On-site Raman identification and dating of ancient glasses: A review of procedures and tools

The potential of on-site Raman microspectroscopy for the analysis of colorless and colored amorphous silicates is reviewed. We present the experimental procedures and models used to characterize the glassy silicate network from the structural and compositional point of view. Examples illustrate the potential of the technique, among which the identification of fakes/copies and the quantification of the corrosion degree, results in a dating capability. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.