ABSTRACT
Archaeological Context (M.M.M.) In scholarly terms, Byzantine glass lacks an established identity.1 The glass of the early period (fourth through seventh century) can be disguised as '(late) Roman' or 'pre-Islamic'; discussions of medieval Byzantine glass refer to its 'mystery',2 its misidentification ('"Byzantine"' glass3), and to a 'connaissance ... quasi-inexistante'.4 Neither early nor medieval Byzantine glass has been the subject of the same systematic scientific examination as that carried out on Roman, western medieval and Islamic glass. Nevertheless, Robert Brill of Corning has analysed glass relevant to, and including, the Byzantine,5 while David Buckton and Ian Freestone have started a fresh initiative, particularly with regard to the glass used for enamel inlay6 and some of their results will be considered here.
