Portable X-Ray fluorescence analysis of Late Bronze Age glass from Amarna

Cobalt was commonly used as a colourant in the Egyptian glass industries of the 18th dynasty, dark blue glass being a regular find at palatial and settlement sites, including Amarna and Malqata. The main source of cobalt ore used during this period has been identified in the Egyptian Western Desert, around the oases of Kharga and Dakhla. The data presented here was obtained in order to better understand the chaîne opératoire of Late Bronze Age glass production and -working, in particular with regard to cobalt ore. For this purpose, chemical analysis by portable X-Ray fluorescence (pXRF) was carried out in the field on contextualised archaeological material excavated at the site of Amarna, which cannot be exported from Egypt for analysis. In addition, glass and other vitreous materials from the same site, but without a more precise archaeological context, were analysed in the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, Berlin. The results of this study demonstrate how cobalt ore from various sub-sources was used in the known workshop sites at Amarna, resulting in a deeper understanding of raw materials use and exchange across this settlemen

钴作为一种着色剂，在埃及第18王朝的玻璃工业中得到了广泛的应用。在宫殿和定居点，包括阿玛纳和马尔喀塔，深蓝色玻璃是常见的发现。这一时期钴矿石的主要来源已被确认为埃及西部沙漠，大约在加尔哈加和达赫拉等绿洲附近。此处呈现的数据旨在更好地理解青铜时代晚期玻璃生产与加工的工艺流程，特别是关于钴矿石的利用。为此，对在阿玛纳遗址发掘出的具有特定考古背景的考古材料进行了便携式X射线荧光（pXRF）化学分析，这些材料因无法出口至埃及进行分析而留在了原地。此外，来自同一地点但缺乏更精确考古背景的玻璃和其他玻璃质材料，在柏林的埃及博物馆和纸莎草藏品馆进行了分析。该研究的结果展示了来自不同子源的钴矿石如何在阿玛纳已知的工坊中被使用，从而加深了对该地区原材料使用和交换的理解。