Project “Glass materials in the protohistory North Italy”: a first summary

Whithin rhe frame of a project aimed to systematically characteriz e Brcmze Agc glasses in Northern Italy, some 2~ sarnples of glasses and zlassv marerials Irom 14 differcnr localities were chcmicallv analvzed bv ~'avelcngtb dispersive electron probe microanalysis (EP;\J.I\)· and scanning clectron microscopy (SENO combined with cnergy dispersive spcctrornetry (EDSl. The investigated samples (liso include a few scrap glasses l'rom Frattesina di Rovigo, which is at prcscnt the only rccognized Europcan locality showing evidence of glass work in rhe Bronze Age. For the first rime a subsranrial set of analyricaily consisrcnt chemical data are avuilable in arder to sturt a tirne- and space-resolvccl intcrpretution of the dilfusion of glass technology in North Italy, Tbe results available at prescnt indicate that the glassy materials, mostly glassy faience, of che beginning or the Bronzc Age (J\'1I3Al-2) and rhe glasses of the Final Bronze Age IFBAL includinz those or Frarresina. invariablv belong to the LLYIBK class or typically European glasses, whcreas surprisingly a11 glasses dated larest part of the !\rliddle and Recent Bronzc Age (i\rIBA3-RBA) are of the l11vIG type, possibly or Easrern Mediterranean origino Thc data therefore indicare a well clefinecl discontinuity in rhe glass technology in the !\iIidelle Bronze Agc .