Variation in Nemrut Dağ obsidian at Pre-Pottery Neolithic to Late Bronze Age sites (or: all that’s Nemrut Dağ obsidian isn’t the Sıcaksu source)

Abstract

Nemrut Dağ volcano was a highly important obsidian source in the ancient Near East for millennia, and its circular caldera is a conspicuous landmark on the landscape. In contrast to its archaeological relevance as an obsidian source, Nemrut Dağ was poorly understood for decades, starting with the work of Renfrew and colleagues. Fortunately, in the last decade or two, archaeologists not only have geological studies from which to draw information about the volcano but also have conducted their own research, including the work of Robin (2017) and colleagues (Robin et al., 2015, 2016; Khalidi et al., 2016). One key finding is that all of the tested Nemrut Dağ obsidian artifacts from a variety of sites match the chemical fingerprint of an outcrop near the village of Sıcaksu. Since then, it has been presumed that the Sıcaksu outcrop is the source for Nemrut Dağ obsidian artifacts at sites in various regions and times. In contrast, four types of Nemrut Dağ obsidian, including the Sıcaksu type, occur among the artifacts at Körtik Tepe, Domuztepe, and Tell Mozan, at which there are indications of a diachronic change. Developing our knowledge of field relationships among the types of Nemrut Dağ obsidian advances our ability to make behaviorally relevant interpretations.