Since the first successful provenance study of Mediterranean obsidian in the early 1960s, much has been accomplished. The principal sources (Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria, Sardinia) are reasonably well documented, a number of analytical methods have been proven useful in provenance studies, and the source of many archaeological artifacts has been determined. Typological studies have helped to identify reduction sites and sequences, and use-wear analysis has in some cases revealed the use-function of obsidian artifacts.

Nevertheless, despite the frequent occurrence of obsidian at central Mediterranean sites, there have been very few sustained programs of obsidian analysis in this region. Furthermore, significant numbers of obsidian finds from dated contexts have been analyzed from only a limited number of sites, and it is impossible to interpret distribution patterns and compare technology and function without statistically significant numbers of analyses. It has also become apparent that more detailed documentation of primary and secondary source localities is necessary, especially on Sardinia and Pantelleria where multiple flows were differentially exploited in antiquity. Obsidian hydration dating, a technique still in development, has been only rarely applied in the Mediterranean.

As we enter the 21st century, it is also clear that new research designs and theoretical models must be developed to maximize the information recorded by obsidian finds. More precise understanding of the initial stages of the chaîne opératoire, for example, will go a long way towards reconstructing spatial and temporal variation in acquisition, production and exchange mechanisms and the social systems in which they are embedded. Along with a report of current work in progress on central Mediterranean obsidian, some directions for future research will be suggested.