This article discusses the production, exchange and social use of Late Iron Age glass bracelets in Western and Central Europe. Recent regional studies have produced convincing evidence for a decentralised production of glass bracelets in oppida and open settlements. However, the first chemical analyses of La Tène glass suggest that all the raw glass was imported from the Mediterranean region. This study presents and discusses the results of an extensive programme of chemical analysis of glass bracelets from the Lower Rhine region. In combination with published glass analyses from some other La Tène regions, it can be concluded that the glass bracelets are indeed made of soda glass imported from the Eastern Mediterranean. We therefore propose a model of semi-manufactured imported raw glass that was processed locally into finished products in secondary workshops. In addition, we pay attention to the cultural interpretation of these new insights. Two interesting points are made. Firstly, the evidence suggests that the large-scale import of Mediterranean raw glass and that of Italian wine and wine-related bronze vessels passed via separate and differently organised exchange networks. Secondly, it is surprising to observe that the exotic origin of the raw glass did not prevent glass ornaments from becoming a very common medium in the construction of a series of local identities of both individuals and groups in which the emphasis is on commonality rather than elite distinction.

(source: journal)

Subjects and topics

Headings

La Tène culture

Approaches

archaeology

Keywords

La Tène glass armring identity

web page identifiers

page name: Roymans et al 2014a

page url: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/Roymans_et_al_2014a
redirect: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/Special:Redirect/page/26409
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page ID: 26409
page ID tracker: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/index.php?title=Show:ID&id=26409

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