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Gérard Poupeau - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Obsidians from the Kerkennah Islands (eastern Tunisia) and the PIXE elemental compositions of the Mediterranean peralkaline Obsidians
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2015Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Gérard Poupeau, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Ridha Boussofara, Matthieu Compin, Simone MulazzaniAbstract:Abstract The provenance of 37 Obsidians from the Kerkennah Islands (central Mediterranean Sea) was determined by PIXE. It is shown that they came from the two main Obsidian sources, Balata dei Turchi and Lago di Venere, of the Pantelleria Island. A comparison of the PIXE elemental composition of geological vs . archaeological Obsidians of central and western Mediterranean shows that their sources present elemental compositions homogeneous enough to make possible sourcing studies. However, a comparison between the distributions of geological and archaeological Obsidians chemistry shows that the PIXE source qualifications do not cover yet the whole of their internal variations.
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Obsidians artefacts from Renaghju (Corsica Island) and the Early Neolithic circulation of Obsidian in the Western Mediterranean
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2015Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, André D'anna, Pascal Tramoni, Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, Carlo Lugliè, Henri MarchesiAbstract:The site of Renaghju has the largest excavated area of any Neolithic site on the island of Corsica (Western Mediterranean). Its lowest layer, exposed over a few hundred meters square contained a rich Early Neolithic Cardial ceramic and lithic industry dated by 14C to the second half of the 6th millennium BC. Obsidian, a raw material exogenous to the island, comprises ca. 15 % of the chipped stone industry. The provenance of 622 Obsidian artefacts (84 % of the total assemblage) was determined through a combination of visual characterization, together with noninvasive particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and energy dispersion spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS) on millimeter-sized polished fragments. This is, by far, the largest sample of Obsidian artefacts analyzed from a Corsican Neolithic site. All but one of the artefacts was found to be made of Obsidian from sources associated with the volcanic complex of Monte Arci on the nearby island of Sardinia. Obsidian from each of the three major Monte Arci sources exploited during the Neolithic were identified, with a predominance of Obsidians of the SA and SB2 types over the SC type. Only one artefact was shown to be made of Obsidian from another source, namely, that on the island of Palmarola, in the Pontine Archipelago. The Monte Arci Obsidian were procured in the form of small nodules that were then reduced on site, the knappers primarily producing flakes using an expedient and intensive technology. This tradition involved the production of very few types of formal implements, including geometrics and carving/boring tools, forms that are typical of the Tyrrhenian Cardial Early Neolithic. This is the earliest Neolithic culture on Corsica, whose appearance coincides with a major colonization of both Corsica and Sardinia. The significant presence of Sardinian Obsidians in the southwestern Corsican site of Renaghju attests to early contacts between groups inhabiting these islands from the 6th millennium BC, while the Palmarola Obsidian indicates occasional contacts with groups living on the Italian Peninsula. Alternatively, this “exotic” raw material’s presence at Renaghju might be viewed as the result of frequent and intensive movements of the first colonists in the Tyrrhenian area.
