The study deals with the development of the chemical composition of blue glass from the 13th to the 19th century in the region of Bohemia (Central Europe). Nearly 100 glass samples (colourless, greenish, and blue) were evaluated by an XRF method to distinguish the colouring components of blue glass. As early as in the 13th century, blue glass based on ash containing colouring ions of Co and Cu was produced here. To achieve the blue colour of glass, a copper-rich raw material was most likely applied. This information significantly complements the existing knowledge about glass colouring in the Middle Ages, as the glass of later periods was typically coloured with raw materials containing cobalt.

The presented study evaluated a set of beads primarily originating from the Hallstatt period (800–400 BC) and uncovered in the region of Bohemia. Utilizing an SEM/EDS method, the chemical composition of the glass samples was determined and their homogeneity measured. Owing to the presence of opaque glass, Raman spectroscopy was applied, enabling the definition of the phases causing the opacity of the glass, as well as its coloring. This article discusses opacifying agents, including the possible ways in which they entered the artefacts. In addition, the techniques used to produce the glass beads are described, for both the single-colored beads, as well as the so-called eye beads that are present in a significant amount in the set. The majority of the beads examined were found to be made of the LMG glass type (low-magnesium soda-lime glass). An unexpected result was the identification of glass with a high content of K₂O not corresponding to the mixed alkali type (LMHK), which is frequently discussed in the literature. The glass type in question most likely does not come from the traditional area of glass production: the eastern Mediterranean territory.

The study provides a detailed investigation into several representatives of La Tène jewellery. Primarily, it deals with non-metallic decorative inlays from the Late La Tène period, particularly with their application on a metal base. Unique artefacts have been selected for the study, all coming from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A prime representative of the finds is a torc coming from a La Tène burial site in Prague (Czech Republic, Central Europe). In this geographical context, such finds are rather exceptional. The torc examined is remarkable both in terms of its origin and the production technology utilised, namely the application of decorative inlays made of red opaque glass. Available literature classifies this decorative element as an enamel technique. The highly specific type of red soda high-lead glass applied there was examined using LA-ICP-MS. Based on the trace elements detected, it can be established that the glass is most likely related to contemporary Egyptian production. Other items of the artefact set consist of two Münsingen brooches from Moravia and an exceptional brooch from Slovakia. The latter find was found to be decorated with coral (as confirmed by Raman spectroscopy). Besides identifying the materials of the decorations, we were also able to characterize the binder between individual decorative inlays and their metal base. The analysis of the binder has revealed the presence of birch tar (determined by FTIR and GC/MS). The results obtained expand the knowledge about the production technologies applied to the jewellery from the La Tène period.

This work is a comprehensive study of archaeological finds from Bohemia, Moravia, southwest Slovakia, and Lower Austria with enamel decoration from the 2nd to 1st century BC. Numerous artefacts decorated with enamel, almost exclusively red, come from the La Tène cultural sphere. Enamel is found especially on belts, horse harnesses and riding equipment, chariots, and decorative rivets. Regional and superregional groups of these artefacts were identified in the studied territory. According to the results of chem¬ical analyses, the composition of the glass of the La Tène red enamels from Europe of the 2nd to 1st century BC corresponds to the same two basic groups of natron glass – Egyptian and Levantine – as identified in the glass of personal ornaments of this period, i.e. beads, pendants, and bracelets. To date, the only evidence of local enamel processing is pieces of red glass, semi-finished products, and waste in the workshops at the Mont Beuvray – Bibracte oppidum in France. The metal composition of local types of enamelled artefacts could suggest other workshops.