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Obsidian Subsources Utilized at Sites in Southern Sardinia (Italy)

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Abstract

While geochemical analysis of obsidian artifacts is now widely applied around the world, both new instrumental methods and new research questions continue to be applied in archaeology. In the Mediterranean, many analytical methods have been employed and proven successful in distinguishing all of the island sources. In this study, results are presented from the virtually non-destructive, LA-ICP-MS multi-element analysis of 95 carefully selected obsidian artifacts from four neolithic period sites in southwestern Sardinia. The patterns of exploitation of specific Monte Arci obsidian subsources revealed in this study support a down-the-line model of obsidian trade during the neolithic period, but with chronological changes that are best explained by increased socioeconomic complexity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anthropology, University of South Florida, FL, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., SOC107, 33620, Tampa, USA

    Robert H. Tykot

  2. Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri-Columbia, MO, 65211, Columbia, USA

    Michael D. Glascock

  3. Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, MD, 20746, Suitland, USA

    Robert J. Speakman

  4. Dipartimento di Scienze Archeologiche e Storico-Artistiche, Universita di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Enrico Atzeni

Authors
  1. Robert H. Tykot
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  2. Michael D. Glascock
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  3. Robert J. Speakman
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  4. Enrico Atzeni
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Tykot, R.H., Glascock, M.D., Speakman, R.J. et al. Obsidian Subsources Utilized at Sites in Southern Sardinia (Italy). MRS Online Proceedings Library 1047, 106 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1047-Y01-06

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-1047-Y01-06

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