Luminescence as a probe in provenance and technological studies of early Islamic raw furnace glasses

Two different early-Islamic furnace glass fragments from excavations at al-Raqqa, Syria, extensively studied by means of archaeological, typological, isotopic and chemical analyses were used in the present study and for the application of luminescence techniques in the investigation of technology and provenance. The techniques applied were detailed thermoluminescence (TL) and also linearly modulated optically stimulated luminescence (LM-OSL); the latter was the first time it was applied in this way. The sequence protocol applied was very simple, focusing on the variation of sensitivity, sensitization and glow curve shape for both TL and OSL. The results highlight the potential use of luminescence measurements in establishing additional analytical criteria for investigating technological and provenance aspects of archaeological glasses.