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Obsidians artefacts from Renaghju (Corsica Island) and the Early Neolithic circulation of Obsidian in the Western Mediterranean
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2014Co-Authors: F.-x. Le Bourdonnec, André D'anna, Pascal Tramoni, Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, Carlo Lugliè, Henri MarchesiAbstract:International audienceThe site of Renaghju has the largest excavated area of any Neolithic site on the island of Corsica (Western Mediterranean). Its lowest layer, exposed over a few hundred meters square contained a rich Early Neolithic Cardial ceramic and lithic industry dated by 14C to the second half of the 6th millennium BC. Obsidian, a raw material exogenous to the island, comprises ca. 15 % of the chipped stone industry. The provenance of 622 Obsidian artefacts (84 % of the total assemblage) was determined through a combination of visual characterization, together with noninvasive particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and energy dispersion spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS) on millimeter-sized polished fragments. This is, by far, the largest sample of Obsidian artefacts analyzed from a Corsican Neolithic site. All but one of the artefacts was found to be made of Obsidian from sources associated with the volcanic complex of Monte Arci on the nearby island of Sardinia. Obsidian from each of the three major Monte Arci sources exploited during the Neolithic were identified, with a predominance of Obsidians of the SA and SB2 types over the SC type. Only one artefact was shown to be made of Obsidian from another source, namely, that on the island of Palmarola, in the Pontine Archipelago. The Monte Arci Obsidian were procured in the form of small nodules that were then reduced on site, the knappers primarily producing flakes using an expedient and intensive technology. This tradition involved the production of very few types of formal implements, including geometrics and carving/boring tools, forms that are typical of the Tyrrhenian Cardial Early Neolithic. This is the earliest Neolithic culture on Corsica, whose appearance coincides with a major colonization of both Corsica and Sardinia. The significant presence of Sardinian Obsidians in the southwestern Corsican site of Renaghju attests to early contacts between groups inhabiting these islands from the 6th millennium BC, while the Palmarola Obsidian indicates occasional contacts with groups living on the Italian Peninsula. Alternatively, this “exotic” raw material’s presence at Renaghju might be viewed as the result of frequent and intensive movements of the first colonists in the Tyrrhenian area
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The use of SEM-EDS, PIXE and EDXRF for Obsidian provenance studies in the Near East: a case study from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (central Anatolia)
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2010Co-Authors: Gérard Poupeau, M. Steven Shackley, Sarah Delerue, François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Thomas Calligaro, Jean-alix Barrat, Tristan Carter, Marina MilićAbstract:In this paper we evaluate the relative analytical capabilities of SEM-EDS, PIXE and EDXRF for characterizing archaeologically significant Anatolian Obsidians on the basis of their elemental compositions. The study involves 54 geological samples from various sources, together with an archaeological case study involving 100 artifacts from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (central Anatolia). With each technique the artifacts formed two compositional groups that correlated with the East Göllü Dag and Nenezi Dag sources. The non-destructive capabilities of these methods are emphasized (albeit with certain analytical limitations in the case of SEM-EDS), suggesting important new techniques for Near Eastern Obsidian provenance studies.
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Western Mediterranean Obsidians characterization by SEM-EDS and the Neolithic site of A Fuata (Corsica)
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2010Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Gérard Poupeau, Jean-michel Bontempi, Nathalie Marini, Sylvain Mazet, Pierre François Neuville, J. SicuraniAbstract:During the Neolithic, Obsidians of the Monte Arci (Sardinia) volcanic complex were by far more used in the northern Tyrrhenian area than those of the three other source-islands (Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria) in the western Mediterranean. It is shown that merely determinations of content for six major elements with a scanning electron microscope by energy dispersion spectrometry (SEM-EDS) are sufficient to distinguish the four types of Monte Arci Obsidians. Because of the compositional similarities between these Obsidian types, a multivariate analysis is recommended in provenance studies. Although SEM-EDS, electron microprobe-wavelength dispersion spectrometry (EMP-WDS) and particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) give essentially concordant results in the determination of these six element contents, subtle technique-related biases prevent the combination of SEM-EDS, EMP-WDS and PIXE data on source samples for provenance purposes. An SEM-EDS test-study reveals the first occurrence of Obsidians of Lipari for the A Fuata Middle to Late Neolithic site of NW Corsica (north of Sardinia), in addition to the usual Monte Arci Obsidians. Similar to EMP-WDS, the SEM-EDS technique requires only millimeter-sized fragments.
