Glass-gems from the National Archaeological Museum in Aquileia: a PIXE/PIGE compositional study

Abstract A total of 100 investigated coloured/colourless opaque and transparent glass-gems of the National Archaeological Museum of Aquileia (Italy) have been analyzed with a non-invasive approach, at the AGLAE facility (Centre de Recherche et Restauration des Musées de France - C2RMF), located at the Palais du Louvre in Paris (France). The collection represents a “unicum” in terms of number of finds and richness of typologies. Almost all the glass-gems were discovered in the Roman site of Aquileia, known as an important center of glass working, and are dated between the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. Their safe provenance from the city and cemeteries of Roman Aquileia, and their number, offer an unparalleled statistical sample. Most of the objects belong to the natron-glass group. The families of HIMT glass and glass made from plant ashes are also represented. This compositional variety of glass supports the hypothesis that Aquileia was an important glass working center in the Roman age.