Gambassini on the road. Underpinning evidence for a medieval widespread glass production in the north Adriatic area

Abstract The paper discusses historic, chrono-typological and archaeometric data related to two assemblages of late medieval drinking glass vessels from the monastic complex of San Severo (Ravenna, Italy) and the castle of Rontana (province of Ravenna, Italy). Though standing as different types of settlements, the two sites are linked by the occurrence of a specific beaker among unearthed finds, known as gambassino (or ganbasino) and named after Gambassi, a location in the province of Florence, in Tuscany, believed to be the place where the manufacture of the gambassini originated. The present study, carried out through an integrated use of different disciplines, has provided insights into the production and circulation of this form, extremely common in the late medieval period. Comparative chrono-typological study highlighted no relevant morphological differences among assemblages, with recurrent sizes and decorative patterns. Archaeometric study allowed the identification of various compositional groups pointing to different vitrifying and fluxing agents, although all samples can be classified as plant ash glass; chemical data also show comparability between the gambassini from both sites here considered and Medieval glass sets from the Adriatic area found on the Italian territory and in the Balkans. The displacements of artisans and the circulation of raw materials, the recurrence of this beaker in numerous excavation contexts in the northern Adriatic area - with evidence from the Balkans and Europe - as well as the identification of compositional groups different from each other, but overlapping among assemblages, support the model of a “widespread production” of gambassini. The proposed scenario is further validated from the economic sustainability point of view, considering the production and supply of an object for everyday use and not exclusively dedicated to the elites.