Obsidian Sources Research Articles

The Charaña Obsidian Source and its Role in the Prehispanic Exchange Networks of the Titicaca Basin

Although the Chivay Source in the Colca Valley of Arequipa was the dominant provider of obsidian for the Lake Titicaca Basin throughout prehistory, other sources were also exploited. One minor deposit was recognized from a distinctive composition of obsidian artifacts previously known as the Tumuku or Khonko Type, but its geological location had not been identified and confirmed. This article identifies a deposit 28 km east of the village of Charaña, Pacajes Province, Bolivia as the source of this obsidian. Reassessment of obsidian artifacts from sites in the southern Titicaca Basin on both sides of the modern Peru-Bolivia border demonstrate that the Charaña Source was exploited for over three millennia. While its utilization was generally restricted to the altiplano, obsidian from the Charaña Source reached the lowland Tiwanaku site of Omo in the Moquegua Valley during the Middle Horizon. A pesar de que la Fuente Chivay era la obsidiana principal para la Cuenca del Lago Titicaca durante la época prehispánica, otros fuentes también eran utilizadas. Una cantera de importancia menor fue reconocida en base a la composición de elementos trazos de ciertos artefactos. Esta composición fue conocida como el Tipo Tumuku o Tipo Khonko, en la literatura arqueológica. Este artículo identifica el depósito geológico en un lugar a 28 km al este de Charaña, Provincia de Pacajes, Bolivia como la fuente de esta obsidiana. Análisis de artefactos que provienen de sitios en el Perú y Bolivia demuestran que la Fuente Charaña fue utilzada por más de tres mil años en la parte sur del Lago Titicaca. Mientras su utilización fue generalmente restrigida en la zona altiplánica, obsidiana de la Fuente Charaña llegó hasta el sitio Omo en el valle bajo de Moquegua durante el Horizonte Medio.

Distribution and sources of secondary deposit archaeological obsidian in Rio Grande alluvium New Mexico, USA

AbstractIn 2000, Tim Church published an excellent examination of the secondarily deposited obsidian in Rio Grande Quaternary alluvium for a relatively small section of the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico. Here, the goal is to complement Church's study to include six secondary deposits of a portion of the Rio Grande hydrological basin nearly 400 km in length, coupled with a comparison to 11 archaeological sites on or near the river basin. Additionally, the compositional and metric data on obsidian sources from the Jemez Lineament sources have also improved since 2000, providing useful data on nodule dimension as well as compositional data at the primary sources. By recording both nodule sizes against source provenance at these points along the Rio Grande, scholars can compare the results of nearby archaeological contexts and the source obsidian available at various points along the Rio Grande. It is often difficult to determine whether the raw material used to produce a chipped stone tool was originally procured at the source or in secondary contexts. That, however, can never be achieved anywhere in the world without firm secondary depositional data. This issue is the focus of this study.

Obsidian in the Upper Palaeolithic of Iberia

Sourced from the Tyrrhenian Islands and exchanged over long distances, obsidian was used widely across prehistoric Western Europe. An obsidian core and bladelets from a newly discovered rockshelter site in south-eastern Spain, however, raised the possibility of an unrecognised mainland source of obsidian. EDXRF analysis of the Early Magdalenian finds from La Boja links them to a source 125km to the south-west. The artefacts were discarded during two brief activity phases at the site, indicating that obsidian procurement was integral to the technological choices of the site's users. The specificities of the technocomplex may explain the unique nature of this occurrence.

PXRF Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts from a Rural Spanish Household: Investigating Spanish-Pueblo Interactions in Seventeenth-Century New Mexico

pXRF analysis is used to identify the geographic origins of obsidian artifacts from a seventeenth-century New Mexico Spanish homestead. Socio-economic factors that may have influenced the presence of obsidian sources found at the site are then examined. The analysis provides a needed starting point to begin addressing questions concerning the incidence of obsidian and other flaked lithics recovered at early Spanish sites in the region and demonstrates the potential of obsidian to investigate broader historical archaeological and anthropological issues. I conclude that interpretations concerning the presence of lithic artifacts at Spanish sites need to move beyond functional explanations (e.g. lack of metal or material properties) and, instead, incorporate analysis with documentary evidence (when available) and larger social and economic contexts.

