Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Systematic Approach to Obsidian Source Characterization

  • Chapter
Archaeological Obsidian Studies

Part of the book series: Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science ((AAMS,volume 3))

Abstract

A systematic approach to sample collection, chemical analysis, and statistical evaluation of obsidian sources is recommended before significant numbers of artifacts should be analyzed. Multivariate statistical methods based on Mahalanobis D 2 enable robust rejection of erroneous source assignments and lead to sourcing of artifacts with a very high degree of confidence. These multivariate procedures can also assist in identifying and evaluating abbreviated analytical methods that are more rapid and less expensive. Test cases based on obsidian data from sources in Mesoamerica are presented.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Ahrens, L.H. 1954 The lognormal distribution of the elements. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 5: 49–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asaro, F., Michel, H.V., Sidrys, R., and Stross, E. 1978 High-precision chemical characterization of major obsidian sources in Guatemala. American Antiquity 43: 436–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avila-Salinas, W. 1975 Elementos trazas de algunas obsidianas Bolivianas, Centro de Investigaciones Arqueologicas, publicacion No. 4, La Paz, Bolivia, 16 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter, M.J. 1991 Principal component and correspondence analysis of glass compositions: an empirical study. Archaeometry 33: 29–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baxter, M.J. 1992 Archaeological uses of the biplot-a neglected technique? In Lock, G. and Moffett, J., eds., Computer applications and quantitative methods in archaeology, 1991. British Archaeological Report International Series, S577, p. 141–148, Tempus Raparatum, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettinger, R.L., Delacores, M.G., and Jackson, R.J. 1984 Visual sourcing of central eastern California obsidians. In R.E. Hughes, ed., Obsidian Studies in the Great Basin. Contributions of the University of California Archaeological Research Facility 45: 63–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bieber, A.M.Jr., Brooks, D.W., Harbottle, G., and Sayre, E.V. 1976 Application of multivariate techniques to analytical data on Aegean ceramics. Archaeometry 18: 59–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, R.L. and Neff, H. 1989 Compositional data analysis in archaeology. In R.O. Allen, ed.,Archaeological Chemistry-IV. American Chemical Society: Washington: 57–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackman, M.J. 1984 Provenance studies of Middle Eastern obsidian from sites in highland Iran. In Lambert, J.B., ed., Archaeological Chemistry-III Washington, American Chemical Society: 19–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, H.R., Asaro, E, and Perlman, I. 1973 On the uniformity of composition in obsidians and evidence for magmatic mixing. Journal of Geology 81: 312–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braswell, G.E. and Glascock, M.D. 1992 A new obsidian source in the highlands of Guatemala. Ancient Mesoamerica 3: 47–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burger, R.L., and Asaro, F. 1977 Trace element analysis of obsidian artifacts from the Andes: new perspectives on pre-hispanic economic interaction in Peru and Bolivia. University of

