IDENTIFYING BRONZE AGE GLASS PRODUCTION CENTRES THROUGH BEAD-MAKING TECHNIQUES

Abstract

The assemblage of Bronze Age glass beads found in the territory of present-day Poland counts 3100 pieces. The earliest examples known from excavations in central Europe are dated most often to the BrB-HaA1/A2 phases of the Bronze Age (= BA II-III/IV); they are made of high magnesium glass (HMG), which is now most frequently corroded. In the HaA2-HaB3 phases (= BA IV-V), beads were produced of a “mixed alkali” glass, also called low magnesium and high potassium glass (LMHK), which is usually preserved in rather good condition. The oldest beads are large as a rule, well made, using, at least in some cases, the folding technique. Small, undecorated beads made of “mixed alkali” glass were produced by the winding technique.