CERAMIC SEQUENCE, CHRONOLOGY, AND CULTURAL DYNAMICS OF THE UCAREO-ZINAPÉCUARO, MICHOACÁN OBSIDIAN SOURCE AREA

AbstractThis article presents the ceramic sequence and chronology resulting from a multi-year program of survey, excavation, and analysis of pre-Hispanic settlement and exploitation within the Zinapécuaro-Ucareo (“U-Z”), Michoacan obsidian source area. Pottery analysis and classification aided by seriation analysis identified nine ceramic complexes and seven ceramic phases and sub-phases that both expand and refine the ceramic sequence previously established for the region by Gorenstein's (1985) investigations at nearby Acámbaro, Guanajuato. Initially established by ceramic cross-dating, the U-Z ceramic chronology has been largely confirmed by 30 radiocarbon dates and spans over 2,000 years of pre-Hispanic settlement, which included at least two notable episodes of trait-unit and site-unit intrusion from the eastern El Bajío and central Mexico. One of these episodes involved the appearance of two enclaves settled by individuals from the Acambay valley c. 90 km to the East, most likely from the site of Huamango, which our data indicate would have been occupied during the Middle Postclassic period.

Central Oregon obsidian from a submerged early Holocene archaeological site beneath Lake Huron.

Obsidian, originating from the Rocky Mountains and the West, was an exotic exchange commodity in Eastern North America that was often deposited in elaborate caches and burials associated with Middle Woodland era Hopewell and later complexes. In earlier times, obsidian is found only rarely. In this paper we report two obsidian flakes recovered from a now submerged paleolandscape beneath Lake Huron that are conclusively attributed to the Wagontire obsidian source in central Oregon; a distance of more than 4,000 km. These specimens, dating to ~ 9,000 BP, represent the earliest and most distant reported occurrence of obsidian in eastern North America.

End of the line? Obsidian at Umm Qseir, a Halafian farmstead in the Syrian steppe

Obsidian sourcing in the Near East was principally developed to investigate the Neolithic Revolution, but limitations of these early studies were soon recognized. Critics noted that sites included in the models span millennia and vary in size and function. Greater insight is offered by a more contextualized examination of the nature and timing of sites. Within the Neolithic sequence, one phase of considerable interest is the Halaf period (c. 6000–4500 BCE) in Northern Mesopotamia. The spread of Halaf “tradition,” arguably the earliest example of a widely shared material culture in the region, has been tied to varied hypotheses of movement (of people, objects, and/or ideas) that remain largely untested. The use of obsidian sourcing to investigate Halafian phenomena (e.g., the spread of Halaf ceramics, the practice of dryland farming) would ideally involve high temporal resolution and consider settlement function and scale (e.g., an early urban center, a small farming village). Umm Qseir, the smallest known Halaf site, fulfills both. Occupied for less than two centuries, Umm Qseir was an environmentally marginal farmstead managed year-round by just two or three families at a time. The closest contemporary settlement was more than 30 km to the north, within the conventional limits of dryland farming (annual rainfall > 250 mm). Here we reconstruct and refine obsidian sourcing data for Umm Qseir artifacts from 1990s and 2000s studies, and we present new data for a small assemblage. We also highlight techno-typological clues that elucidate production, use, and maintenance of such artifacts. Ultimately, such findings offer insights into the exchange strategy of Syrian steppe farmsteaders and reflect an important means of risk management.

Modelling prehistoric social interaction in the south-western Pacific: a view from the obsidian sources in northern Vanuatu. In From Field to Museum—Studies from Melanesia in Honour of Robin Torrence, ed. Jim Specht, Val Attenbrow, and Jim Allen

This paper investigates the history of social interaction within communities in the Vanuatu Archipelago and between Vanuatu and other regions in the Western Pacific as reflected by variations in lithic raw material sources and technology of stone artefacts. Past research determined an apparent contradiction between long-distance transportation of obsidian, indicating high value, and the under-utilisation of the raw material at the place of discard, indicating low value. The paper concludes that because previous hypotheses depend too much on the notion of the scarcity of resources in their evaluation of the concept of value, they are insufficient to explain the pattern of spatial and temporal distribution of lithic artefacts. Rather than focusing on the intrinsic value of obsidian raw material for individuals or communities, it is more useful to view it as a marker of group identity in a complex system connecting discrete populations in mitigating risk in unpredictable new environments. These new environments included pre-established populations, which might be hostile to new arrivals. The necessity for this complex system quickly disappeared once the colonisers arrived in regions uninhabited by prior populations.