Bernard Gratuze - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Between cooking and knapping in the southern Caucasus: Obsidian-tempered ceramics from Aratashen (Armenia) and Mentesh Tepe (Azerbaijan)
Quaternary International, 2018Co-Authors: Giulio Palumbi, Bernard Gratuze, Christine Chataigner, Denis Guilbeau, Laurence Astruc, Bertille Lyonnet, G. PulitaniAbstract:Obsidian-tempered ceramics represent a typical production of the Chalcolithic period in the southern Caucasus. Previous studies have already assessed the viability of LA-ICP-MS analysis to identify the provenance of the Obsidian temper contained in the ceramic paste. In this article the results of the analyses of the Obsidian-tempered ceramics and of the Obsidian lithic artefacts from the sites of Aratashen (Armenia) and Mentesh Tepe (Azerbaidjan) are compared. The aim of this comparison is to define analogies and differences in the modalities of acquisition of the Obsidian as they are revealed by ceramic and lithic production at two sites that were localised at different distances from primary and secondary sources of Obsidian. The results of this comparison allowed us to highlight different modalities of provisioning and exploitation of the same raw material by knappers and potters.
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Obsidian in the southern Caucasus between cooking and knapping. The case of the Obsidian-tempered ceramics from Aratashen (Armenia) and Mentesh Tepe (Azerbaijan)
2016Co-Authors: Giulio Palumbi, Bernard Gratuze, Christine Chataigner, Denis Guilbeau, Laurence Astruc, Bertille Lyonnet, Armine HarutyunyanAbstract:This research deals with the Obsidian-tempered ceramics of the Chalcolithic period in the Southern Caucasus. Samples of Obsidian-tempered ceramics from the sites of Aratashen (Armenia) and Mentesh Tepe (Azerbaijan) were analyzed by means of Laser Ablation High Resolution Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. These analyses have shown that Obsidianswhich came from different sources were used as a ceramic temper for kitchen ware. The Aratashen site in the Ararat Plain, and Mentesh Tepe in the Kura River valley, are localized in very different ecosystems, and at a variable distance from the Obsidian sources of the region.Our aim is to compare the strategies of acquisition and use of Obsidians at both sites as they are revealed by ceramic temperand lithics. This will allow a discussion of the organization of craftsmanship during the Chalcolithic in two fields of expertise, tool-making and ceramic production.
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Identification and characterization of a new Obsidian source in the Nemrut volcano (Eastern Anatolia, Turkey) : the Sıcaksu Obsidian
2016Co-Authors: Anne-kyria Robin, Damase Mouralis, Catherine Kuzucuoğlu, Ebru Akköprü, Bernard GratuzeAbstract:In the frame of GeObs project (http://geobs.univ-rouen.fr/), we started an exhaustive field study of Obsidian lavas outcrops in the Nemrut Volcano (Eastern Anatolia, Turkey). We propose here to present results from analyses of the macroscopic facies and chemical characteristics of all sub-sources, and its comparison to each other. A first conclusive remark is that most Nemrut sub-sources are distinguishable using geochemical data (LA–ICP–MS). In addition, on the western flank of the volcano we identify and characterize (in the field as well as in the laboratory) two yet unknown Obsidian outcrops (Kayacık and Sıcaksu) which are close to each other, with regard both to its geography and geochemistry. No previous research on Obsidian sourcing around this volcano was able to identify these sub-sources.Statistical treatments (classification and discriminant analyses) applied to a set of data composed of our results from both (i) all our sub-sources sampled in the Nemrut, together with (ii) the artifacts attributed by L. Khalidy et al. to the Nemrut Volcano, clearly connect the artifacts to the group formed by these newly found sub-sources. Results of the combination of field work data, geochemical analyses, and statistical treatments comparing geological and archaeological Obsidians, evidence the importance of two Obsidian outcrops sampled by us on the western flank on Nemrut Volcano, which is the most up-to-date collection of samples from the Nemrut.In further detail, only one of the two new sub-sources, the ―Sıcaksu‖ Obsidian, is particularly homogenous and suitable for chopping. Accordingly, Sıcaksu Obsidian is now the best candidate for being the source addressed by Neolithic populations who collected raw material in the Nemrut Volcano for tool-making.
