Some considerations about the methodological approach for the archaeometric study of glass.

Glass has been extensively used from ancient until modern times in many sectors, thanks to its unique mechanical and chemical-physical properties. It is therefore frequently discovered during archaeological excavation. Glass represent the transformation resulting from melting natural raw material, and thus expresses the various degrees of technological development achieved in ancient cultures. The production of such findings requires knowledge of natural materials and firing techniques; so archaeometry, together with the more precisely morphological aspects peculiar to archaeology is of considerable importance in providing information on how a given article was manufactured. In this context, it should be stressed here that glass finds may be used as archaeometric markers only when sufficient information is available on the relations among composition, working methods, type and provenance of raw materials and, if possible, the socio-economic context. All this requires an ample data-base on finds from specific historical epochs and geographic areas, obtained by appropriate analytical methods which guarantee high standards of precision and accuracy of data. In addition it should be stressed here that there are many different kinds of glass artefacts, which require specific analytical approaches