    Google Scholar 

  • California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory preprint 6343: Berkeley, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cann, J.R. and Renfrew, C. 1964 The characterization of obsidian and its application to the Mediterranean region. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 30: 111–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cattell, R.B. 1952 Factor Analysis. Harper: New York, 462 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charlton, T.H., Grove, D.C., and Hopke, P.K. 1978 The Paredn, Mexico obsidian source and Early Formative exchange. Science 201: 807–809.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, J.E. 1981 Multi-faceted approach to the study of Mesoamerican obsidian trade: an example from early Chiapas. Paper presented at the 46th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in San Diego, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, J.E. 1988 The lithic artifacts of La Libertad, Chiapas, Mexico: an economic perspective. In Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation,No. 52., Provo, Utah.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobean, R.H., Coe, M.D., Perry, E.A. Jr., Turekian, K.K., and Kharkar, D.P. 1971 Obsidian trade at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Mexico. Science 174: 141–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cobean, R.H., Vogt, J.R., Glascock, M.D., and Stocker, T.R. 1991 High precision trace element characterization of major Mesoamerican obsidian sources and further analyses of artifacts from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 2: 69–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J.C. 1986 Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology. New York, John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duerden, P, Bird, J.R., Clayton, E., Cohen, D.D., and Leach, B.F. 1984 Provenance studies of New Zealand obsidian artifacts. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B3: 419–423.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duranni, S., Khan, M.T., and Renfrew, C. 1971 Obsidian source identification by fission track analysis. Nature 233: 242–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elam, J.M. 1993 Post-Formative Obsidian Exchange in Oaxaca, Mexico. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Missouri: Columbia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ericson, J.E. 1981 Exchange and Production Systems in Californian Prehistory: The Results of Hydration Dating and Chemical Characterization of Obsidian Sources. British Archaeological Reports, International Series 110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freter, A.C. 1992 Chronological research at Copan. Ancient Mesoamerica 3: 117–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuller, R.E. 1927 The mode of origin of the color of certain varicolored obsidians. Journal of Geology 35: 570–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel, KR. 1971 The biplot-graphic display of matrices with application to principal components analysis. Biometrika 58: 453–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glascock, M.D. 1992 Characterization of archaeological ceramics at MURR by neutron activation analysis and multivariate statistics. In Neff. H., ed., Chemical Characterization of Ceramic Pastes in Archaeology. Madison, Prehistory Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glascock, M.D. and Anderson M.P. 1993 Geological reference materials for standardization and quality assurance of instrumental neutron activation analysis. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Articles 174: 229–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glascock, M.D., Elam, J.M., and Aoyama, K. 1990 Provenience analysis of obsidian artifacts from the La Entrada Region, Honduras. In Pernicka, E. and Wagener, G.A., eds., Archaeometry `90. Basel, Birkhauser Verlag: 365–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glascock, M.D., Elam, J.M., and Cobean, R.H. 1988 Differentiation of obsidian sources in Mesoamerica. In Farquhar, R.M., Hancock, R.G.V., and Pavlish, L.A., eds., Archaeometry’88. Toronto, Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Toronto: 245–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glascock, M.D., Neff, H., Stryker, K.S., and Johnson, T.N. 1994 Sourcing archaeological obsidian by an abbreviated NAA procedure. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Articles 180: 29–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, C.C., Glascock, M.D., Carni, J.J., Vogt, J.R., and Spalding, T.G. 1982 Determination of elements in National Bureau of Standards’ geological standard reference materials by neutron activation analysis. Analytical Chemistry 54: 1623–1627.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harbottle, G. 1976 Activation analysis in archaeology. In Newton, G.WA., ed., Radiochemistry. London, The Chemical Society: 33–72.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Harbottle, G. 1982 Chemical characterization in archaeology. In Ericson, J.E. and Earle, T.K., eds., Contexts for Prehistoric Exchange. New York, Academic Press: 13–51..

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R.E. 1982 Age and exploitation of obsidian from the Medicine Lake Highland, California. Journal of Archaeological Science 9: 173–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R.E. 1984 Obsidian sourcing studies in the Great Basin: problems and prospects. In Hughes, R.E. ed., Obsidian Studies in the Great Basin. Contributions of the University of California Archaeological Research Facility No. 45: Berkeley, California: 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R.E. 1986 Diachronic Variability in Obsidian Procurement Patterns in Northeastern California and Southcentral Oregon. Berkeley, University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R.E. 1988 The Coso Volcanic Field reexamined: implications for obsidian sourcing and hydration dating research. Geoarchaeology 3: 253–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huntley, D.J. and Bailey, D.C. 1978 Obsidian source identification by thermoluminescence. Archaeometry 20: 159–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurtado de Mendoza, L. andJester, W.A. 1978 Obsidian sources in Guatemala: a regional approach. American Antiquity 43: 424–435.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, T.L, and Love, M.W. 1991 Blade running: middle preclassic obsidian exchange and the introduction of prismatic blades at La Blanca, Guatemala. Ancient Mesoamerica 2: 47–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klecka, W.R. 1980 Discriminant analysis. Sage University Paper, Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences, Series No. 07–019. Beverly Hills, California, Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lachenbruch, P.A. 1975 Discriminant Analysis. New York, Hafner.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach, F. 1973 Obsidian from the Chatham Islands. New Zealand Archaeological Association Newsletter 16: 104–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach, F. and Manly, B. 1982 Minimum Mahalanobis distance functions and lithic source charac- terization by multi-element analysis. New Zealand Journal of Archaeology 4: 77–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach, E. and Warren, S.E. 1981 Neutron activation analysis of New Zealand and oceanic obsidians: towards a simple screening technique. In Leach, F and Davidson, J., eds., Archaeological Studies of Pacific Stone Resources. Oxford, BAR International Series 104, Oxford, England: 151–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach, B.F., Warren, S.E., and Fankhauser, B. 1978 Obsidian from the far north of New Zealand: A method of sourcing based on natural radioactive emission. New Zealand Journal of Science 21: 123–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Longworth, G. and Warren, S.E. 1979 The application of mössbauer spectroscopy to the charac- terisation of western Mediterranean obsidian. Journal of Archaeological Science 6: 179–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDougall, J.M., Tarling, D.H., and Warren, S.E. 1983 The magnetic sourcing of obsidian samples from Mediterranean and Near Eastern sources. Journal of Archaeological Science 10: 441–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moholy-Nagy, H. and Nelson, F.W. 1990 New data on sources of obsidian artifacts from Tikal, Guatemala. Ancient Mesoamerica 1: 71–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neff, H. 1990 A series of routines written in GAUSS language (unpublished).

