A MULTI-METHOD APPROACH FOR THE PROVENIENCE OF OBSIDIAN IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: NEW DATA ON THE EXPLOITATION OF THE MONTE ARCI SOURCES IN SARDINIA

Obsidian tools and flakes found at prehistoric Mediterranean sites are evidence of a complex series of activities including procurement and transport of the raw material, production and distribution of cores or finished tools, consumption and eventual disposal. Instrumental methods of chemical analysis have been employed for over 30 years to characterize geological sources of obsidian and to determine the provenance of individual artifacts. The analysis of trace elements, most commonly by neutron activation analysis, has been successful in differentiating all of the obsidian sources in the Mediterranean area. These include several sources each in central and eastern Anatolia and the Carpathian mountains of central Europe; Melos and Giali in the Aegean; and the Italian islands of Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria, and Sardinia. The Sardinian source actually comprises several distinct flows in the Monte Arci region of the island.

Previous research has demonstrated that obsidian from three Sardinian sources is present at sites in Corsica, northern Italy, and southern France; Lipari and Palmarola obsidian artifacts are often found at the same mainland sites, while obsidian from Pantelleria appears restricted to Sicily, Malta, and north Africa. The only evidence in Italy for Melos obsidian comes from a site without stratigraphic context.

Field survey of the Monte Arci sources, and the chemical analysis of hundreds of in situ geological specimens, now reveals four major source groups, two of which may be further subdivided into two subgroups. Five sources (SA, SB1, SB2, SC1, SC2) are represented in archaeological assemblages. Furthermore, it is possible to differentiate all but the two SC subgroups from one another based on major/minor element composition. Additional instrumental techniques may thus be used to determine the precise source of archaeological material, and at a reduced per sample cost.

More than 1000 tools from neolithic sites in Italy, France and Tunisia were analyzed using electron probe microanalysis with wavelength dispersive spectrometers. These results triple the data available for reconstructing central Mediterranean "trade" and provides a framework for interpreting the specific cultural context in which their acquisition was embedded.