Surface analysis of ancient glass artefacts with ToF-SIMS: A novel tool for provenancing?

Scientific analysis of ancient glass artefacts has the potential to reveal a great deal of information about ancient manufacturing techniques and trade relations between ancient civilisations. In this paper we applied ToF-SIMS to gain unique knowledge about the presence of a range of (trace) elements in the matrix and micron-sized inclusions in opaque glasses dated to the 14th century BC found at sites in the Middle East and Egypt. Establishment of a careful multi-technique analysis protocol allowed the detection of a range of elements not previously found in such inclusions by other techniques. Comparison with data acquired from a glass standard reference sample has, moreover, enabled quantification of major and trace elements in the glass matrix. It is hoped that this may yield important additional identifying information to assist in provenancing ancient glass artefacts as well as provide new information about the ancient technologies used to produce them