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The spread of Obsidian on the Iranian Plateau during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. The possible role of mobile pastoralists
2016Co-Authors: Bernard Gratuze, Damase Mouralis, Marjan Mashkour, Mohamad Hossein Azizi Kharananghi, Ali Zalaghi, Sepideh Maziar, Anne-kyria RobinAbstract:Our talk provides new and original data on the analysis of Obsidian artifacts from Iran. It focuses on the sourcing of Obsidian artifacts collected at different archaeological sites dated from the Pre-pottery and Pottery Neolithic sites of Kalek Asad Morad (KAM), Qasr e Ahmad (QeA), Rahmat Abad (RA), Choghabur (ChB), Qaleh Asgar (QA); and the Bronze Age site of Kohne Tepesi (KT). These sites are located in the central (KAM) and southern Zagros (QeA & RA), along the Persian Gulf (ChB), in the central Alborz (QA), and in southern part of the Araxes River basin (KT).The aim of this paper is to provide a diachronic perspective on the exploitation of Obsidian sources and diffusion of its raw material in the area under investigation, from the Early Neolithic to Bronze Age. We demonstrate that Obsidian originates mainly from the Taurus sources (Nemrut Dağ and region of Bingöl) during the Neolithic, and that a diversification of procurement appears during the Bronze Age, involving new Obsidian sources, located in the south of Lake Sevan (Sjunik, Armenia), in the exchange processes. The spread of Obsidian is considered as a suitable element for tracking the mobility and trade networks of prehistoric societies in the Near East. Current debates among archaeologists highlight the role of agropastoralists in the diffusion of Obsidian.Twenty-eight artifacts originating from these sites (KAM, n = 6; QeA, n = 10; RA, n = 3; ChB, n = 2; QA, n = 5; and KT, n = 2), have been analyzed using LA–ICP–MS. Their compositions were compared with different databases, and have benefited from new insights given by the GeObs Database which include more than 600 geological samples from the Anatolian volcanoes, precisely referenced. It thus became possible to assign the peralkaline Obsidian from the Nemrut Dağ (KAM, QeA, ChB) to the Obsidian flow of Sicaksu, while the other peralkaline Obsidians can be assigned to Obsidian outcrops located around Solhan in the Bingöl area (QeA). The calk-alkaline obisidians (RA, QA) were assigned to Alatepe, also located in the Taurus region (Bingöl area, Turkey), while data from the Kohne Tepesi site indicates different Obsidian networks related to Sjunik source in Armenia (Sevkar outcrops). According to these preliminary results, we will examine changes in the dynamics of Obsidian networks diachronically and geographically.
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Obsidian outcrops from Nemrut volcano (eastern Anatolia) : evidence in favor of an exploitable source, first results
Géomorphologie : relief processus environnement, 2015Co-Authors: Anne-kyria Robin, Bernard Gratuze, Damase Mouralis, Catherine Kuzucuoğlu, Ebru Akköprü, Ali fuat Doğu, Korhan Erturaç, Joël CétouteAbstract:Archeological studies have demonstrated that many Prehistoric artefacts in Obsidian found in the Near East have a chemical affinity with Obsidian outcropping in the Nemrut volcano. In the archaeological literature, Mount Nemrut is considered as one of the most important Obsidian sources used by prehistoric societies. During our two field works in 2013 and 2014, we prospected a wide area on and around Nemrut volcano. Our findings confirm the location of the Obsidian outcrops described in the literature. According to our observation, Obsidian on Mount Nemrut volcano is generally not exploitable for chopping tools. Most of the studied Obsidians we defined on the field, present a facies with numerous phenocrysts and cracks, which is not compatible with a good knapping quality. However, we identified a new outcrop associated with Obsidian artefacts such as nuclei and rough flakes. Geological samples of the Obsidian from this outcrop present all a very different facies compare to those of others Mount Nemrut Obsidians: Obsidian from this area does not show any phenocryst or cracks, and they are very homogeneous and uniform. These characteristics are in favor to knapping criteria. Comparatively to the other known Obsidian outcrops in the Nemrut volcano, we can assume here that this Obsidian outcrop is, to date, the only source one that could have been exploited, by Prehistoric people on the Nemrut volcano. Our work, using chemical analyzes (LA-ICP-MS), petrology and field observation enhances characteristics for workable Obsidian that depends on the modality of emplacement. This last one should have been different from the other outcrops to provide a different facies.
