How do we proceed ?
Sorting
It is made by US (Stratigraphic Unit) to quantify the remarkable shards (those that will be drawn) thus set aside. This step allows a classification by color and by shape and gives indications on the techniques of realization of the objects (blown, blown/moulded, molded) and on their composition.
The reassembly
This step is complementary to the previous one. The reassembly will only be partial, the glass breaking clean. It will essentially concern the "remarkable" fragments. This refitting allows the object to be reconstructed for an archaeological drawing.
Drawings on graph paper
By US, The "remarkable" fragments are the subject of a drawing on graph paper at 1/1 scale (original drawing) in order to restore the general shape (profile) and to have a vision of the object when it was complete. During this step, photos of these fragments are taken and an inventory is made for all the glass material in the US. In parallel, a catalog concerning the "remarkable" fragments is produced. He takes up the US numbers and/or isolates, gives a description of the fragments or objects, the dimensions, its method of manufacture, the colors.
Resumption of drawings by a vectorization program
The drawings on graph paper are taken over with a vectorization program. The standards used for the archaeological drawings of the glass are adapted to the computer tool. The drawings are made at 1/1 scale for beads, 1/2 for small objects and 1/3 for larger ones like bottles. From the drawings thus produced, it is possible to compare them to repositories (constituted over time by archaeologists: typo chronologies)
Examples of Excerpts from Excavation Reports
Synthesis/Exploitation of data
This work of synthesis contributes to the determination of the chronology and the function of the archaeological sites. For this, all the information is included here: field data, other materials found on the site, identification of forms, typo-chronological studies, functional and spatial approaches. Comparisons with other sites can be made. The determination origins of objects and raw materials can be considered. Finally, for certain sites, we can mention the commercial exchanges, the social level of the people who have used these objects.
Washing
We intervene in post-excavation. We receive the glass material from the excavations in the state of their discovery. Washing is a very delicate step because not all shards need to be washed, especially those with decorations, enamelled shards or those that are disintegrating. All you have to do is dust them off… See the advice of the AFAV “lifesaving gestures ”.