The glass production area near Jilmová in the Ore Mountains from the second half of the 13th century The contribution of analytical methods for studying glass production technology in medieval Bohemia

Abstract

The study contains the latest knowledge concerning glass production at the beginning of the High Middle Ages in one of the oldest glass production areas in the Ore Mountains consisting of three glassworks located in the upper reaches of the mountains. The work presents archaeological sources obtained in excavations at the Jilmová I, II and III sites, with attention being focused on finds specific to glass production centres, i.e., mainly fragments of technical ceramics – melting pots, crucibles and the waste accompanying various stages of glass production. The classic typological­morphological analysis is accompanied by a detailed archaeometric analysis. The results of spectrometric analyses (XRF, XRD, SEM–EDS and LA–ICP–MS) expand the informative value of archaeological finds and help refine existing knowledge of glass production technology in the second half of the 13th century.