CHARACTERIZATION OF ROMAN GLASS FROM CASA BACCO DEPOSIT AT POMPEII BY WAVELENGTH-DISPERSIVE ELECTRON PROBE MICROANALYSIS (EPMA)

Abstract

A set of 15 of variously coloured and decorated Roman glass coming from Casa Bacco deposit at Pompeii

were investigated by wavelength-dispersive electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The analyzed objects are

glassware and were selected on the basis of their different color (colorless, light blue green, light blue yellow,

blue, yellow-amber and emerald green). The sample set includes two finely decorated glass objects, on

which a morphological study by back-scattered electrons (BSE) technique was carried out. The aim of the

paper was the chemical characterization of Pompeii glass also in relationship to the contemporary analyzed

Roman glasses from Mediterranean area. Based on the results, the Pompeii glass fragments are soda lime

silica glass, the typical composition of the Roman glass, usually found in many Western European sites, pro

duced with selected raw materials, from the eastern Mediterranean, possibly in or near to Egypt. In particu

lar, the chemical composition of green emerald glasses suggests the use of plant ash, related to the produc

tion of the emerald green color, possibly being made in the same eastern Mediterranean area.