Obsidian source identification at Gre Fılla, Turkey

This study presents a provenance analysis of the obsidian assemblage from Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) at Gre Fılla, in Turkey. A hand-held, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer was used to obtain the element contents of the artefacts. The major sources at the settlement were identified as Bingöl B, Bingöl A, and Nemrut Dağ. The comprehensive analysis of the data set enables us to establish the spatial variation in the relative proportions of each source. The preliminary results of spatial patterning at the site indicate that there could be a relation between the obsidian procurement practices and the function of the structures.

Archaeological significance and chemical characterization of the obsidian source in Kirigamine, central Japan: Methodology for provenance analysis of obsidian artefacts using XRF and LA–ICP–MS

The Kirigamine area is one of the major obsidian sources in the Chubu-kanto region of central Japan, and is regarded as an important archaeological study area for improving the understanding of historical changes in human–environment interactions related to obsidian procurement activities during the Upper Paleolithic. Previous studies have presented a model for the relationship between human activities and the paleoenvironment, but there is a need for further understanding based on data related to the sourcing of obsidian in the Kirigamine area. This study aimed to establish a method for provenance analysis of obsidian artefacts based on chemical compositions. The chemical compositions of 13 groups of obsidian sources in the Kirigamine area were determined by WDXRF and LA–ICP–MS analyses, and discrimination diagrams proposed. For verification purposes, provenance analyses of obsidian artefacts excavated at the Hiroppara prehistoric site were undertaken using these discrimination diagrams. We yielded the same results of provenance analysis among the WDXRF and LA–ICP–MS methods, and the discrimination methods described may be applied to further provenance analysis of obsidian artefacts using nondestructive EDXRF and pXRF, and micro-destructive LA–ICP–MS analyses.

Sourcing of obsidian artefacts from the Omolon River basin and the neighbouring region (north‐eastern Siberia): Prehistoric procurement from Kamchatkan and Chukotkan sources

Obsidians sources used by prehistoric people in the Omolon River basin and neighbouring areas of north‐eastern Siberia were determined for 112 artefacts from 30 sites by the energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (ED‐XRF) method. The main suppliers were the primary obsidian sources in both the Chukotka (Lake Krasnoe) and Kamchatka (Itkavayam, Payalpan and KAM‐8) regions, with distances from sources to sites up to about 300–900 km in a straight line. For the first time, the transport of obsidian from Kamchatkan sources has been detected outside of this territory. The mechanism of obsidian transport was most probably by down‐the‐line movement, especially in the case of the Lake Krasnoe source.

Obsidian Source Use Within the Alföld Linear Pottery culture in Slovakia

This paper reports the results of non-destructive energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis of 186 obsidian artifacts from eight archaeological sites attributable to the Alföld Linear Pottery Culture (c. 5600-4900 cal BC). This is the largest instrument-based study yet conducted and reported for Alföld Linear Pottery Culture (ALPC) artifacts from Slovakia, where ALPC chipped lithic assemblages are almost entirely composed of obsidian items. Results show that all obsidian artifacts analyzed were manufactured exclusively from a volcanic glass of the Carpathian 1 chemical type, the source of which has been localised in Slovakia. This chemical variety of obsidian appears to have been the most important volcanic glass used by prehistoric communities in East-Central Europe during the Neolithic.

A REGIONAL ASSESSMENT OF OBSIDIAN USE IN THE POSTCLASSIC AZTATLAN TRADITION

AbstractOf the many items that were traded throughout the Postclassic (A.D. 850/900–1350) Aztatlan network, obsidian was perhaps the most prevalent. In this study, large assemblages of obsidian from five Aztatlan centers on the coastal plain are discussed: San Felipe Aztatan, Chacalilla, Amapa, Coamiles, and Peñitas. In total, over 12,000 obsidian artifacts were analyzed macroscopically and through handheld portable X-ray fluorescence. The results of these analyses illustrate regional patterns of obsidian use that appear consistent across the coastal plain. Generally, only three obsidian sources were used with frequency. The most proximal source was utilized for generalized reduction and probably acquired directly, while more distant obsidians from the Jalisco highlands are commonly found in the form of prismatic blades. These trends in obsidian use indicate an increase in source diversity concurrent with the development of the Aztatlan trade networks despite the local availability of quality obsidians. Finally, synchronic patterns of source distribution further indicate that sources were unevenly distributed as certain individuals likely had greater access to imported blades. In conclusion, this large study provides a regional perspective of obsidian use in Western Mexico on the coastal plain and showcases the pervasiveness of the obsidian trade during the Postclassic.

