Contextualizing a Collection

Compositional, Morphological, and Trade Network Insights from an Iron Age Collection of Rare Southeast Asian Glass Ornaments

Abstract

Though Iron Age (500 BCE-500 CE) Southeast Asian glass ornament research is a well-established field, previous studies have almost exclusively examined glass beads comprising the majority of glass ornament assemblages at Iron Age Southeast Asian sites. When mentioned, other ornament types (e.g., rings, bangles, and earrings) are typically fragmented or in otherwise poor condition. This study is one of the first to report on the elemental compositions of complete rare glass ornaments—specifically, a collection of seven complete glass earrings, five complete glass bangles, and a single spiral ornament. These objects were donated to the University of Oregon for repatriation to Cambodia and are believed to originate from the site of Phum Snay, Cambodia. Using primarily LA-ICP-MS compositional data, we contextualize this collection within the corpus of glass ornaments that circulated in Iron Age Southeast Asia as well as contemporaneous glass trade networks and associated spheres of influence using compositional analysis of six of these objects. Results from this analysis identified multiple glass types and subtypes, including potash glass and soda glass. This research is ultimately relevant for its novel compositional and morphological data and insights into the circulation of these rare ornaments within regional exchange networks.