An international research project on Armenian archaeological sites: fission-track dating of obsidians

Abstract

In the Mediterranean and adjacent regions, the Caucasus is one of the less studied areas in relation to provenance studies of prehistoric obsidian artefacts. In the frame of an international INTAS research project, an extensive surveying and sampling campaign was carried out in the numerous obsidian bearing volcanic complexes of Armenia. 33 obsidian samples were analysed using the fission-track dating method in order to characterise the potential sources of the numerous artefacts found in prehistoric sites. Ages cluster into five groups—Upper Neopleistocene Q III, Middle Neopleistocene Q II, Lower Neopleistocene Q I, Lower Eopleistocene Q EI and Lower Pliocene N 3 1 groups. This research represents a significant contribution to a better knowledge of chronology of Armenian volcanism for which only few data were available. The resulting data-set appears to be a solid base for future provenance studies.