François-xavier Le Bourdonnec - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Obsidians from the Kerkennah Islands (eastern Tunisia) and the PIXE elemental compositions of the Mediterranean peralkaline Obsidians
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2015Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Gérard Poupeau, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Ridha Boussofara, Matthieu Compin, Simone MulazzaniAbstract:Abstract The provenance of 37 Obsidians from the Kerkennah Islands (central Mediterranean Sea) was determined by PIXE. It is shown that they came from the two main Obsidian sources, Balata dei Turchi and Lago di Venere, of the Pantelleria Island. A comparison of the PIXE elemental composition of geological vs . archaeological Obsidians of central and western Mediterranean shows that their sources present elemental compositions homogeneous enough to make possible sourcing studies. However, a comparison between the distributions of geological and archaeological Obsidians chemistry shows that the PIXE source qualifications do not cover yet the whole of their internal variations.
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Obsidians artefacts from Renaghju (Corsica Island) and the Early Neolithic circulation of Obsidian in the Western Mediterranean
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2015Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, André D'anna, Pascal Tramoni, Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, Carlo Lugliè, Henri MarchesiAbstract:The site of Renaghju has the largest excavated area of any Neolithic site on the island of Corsica (Western Mediterranean). Its lowest layer, exposed over a few hundred meters square contained a rich Early Neolithic Cardial ceramic and lithic industry dated by 14C to the second half of the 6th millennium BC. Obsidian, a raw material exogenous to the island, comprises ca. 15 % of the chipped stone industry. The provenance of 622 Obsidian artefacts (84 % of the total assemblage) was determined through a combination of visual characterization, together with noninvasive particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and energy dispersion spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS) on millimeter-sized polished fragments. This is, by far, the largest sample of Obsidian artefacts analyzed from a Corsican Neolithic site. All but one of the artefacts was found to be made of Obsidian from sources associated with the volcanic complex of Monte Arci on the nearby island of Sardinia. Obsidian from each of the three major Monte Arci sources exploited during the Neolithic were identified, with a predominance of Obsidians of the SA and SB2 types over the SC type. Only one artefact was shown to be made of Obsidian from another source, namely, that on the island of Palmarola, in the Pontine Archipelago. The Monte Arci Obsidian were procured in the form of small nodules that were then reduced on site, the knappers primarily producing flakes using an expedient and intensive technology. This tradition involved the production of very few types of formal implements, including geometrics and carving/boring tools, forms that are typical of the Tyrrhenian Cardial Early Neolithic. This is the earliest Neolithic culture on Corsica, whose appearance coincides with a major colonization of both Corsica and Sardinia. The significant presence of Sardinian Obsidians in the southwestern Corsican site of Renaghju attests to early contacts between groups inhabiting these islands from the 6th millennium BC, while the Palmarola Obsidian indicates occasional contacts with groups living on the Italian Peninsula. Alternatively, this “exotic” raw material’s presence at Renaghju might be viewed as the result of frequent and intensive movements of the first colonists in the Tyrrhenian area.
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The use of SEM-EDS, PIXE and EDXRF for Obsidian provenance studies in the Near East: a case study from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (central Anatolia)
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2010Co-Authors: Gérard Poupeau, M. Steven Shackley, Sarah Delerue, François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Thomas Calligaro, Jean-alix Barrat, Tristan Carter, Marina MilićAbstract:In this paper we evaluate the relative analytical capabilities of SEM-EDS, PIXE and EDXRF for characterizing archaeologically significant Anatolian Obsidians on the basis of their elemental compositions. The study involves 54 geological samples from various sources, together with an archaeological case study involving 100 artifacts from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (central Anatolia). With each technique the artifacts formed two compositional groups that correlated with the East Göllü Dag and Nenezi Dag sources. The non-destructive capabilities of these methods are emphasized (albeit with certain analytical limitations in the case of SEM-EDS), suggesting important new techniques for Near Eastern Obsidian provenance studies.
