Once upon a Glass—Cycles, Recycles and Reuses of a Never-Ending Material
Tania Chinni|Alberta Silvestri|Sara Fiorentino|Mariangela Vandini
Glass can be considered a locus of meaning, material which has been the repository traditional knowledge and technological expertise for at least three millennia. The history glass speaks know-how, transitions, contaminations recipes its manufacture, have changed across world over centuries. As amount recovered from archaeological contexts is much lower compared to ceramic metal finds, research often as rare material. Furthermore, production, in ancient times present day, requires use selected raw materials noticeable amounts fuel, making reuse recycling practices necessary foster sustainability, both an economical environmental perspective. Latin authors, such Juvenal Martial, reported buyers broken Imperial Rome, presumably destined recycling. Archaeometry also provided data that allow, today, clarify different aspects related production cycles, uses reuses that, starting Roman age, became common modern plastics. From beakers goblets reused with purposes mosaic tesserae detached new mosaics or refused employed “pigments” colouring glass, this paper aims provide overview through discussion case studies Middle Ages, showing how cycle framed actual example sustainable circular economy past.
Heritage|Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna)|MDPI (MDPI AG)|Padua Research Archive (University of Padova)