Obsidian exchange networks in the Jovel Valley, Chiapas, Mexico: A compositional analysis approach

This article presents an analysis of obsidian artifacts from Maya archaeological sites in the Jovel Valley of highland Chiapas. The sites were all occupied during the Late Classic (AD 600–900) and Early Postclassic (AD 900–1250) periods, and include Moxviquil and CV-38, two small monumental centers on opposite sides of the valley, and Huitepec, a residential site on the southwest edge of the valley. 165 artifacts excavated by the Proyecto Económico de los Altos de Chiapas in 2009 and 2015 (164 obsidian artifacts and 1 glass) were analyzed using x-ray fluorescence spectrometry and the results were compared to known volcanic sources in Mesoamerica. The results indicate a significant bifurcation of dominant sources between sites on both sites of the valley, which, we conclude, also had a temporal aspect. Artifacts from CV-38 were predominantly from the San Martín Jilotepeque source, and were primarily associated with Late Classic period occupation, while artifacts from outlying areas at Moxviquil and Huitepec were predominantly from the El Chayal source and a small number of Central Mexican sources, and were primarily associated with Early Postclassic period occupation. Most artifacts in the study sample were 3rd series prismatic blade sections, originating from multiple obsidian sources. A unique notched prismatic blade eccentric recovered at Moxviquil likely represents an effigy stingray spine, and was likely a ceremonial object used by the site’s residents.

Village‐specific Kula partnerships revealed by obsidian sourcing on Tubetube Island, Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACTThe inter‐island Kula exchange network within the Massim region of eastern New Guinea is unique in its complexity, with the historically recorded configuration between the northern islands archaeologically visible between 1350 and 1500 AD (600–450 calBP). The southern islands were incorporated sometime later, and Tubetube Island formed a major hub in this southern extension of the Kula. To assess the timing and extent of Tubetube Islander involvement, excavated obsidian was used as a proxy to assess social connections with other island communities within the ambit of Kula. Forty‐nine pieces from two sites, Lagisuna and Tupwana, spanning the relevant period were chemically characterised using pXRF and determined to have been sourced almost exclusively from western and eastern Fergusson sources, respectively. We argue social connections between communities were village specific. Lagisuna had connections with the West Fergusson source region outside of the ethnographically known Kula network from 1500 to 1650 AD (450–300 calBP). Tupwana had maintained historically recorded kinship connections with important Kula communities on Duau and Dobu in the East Fergusson source region over several generations by at least 1800 AD (150 calBP), and probably intermittently from 1500 to 1650 AD. Our results support an increasingly nuanced model for the past development of Kula exchange.

Prehistorical Obsidian Sources in the Island of Lipari (Aeolian Islands)

AbstractThis research project concerns the study, analysis and dating of obsidian flows on the island of Lipari, in relation to the population of the Aeolian Islands, during the Neolithic period.The collection, processing and diffusion of Lipari obsidian characterise the Neolithic population of Lipari and the entire Mediterranean. By improving the knowledge of supply methods in the territory, it will be possible to formulate hypotheses on the chronology of the sources, the ways of collecting the raw material and on the mobility of the Neolithic communities in the Aeolian Islands. The scientific research is divided into two main topics: the first concerns the analytical and methodological aspects of archaeological and geological studies of Lipari obsidian; the second, the formation of obsidian at Lipari, their sources and lithological characteristics. Throughout the duration of this study we will perform new age determinations of Neolithic obsidian artefacts and geological samples, directly with the method of fission track, and indirectly dating paleo soils using the radiocarbon method.

