies in Ancient Technology, most probably Vol 5,
for any ancient technology. Singer and Dumas cover generally later
periods but not the earlier ones as well as Forbes in their History(s)
of Technology book series.   

Scull, Christopher : Further Evidence from East Anglia for Enamelling 
on Early Anglo-Saxon Metalwork, pp. 117-25. Anglo-Saxon Studies on
Archaeology and History 4, Oxford Committee for Archaeology, 1985,
edited by Sonia Chadwick Hawkes, James Campbell and David Brown, 
235 pages, photographs in individual articles. Oxbow Books. 

http://www.thebeadsite.com/ has books on historical glass.

Glass Beads of Anglo-Saxon England C AD 400-700, A Preliminary 
Visual Classification of the More Definitive and Diagnostic Types,
361pps. and 8 color plates, distribution maps, and a type page. 
by Margaret Guido, Boydell Press for the Society of Antiquaries
of London, 1999, Printed by St. Edmundsbury Press, Ltd., Bury St.
Edmunds, Suffolk Tremendous Number of Sites and Bibliography cited.
ISBN 085157181  ISSN 09537163 Boydell Press Boydell and Brewer Ltd.
P.O. Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK and @ 
P.O. Box 41026, Rochester, N.Y., 14604-41026 USA

American School of Prehistoric Research
571 A512B, No 41-42, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography,
Harvard U. Bulletin 41 The Discovery of Glass - Experiments in the
Smelting of Rich, Dry Silver Ores, and the Reproduction of Bronze-Age
Type Cobalt Blue Glass as a Slag; 1993
(1) Evidence of Early European Glassmaking and Metallurgy Glass and
    Faience Metals
(2) Location of Metals in the Ancient World
(3) Experiments and Ancient Methods of Metallurgy 
    Types of Ore
    Methods of Smelting
(4) Ulu Burun Kas Shipwreck and Old Trading Routes
(5) Lead Isotope analysis
(6) Conclusions
    Origins of Cobalt Glass
    Silver 
    Bronze
    Trade Patterns
    - Summary
    - Ancient Smelting Fluxes
 
Peter Francis - 'Beads of the World' and 
'The Glass Trade Beads of Europe'. 

Historical Glassworks by Arab Boy
Jason Klein 
1600 Yale Place
Brick, N.J. 098723  (732) 458 1157

This person has various drinking horns in pale green and green 
glass. Some were wound in colored glass threads. He also had the 
kinds of small bowls suitable for cups, lamps or small bowls you 
don't usually see. The drinking horns were tough enough to take 
a drop from several feet onto the ground and not break. He also 
had various styles of beakers. But I didn't see any clawed beakers. 
I don't think he's attempted those speaking with him. The prices 
seemed reasonable.
   I'm not associated in any way, but this is rather a rarity.
   If some of you folks were looking for such stuff this is an
opportunity. Anyway it was worth noting. I saw him again at
Pennsic this year in one of the Bazaars I believe.

Magnus Malleus, OL, GDH, Atlantia / ©  R.M. Howe, Raleigh, NC.
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