Beads from the Germanic residence at Cífer-Pác (southwest Slovakia)

Abstract

When compared with contemporary Germanic settlements, the assemblage of beads from the late antique elite residence at Cífer-Pác (Trnava district) is exceptional not only in the number of individual specimens but also in the variability of forms and materials used. Apart from usual types of glass beads, the assemblage also comprised specimens made from rare materials (marble, carnelian) and materials that appear exotic in the barbarian territory north of the Danube (sea coral, jade). They were identified with the help of natural scientific analyses and gemological methods (Raman spectroscopy). Absorption spectroscopy was used to analyse elements that influence the final glass colour.