PXRF Sourcing of Obsidian from Pallaucha, Vilcashuaman: Insights into Exchange Patterns in South-Central Peru during the Early Horizon

Recent archaeological research demonstrates that the south-central highlands was a region of important sociocultural developments during the Early Horizon (ca. 800-200 BC). One reason for the prominence of this region was the local availability of obsidian, a widely exchanged lithic material. In this paper, we discuss the results of a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) sourcing study of a sample of 26 obsidian artifacts from the site of Pallaucha, an Early Horizon civic ceremonial center located near Vilcashuaman in the Department of Ayacucho, Peru. PXRF analysis demonstrates that the Quispisisa source was the most commonly exploited locality to acquire obsidian at Pallaucha even though other sources were in closer proximity. Our results complement the results of a study of a large sample of obsidian from the nearby, and partially contemporary, civic-ceremonial center of Campanayuq Rumi.

Sources, circulation, and use of obsidian in central Chile

A geochemical analysis of 382 obsidian samples from different archeological sites in Central Chile (32°–35° Lat. South) has identified the preferential use of three known sources in the Andean mountain range, Arroyo Paramillos and Laguna del Diamante located in the Maipo Volcano area, and Las Cargas located ca 120 km further south. The analysis of the circulation and use of this raw material from the beginning of the Archaic period until the arrival of the Inka to this territory reveals differences in how obsidian from these three main sources was used, both spatially and temporally. The hunter-gatherers occupying the Andean mountain range preferred the obsidian source from the Maipo Volcano area, while the hunter gatherer and horticulturalist groups from the central valley used more frequently the obsidian from Las Cargas source. These differences are linked to the quality of the obsidian, its suitability for the intended use and the distance of the users from the source.

Consuming local: The new obsidian source of Ideloo (Northwestern Iran) and first evidence of use by neighbouring prehistoric communities

AbstractThis paper reports the results of a recent geological and archaeological survey conducted in the Sarab district (Sabalan area) in Northwestern Iran. This survey aimed to identify potential obsidian outcrops in the region and to investigate archaeological sites in the vicinity to assess their obsidian exploitation patterns. We located a new obsidian source, Ideloo, and surveyed the previously known archaeological sites of Tepe Qalehjoogh, Kultepe Asbfrooshan, Tepe Emam Chay and Qaleh Tepe Abarghan. Here, we describe the methods and results of our surveys, along with the geochemical characterisation, using portable XRF and LA‐ICP‐MS, of both the new outcrop and the obsidian artefacts found on the sites. Our analyses have revealed the consumption of Ideloo obsidian on three of the four sites surveyed, confirming its exploitation by local communities. While validating previous assumptions regarding the existence of potential obsidian sources in Northwestern Iran, our study also highlights the consumption of raw materials originating from the Caucasus or Eastern Anatolia in complement to local resources. However, the diffusion of the Ideloo obsidian seems so far restricted to a small area, which suggests more complex consumption and trade patterns than previously expected.

Hunter-fisher-gatherer river transportation: Insights from sourcing the obsidian of Hasankeyf Höyük, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic A village on the Upper Tigris (SE Turkey)

As a means of contributing to discussions on regional diversity in the earliest Neolithic lifeways of the Fertile Crescent (10th millennium cal BC), this article presents an EDXRF-based sourcing study of 332 obsidian artifacts from the hunter-fisher-gatherer village of Hasankeyf Höyük in southeastern Anatolia. While the techno-typological choices detailed conform largely to a pre-defined Upper Tigris cultural tradition, the distinctions in raw material selection reflect the “mosaic of exploitation strategies” that have come to typify the socio-economic practices of Early Holocene communities in the larger region (southwest Asia). Five obsidian sources are represented in the analyzed sample, with Nemrut Dağ products being dominant, plus smaller amounts of Bingöl A, Bingöl B, Muş and ‘Group 3d’ obsidian. The preference for Nemrut Dağ obsidian distinguishes this village from others of the Upper Tigris. By using a GIS-based least cost-path analysis, we suggest that community-specific traditions of raw material choice were part-influenced by these hunter-fisher-gatherers’ use of rivers as their primary means of reaching the obsidian sources. The importance of the Tigris and its tributaries for transportation and cultural interaction is supported by various proxy data that lead us to argue that riverine movement and communication was an important aspect of Early Holocene lifeways in southwest Asia that has hitherto been largely ignored by archaeologists.