Archaeochemical study of medieval Japanese glass excavated from Kyoto using p-XRF

Japanese Medieval glasses from the Heian to Muromachi periods (10C to 16C AD) excavated from archaeological sites in Kyoto prefectures were nondestructively analyzed by using a portable XRF spectrometer. The origin and distribution of glass beads were discussed based on their chemical compositions. The chemical compositions of glasses from this region can be classified into three types from their major components: i.e., lead-potash glass type (K₂O-PbO-SiO₂), potash-lime glass type (K₂O-CaO-SiO₂), and high alumina soda-lime glass type(Na₂O-Al₂O₃-CaO-SiO₂) Chemical compositions of lead-Potash glass or potash-lime glass exhibited variations. So these glasses have several origins. High alumina soda-lime glass was not so common at Medieval Japan. The trace heavy element compositions of medieval high alumina soda-lime glasses were basically similar to those reported for ancient Japanese glasses in our previous studies. (author)