Description du projet
Explorer la production et le commerce du verre au début du Moyen Âge
La fabrication du verre a connu des changements radicaux à la fin du premier millénaire de notre ère. La production de verre primaire était autrefois centralisée, avec des centres industriels situés au Levant et en Égypte; mais cela a changé, et cette évolution se reflète également dans les recettes et la composition chimique du verre. Par conséquent, les analyses du verre offrent des informations précieuses sur les transferts technologiques, les échanges à longue distance et les changements économiques. Le projet GlassRoutes, financé par le CER, étudie la production, le commerce et la consommation du verre en tant qu’activité économique majeure dans la Méditerranée médiévale du IVe au XIIe siècle, sur la base d’analyses de composition d’assemblages de verre provenant de l’ensemble de la région. Le projet examine les innovations technologiques au cours de cette période de transition, notamment l’émergence du verre byzantin, la diffusion des types de verre islamiques à base de cendres végétales et le rôle d’Al-Andalus.
Objectif
The production of raw glass up until the early medieval period was restricted to few primary glassmaking centres in the Levant and Egypt producing glasses with distinct chemical fingerprints that were then shipped all over the Mediterranean. The study of glass thus provides a unique perspective on long-distance communications and shifts in economy, trade and cultural interactions. This project explores the production, trade and consumption of glass as a major economic activity in the medieval Mediterranean. The chronological parameters are the 4th to 12th centuries CE, covering a period of significant diversification and technological innovations in glass production. The project addresses three broad gaps in our understanding of these developments: Byzantine glassmaking; the spread of Islamic plant ash glass; and the role of the Iberian peninsula. GlassRoutes will push the frontiers of glass research by integrating chemical, archaeological and documentary data about these three key players in the medieval glass economy. By comparing the material and artistic aspects of glass assemblages from selected Mediterranean sites it will identify patterns in the manufacture, trade and usage of glass.
The aim of GlassRoutes is to establish the socio-cultural and geopolitical dimensions of glass. What types of primary (raw) glass are found at different sites? How do they compare in terms of secondary use (types of artefacts)? What are the reasons for the differential use of glass and its colours? Research will examine the provenance of the material in relation to its use for selected artefacts to reveal the economic and cultural mechanisms underlying the culture-specific use of glass. This project is unique in its interdisciplinary approach; it combines archaeological, historical and analytical data as well as statistic tools to characterise the dynamic relationship between supply and consumption and its implications for artistic practices and technological innovation.
Champ scientifique
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorymedieval history
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyarchaeologyethnoarchaeology
- natural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistrymass spectrometry
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantInstitution d’accueil
75794 Paris
France