The Hamwic Glass

by JR Hunter & MP Heyworth

The assemblage of Middle-Saxon glass fragments from the settlement at Saxon Hamwic (Southampton) ranks as one of the most important of its period anywhere in Europe.

It derives from a time in early Christian England when knowledge of glass production was slowly developing, but when pagan graves - the traditional source of glass material for the archaeologist - are no longer available. The assemblage is remarkable not only for the range of colours and types of vessel represented, but also for the degree of expertise and technological achievement now evident in post-Roman material. The glass is dominated by vessels of the palm cup/funnel beaker variety and exhibits a range of decorative elements, including applied coloured reticella rods.

Traditionally, archaeological glass has been studied according to typological or art-historical criteria, with more recent trends towards analytical investigation. This volume breaks new ground by taking a total approach to the material by using typological and analytical data in a complementary way. The effect is not only to shed light on glass styles of the era, but also to view the nature and function of the assemblage as a whole and to consider the feasibility of an emerging glass industry in Middle-Saxon times.

Info: 152pp, 32 illustrations (8 colour)
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