This paper discusses the process, prospects, and challenges of making bikini glass in Bida (Nupeland), central Nigeria. The Masagá glassmakers of Bida provide the ideal case study for investigating the production of bikini. Nineteenth-century Arab and European writings have described glassmaking in Nupeland; however, with the exception of the study carried out by Peter Robertshaw and his colleagues in 2009, there is no work that identifies the raw materials and formula used to produce bikini glass. Our recent ethnographic work at Bida provided the opportunities to collect raw glass, beads, and unfused raw material for bikini glass as well as vitrified furnace wall fragments for analysis. We present results of binocular observation and chemical compositional analysis conducted on the raw materials, glass products, and furnace remains to understand the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of various materials connected with the production of bikini. From the manufacture of glass to that of glass ornaments, bracelets, and beads, the documentation of the work of Masagá glassmakers provides new data for the history of glass and its techniques. This information is relevant for understanding glassworking in the past. The paper also addresses issues relating to migration, technology transfer, and culture contact between Nupeland and its neighbors in the Lower Niger region. It argues that the investigation of the production of bikini glass in Bida is essential for expanding our knowledge of the archaeology of glassmaking and glassworking in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

本文讨论了在尼日利亚中部 Bida (Nupeland)制造比基尼玻璃的过程、前景和挑战。Bida 的 Masagá 玻璃制造商为调查比基尼的生产提供了理想的案例研究。十九世纪的阿拉伯和欧洲著作描述了纽佩兰的玻璃制造。然而，除了 Peter Robertshaw 和他的同事在 2009 年进行的研究外，没有任何工作可以确定用于生产比基尼玻璃的原材料和配方。我们最近在 Bida 的人种学工作提供了收集原始玻璃、珠子和未融合的比基尼原料的机会玻璃以及用于分析的玻璃化炉壁碎片。我们展示了对原材料、玻璃制品和炉渣进行的双目观察和化学成分分析的结果，以了解与比基尼生产相关的各种材料的矿物学和化学特性。从玻璃的制造到玻璃饰品、手镯和珠子的制造，Masagá 玻璃制造商的工作记录为玻璃及其技术的历史提供了新的数据。此信息与过去了解玻璃加工有关。该文件还讨论了与 Nupeland 与其在尼日尔下游地区的邻国之间的移民、技术转让和文化接触有关的问题。它认为，对生产的调查比达的比基尼玻璃对于扩大我们对撒哈拉以南非洲及其他地区玻璃制造和玻璃加工考古学的了解至关重要。