Tradition and experiment in first millennium a.d. glass production--the emergence of early Islamic glass technology in late antiquity.

Following a brief history of analytical research into ancient glasses, the emergence of early Islamic glasses in the Middle East in late antiquity is discussed. Data sets for Roman and Byzantine glasses are compared to those of the early Islamic period. This is a rare period of technological transition when responses to the "drying up" of the traditional mineral alkali source resulted in experimentation, which can be demonstrated analytically.