The contribution gives information on evidences of extinct metallurgy in the Tribeč mountain range area, to which no historical sources exist and both kind and chronology of which have not been acceptably answered until recently. The results of surface prospection on some of these sites make us assume their connection with a modern-era glass production.
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Since the discovery of its production (from the Antiquity up to the Middle Ages), glass used to be a highly appreciated material. The oldest “artificial” gem in the ancient Egypt was aventurine that was imitated by glass with scattered copper dust. In jewellery, this material is still one of favourites. The effort to use glass in the most different ways led to production of various decorative materials and to imitations of precious stones as well. Glass production technology started to develop more remarkably in the 16th century. In this time glasses of various colours were produced that made imitations of natural precious stones of the whole colour range possible.
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The author draws upon her earlier published work, in which a classification and interpretation of selected categories of glass production relics had been put forward. In view of the fragmentariness and sporadic occurrence of written sources on glass-making in antiquity and Mediaeval times, archaeological records must remain the basis for research on this sort of manufacturing. In turn, the specific nature of the material and the complexity of the issues involved demand a somewhat modified research approach, different from that applied to ready-made glass products. While the present author debates some of the opinions of various scholars, she has taken advantage of new and varied records to document her own suggestion of a classification mentioned above. She also takes up some issues regarding research methods involved in the study of local glass production. In her opinion, the ancient and early mediaeval glass workshop was characterized by the following assemblage of categories of finds: production relics (buildings, other roofed structures, furnaces, hearts, tools, raw materials, slag, glass mass, waste products), half-products, ready products and the other. The author goes on to describe summarily the functioning of the ancient glass-making craft and presents examples of waste in the three subcategories. In discussing these finds she also considers the possibilities for interpreting them as the remains of different types of workshops.
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The article deals with summarization of existing research of medieval glass in Bohemia. It outlines a general trend within which particular research phases can be separated depending on the research intensity and items. Here is a brief specification of initial phases and detailed characterization after the year 2000. Information on recent surface prospection activities run by Ústav archeologické památkové péče (the Institute of Archaeological Monuments Care) at the central part of Krušné hory Mts. in north-western Bohemia that are focused on newly afforested areas of mountain ridges. We can find a description of surface prospection that had led to localization of three extinct medieval glassworks around the Brandov village (distr. of Most) and evaluation of recent results and defining of their contribution to the knowledge on glass production history in the Top Middle Ages.
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A process of leveling of traditional folk culture occurred in Bohemia since the middle of the 19th century, leading to the disappearance of certain spheres of cultural issues and values of the folk strata of the population. This trend continued during the 20th century due to the industrialization of the society and the technical evolution. The Ethnological Institute of the Academy of Science of the Czech republic, v. v. i., has taken part in the international UNESCO project aiming to safeguard immaterial cultural heritage with its projects: „Bearers of tradition - Living human treasures“ and „Living human treasures - Bearers of tradition II “. The leaders of these projects have focused on audio-visual documentation of traditional folk crafts, manual production and disappearing production technologies, because they believe this is the most complex form of safekeeping the data acquired during field research. With this method they have documented the making of glass jewellery, the beads of Jizera Montains, which was a world famous part of the Czech glassmaking, which is lately threatened by a lingering crisis of sales and production.
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In the article woods and plants are given, which were used in glass production as firewood, for production of potash, glassworker’s moulds, and handles of implements or for molten glass purification. Wood of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) was the most calorific and very frequently used in glassmaking workshops. Developing glass production resulted in increasing wood usage and caused its subsequent shortage. The beech wood was substituted for less calorific woods of oak (Quercus sp.), ash (Fraxinus sp.), pine (Pinus sp.), spruce (Picea sp.), maple (Acer sp.) or willow (Salix sp.). The beech wood was exclusively used for production of potash, what is chemical matter added to glass batch to influence a glass melt quality. Shortage of this wood forced glassmakers to look for new raw materials with high alkaline content. Abundant plant material that was usable was offered by straw of cereals: wheat (Triticum sp.), barley (Hordeum sp.), sunflower (Helianthus sp.), maize (Zea mays), leaves of bean (Phaseolus sp.), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), pressed remains of grapes (Vitis sp.) and waste from distillation of spirit from sugar-making molasses (beta vulgaris). Wild plants of thistle (Cardus sp.), celandine (Chelidonium sp.), nettle (Urtica sp.) and aubergine (Solanum sp.) were usable as well. One thousand kilograms of beech wood was used to produce 1 kg of potash, while 25 kg of potash could be made from sunflower remains. Physical qualities of beech wood met all requirements of production of glass moulds or implement handles. The wood of pear (Pyrus sp.) and plum (Prunus sp.) are known to be used as well. Although there were attempts to substitute the beech wood for another woods and plants, no alternative raw material compared to beech wood. This was achieved by chemically produced mineral salts only.
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