Description : In 1985, a very altered glass goblet was spotted at the bottom of a Carolingian waste pit. It was saved by the immediate intervention of a restorer. After an initial on-site consolidation, the object was taken to the offices of the Archaeological Service for further conservation. When the glass fragments had become solid enough to be handled, the reconstruction stage could begin. Carolingian-era glass is extremely rare, and this piece was saved only by appropriate conservation measures that were applied as soon as it was found. Progress in the science of preventive conservation has meant that medieval glass studies have made considerable advances since the late 1980s.

This goblet was made of potassium-calcium glass, and such glasses suffer profound devitrification and decomposition in an archaeological context. Spherical in shape, with an indented base, it is decorated with two lines of glass that form waves and a spiral pattern. This type of drinking vessel was most often found in Saint-Denis during the Carolingian period.