Obsidian Use on Islands Big and Small: Sicily and others in the Central Mediterranean
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2016-12-19

Starting in the Early Neolithic (ca. 6000 BC) obsidian from four island sources was acquired and distributed over great distances
in the Central Mediterranean. In recent years, non-destructive analytical instruments, including portable X-ray fluorescence
spectrometers (pXRF), have been used to determine the specific geological sources of thousands of obsidian artefacts from
many sites throughout this region. Obsidian from the Aeolian island of Lipari was widely used in Sicily, Malta, peninsular Italy,
and as far north as France and across the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. Obsidian from Pantelleria was regularly used on Malta and
other islands south of Sicily, and to some extent in Tunisia, Sicily, and the island of Ustica to the north. Small amounts of obsidian
from sources on Sardinia and Palmarola made their way to southern Italy. Prior studies of the obsidian sources show multiple
outcrops for each, with differences in visual and physical features (e.g. colour, phenocrysts, translucency, brittleness) as well as
in quantity, size, and accessibility. Importantly, pXRF analysis can distinguish between these subsources, including Gabellotto
and Canneto Dentro on Lipari, and Balata dei Turchi and Lago di Venere on Pantelleria. Consideration of these variables is critical
in the understanding of obsidian access and selection, distribution, and use, and may be integrated with our knowledge of the
availability and transportation of other material culture items (e.g. flint, greenstone, ceramics, animals, secondary products). The
large number of artefacts from many Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites now tested provides the opportunity to assess
socioeconomic changes over time, and variation based on location and lithic production methods, typology, and usage. Obsidian
distribution patterns also provide better understanding of open water transport capabilities and directions, with Pantelleria 100
km from southwest Sicily, Lipari 30 km from the northeast coast of Sicily, and many obsidian artefacts transported several
hundred km further along the coasts of the Tyrrhennian, Ionian, and Adriatic Seas.

Author - Tykot, Robert, University of South Florida, Odessa, United States of America (Presenting author)