Glass Imports to Southwestern Crimea in the 13th Century AD Based on Findings from a Hillfort of the Eski-Kermen Plateau

Abstract

The chemical composition of glass of 19 items (mostly vessels) from the Eski-Kermen plateau in southwestern Crimea has been studied with LA-ICP-MS and SEM-EDX techniques. The findings originate from the destruction layer of the late 13th century AD as well as from two churches and a manor of a noble citizen. The studied samples are made of Eastern Mediterranean plant ash glass, mainly of the Levantine origin, and of glass with high concentrations of boron and lithium, which origin is associated with Western Anatolia. It does not necessarily imply that the vessels themselves originate from these glassmaking regions, because raw glass, at least Eastern Mediterranean (Levantine), was a long-distance trade commodity and could have been imported into Byzantium or elsewhere. Glass of presumably Western Anatolian origin is heterogeneous in composition and likely originate from glassmaking centers that used raw materials from different sources. Most glass of this group features signs of the extensive recycling. The glass with a high B and Li content appears in Esky-Kermen in the 10th century AD at the latest. According to an earlier study of window glass composition from the site, its emergence here before the 13th century remained doubtful. Two early Islamic marvered vessels are made of glass with elevated content of boron and lithium, featuring signs of recycling. Such examples have already been recorded earlier among glassware made in this style from Pergamon and Branichevo in Serbia. This raises the question of possible manufacturing centers for some vessels with marvered décor.