Characterization of ancient glasses from Pyrgi

The aim of the work was the characterization of several fragments of highly decorated coloured glass vessels from the Etruscan site of Pyrgi (S.Severa, Rome). This kind of glass, dating from the VI to the V century BC, is very rare and its characterization should be done with non destructive techniques. To define the chemical nature of chromophores and opacifiers present in the fragments a µ-FTIR were used, where the fragment of glass was studied directly. The µ-FTIR measurements showed the presence of lead and antimony compounds in the yellow and turquoise decorations, whereas they are almost absent in the dark-navy glass. Previous works on similar glass from Etruscan sites in Northern Italy confirmed the presence of lead and calcium antimoniates in yellow and turquoise decorations. Furthermore, the different absorption bands of bulk glass and decorations of the vessels indicate that these different phases of glass were produced in two processing steps and under different conditions.