Chipped Glass Instruments in Historic Archaeological Sites

This research deals with the analysis of thirty chipped glass instruments recovered after excavations at the historic archaeological site Engenho do Murutucu, located in the Curió-Utinga neighbourhood, in the municipality of Belém, Pará, Brazil. According to the documentation, this site was built at the beginning of the 18th century and is linked to African slavery in the Amazon, where indigenous and African slaves and plantation lords and ladies lived. The objects were analysed based on the precepts of the technological approach. For microscopic observation of the marks of use, a petrographic optical device with a magnification of more than 100x was used. Experimental work was also carried out. This methodological union was chosen in view of the problem that surrounded the identification and analysis of these objects, given that many instruments made from chipped glass are not recognised in the archaeological records of various historical sites. The results achieved made it possible to affirm that the instruments made from chipped glass are mixed entities and are the result of traditional know-how.