    Google Scholar 

  • Neff, H. 1994 RQ-mode principal components analysis of ceramic compositional data. Archaeometry 36: 115–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neff, H., Bishop, R.L., and Arnold, D.E. 1988 Reconstructing ceramic production from ceramic compositional data: an example from Guatemala. Journal of Field Archaeology 15: 339–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neff, H., Bove, F.J., Johnson, T.N., and Arroyo, B. 1993 Fachimentos a Craves de hidratacion de obsidiana en la costa sur de Guatemala. Apuntes Arqueologicos 2: 55–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, F.W. 1985 Summary of the results of analysis of obsidian artifacts from the Maya lowlands. Scanning Electron Microscopy II: 631–649.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perlman, I. and Asaro, F. 1969 Pottery analysis by neutron activation. Archaeometry 11: 21–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Picon, M., Carre, C., Cordoliani, M.L., Vichy, M., Hernandez, J.A., and Mignard, J.L. 1975

    Google Scholar 

  • Compositions of the La Graufesenque, Banassac and Montans terra sigillata. Archaeometry 17: 191–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pires-Ferreira, J.W. 1973 Formative Mesoamerican Exchange Networks with Special Reference to the Valley of Oaxaca. Memoirs of the Museum of Anthropology No. 7, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reeves, R.D. and Armitage, G.C. 1973 Density measurements and chemical analysis in the identification of New Zealand archaeological obsidians. New Zealand Journal of Science 16: 561–572.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sappington, R.L. 1981 The archaeology of the Lydle Gulch Site (10-AA-72): prehistoric occupation in the Boise River Canyon, southwestern Idaho. University of Idaho Anthropological Research Manuscript Series 66. Moscow, Idaho, University of Idaho.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sappington, R.L. 1984 Procurement without quarry production: examples from southwestern Idaho. In

    Google Scholar 

  • Ericson, J.E. and Purdy, B.A., eds., Prehistoric Quarries and Lithic Production. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: 23–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sayre, E.V. 1975 Brookhaven procedures for statistical analyses of multivariate archaeometric data. Brookhaven National Laboratory Report BNL-21693, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shackley, M.S. 1988 Sources of archaeological obsidian in the Southwest: an archaeological, petrological, and geochemical study. American Antiquity 53: 752–772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, C. 1983 Obsidian Studies in Oregon: An Introduction to Obsidian and Investigation of Selected Methods of Obsidian Characterization Utilizing Obsidian Collected at Prehistoric Quarry Sites in Oregon. M.A. thesis, University of Oregon, Eugene.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sneath, P.H.A. and Sokal, R.R. 1973 Numerical Taxonomy. San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, B.L., Heller, L, Glascock, M.D., Elam, J.M., and Neff, H. 1992 Obsidian-artifact source analysis for the Mextequilla region, south-central Veracruz, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 3: 221–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, C.M. and McCurry, M.O. 1990 Chemical characterization and hydration rate development for New Mexican obsidian sources. Geoarchaeology 5: 149–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stocker, T.R. and Cobean, R.H. 1984 Preliminary report on the obsidian mines at Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz. In Ericson, J.E. and Purdy, B.A., eds., Prehistoric Quarries and Lithic Production, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: 83–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stross, F.H., Sheets, P, Asaro, E, and Michel, H.V. 1983 Precise characterization of Guatemalan obsidian sources, and source determination of artifacts from Quirigu. American Antiquity 48: 323–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogt, J.R., C.C. Graham, M.D. Glascock, and R.H. Cobean 1982 A study of Mesoamerican obsidian sources using activation analysis. Journal of Radioanalytical Chemistry 69: 271–289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, G.K. 1974 A systematic approach to the definition of sources of raw material. Archaeometry 16: 41–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, M.E. and Clark, D.W. 1977 Elemental characterization of obsidian from the Koyukuk

    Google Scholar 

  • River, Alaska, by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Archaeometry 19: 15–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, A.L. 1978 Elemental analysis of pottery in the study of its provenance: a review. Journal of Archaeological Science 5: 219–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Reactor Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA

    Michael D. Glascock

  2. Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA

    Geoffrey E. Braswell

  3. Instituto Naciconal de Antropología e Historia, Mexico City, Mexico

    Robert H. Cobean

Authors
  1. Michael D. Glascock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Geoffrey E. Braswell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert H. Cobean
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology and Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    M. Steven Shackley

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Glascock, M.D., Braswell, G.E., Cobean, R.H. (1998). A Systematic Approach to Obsidian Source Characterization. In: Shackley, M.S. (eds) Archaeological Obsidian Studies. Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science, vol 3. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9276-8_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9276-8_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9278-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9276-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation