Appréhender l'étude du verre du Tempio dei Fabri Navales et de la Schola del Traiano

Since 2014, Géraldine Frère and Simon Dienst have been studying the glass artifacts found respectively in the Tempio dei Fabri Navales and the Schola del Traiano areas. The first excavation, conducted by Cl. De Ruyt and the University of Namur, took place between 1992 and 2005. Since then, the study of archaeological material has been in progress. The second excavation campaign was led by Cl. Krause and L. Chrzanovski with a Genevan team between 1997 and 1998, then by J.-M. Moret and Th. Morard at the University of Lyon 2 between 2002 and 2010, while the post-excavation work is the responsibility of the University of Liège. These glass studies are supported by the Research Unit “Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine” of the University of Liege. Although different, both methods are based on the mixed use of quantification and typology as well as the observation of the archaeological context. However, different finalities brought minor methodological differences. Geraldine Frere’s study is focused on the technical study, archaeometric and conservation-restauration data, while Simon Dienst’s examines the relations between glassware and pottery.
The main aim of this communication is to introduce our methodologies with a chronological presentation of the glass from both excavations. Indeed, these studies show a complementary range of dating between the Late Republican period and Late Antiquity. Furthermore, they bring a lot of economical, technological and cultural information about the evolution of glass, while considering the particularities linked to the antique city of Ostia. Finally, these studies contribute to the publication of archaeological glasses in stratigraphical context. Unlike ceramics, glass from archaeological excavations is rarely published or in brief terms (except for tombs), although it has been gradually gaining interest in recent decades.