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Western Mediterranean Obsidians characterization by SEM-EDS and the Neolithic site of A Fuata (Corsica)
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2010Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Gérard Poupeau, Jean-michel Bontempi, Nathalie Marini, Sylvain Mazet, Pierre François Neuville, J. SicuraniAbstract:During the Neolithic, Obsidians of the Monte Arci (Sardinia) volcanic complex were by far more used in the northern Tyrrhenian area than those of the three other source-islands (Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria) in the western Mediterranean. It is shown that merely determinations of content for six major elements with a scanning electron microscope by energy dispersion spectrometry (SEM-EDS) are sufficient to distinguish the four types of Monte Arci Obsidians. Because of the compositional similarities between these Obsidian types, a multivariate analysis is recommended in provenance studies. Although SEM-EDS, electron microprobe-wavelength dispersion spectrometry (EMP-WDS) and particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) give essentially concordant results in the determination of these six element contents, subtle technique-related biases prevent the combination of SEM-EDS, EMP-WDS and PIXE data on source samples for provenance purposes. An SEM-EDS test-study reveals the first occurrence of Obsidians of Lipari for the A Fuata Middle to Late Neolithic site of NW Corsica (north of Sardinia), in addition to the usual Monte Arci Obsidians. Similar to EMP-WDS, the SEM-EDS technique requires only millimeter-sized fragments.
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Early Neolithic Obsidians in Sardinia (Western Mediterranean): the Su Carroppu case
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2007Co-Authors: Carlo Lugliè, Gérard Poupeau, François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Enrico Atzeni, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Laurent SeraniAbstract:All the Obsidians from the undisturbed Early Neolithic (Cardial ware phase I) layer of the Su Carroppu rock-shelter (Sardinia island) were studied. Their elemental composition and that of Obsidians from the Monte Arci (Sardinia) volcanic complex was determined by ion beam analysis (PIXE). A comparison between the composition of Su Carroppu artefacts, analysed non-destructively, and that of Western Mediterranean analysed in the same conditions shows that the archaeological material belongs to the SA, SB2 and SC Monte Arci-types, to the exclusion of the SB1 type. The typological/technological study of this industry allowed us to reconstruct two chaînes opératoires, for the production of blades (using predominantly SC Obsidians) and of flakes (based exclusively on SA and SB2 Obsidians), respectively, but on the whole, assemblage blade/bladelet production was performed somewhat preferably with SA and SB2 types. Thus, in the earliest EN culture known on the island, ancient man had, for the making of its Obsidian toolkit, a highly adaptive behaviour applied to the reduction of different useful Obsidian sources.
Stéphan Dubernet - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Obsidians from the Kerkennah Islands (eastern Tunisia) and the PIXE elemental compositions of the Mediterranean peralkaline Obsidians
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2015Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Gérard Poupeau, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Ridha Boussofara, Matthieu Compin, Simone MulazzaniAbstract:Abstract The provenance of 37 Obsidians from the Kerkennah Islands (central Mediterranean Sea) was determined by PIXE. It is shown that they came from the two main Obsidian sources, Balata dei Turchi and Lago di Venere, of the Pantelleria Island. A comparison of the PIXE elemental composition of geological vs . archaeological Obsidians of central and western Mediterranean shows that their sources present elemental compositions homogeneous enough to make possible sourcing studies. However, a comparison between the distributions of geological and archaeological Obsidians chemistry shows that the PIXE source qualifications do not cover yet the whole of their internal variations.
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The use of SEM-EDS, PIXE and EDXRF for Obsidian provenance studies in the Near East: a case study from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (central Anatolia)
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2010Co-Authors: Gérard Poupeau, M. Steven Shackley, Sarah Delerue, François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Thomas Calligaro, Jean-alix Barrat, Tristan Carter, Marina MilićAbstract:In this paper we evaluate the relative analytical capabilities of SEM-EDS, PIXE and EDXRF for characterizing archaeologically significant Anatolian Obsidians on the basis of their elemental compositions. The study involves 54 geological samples from various sources, together with an archaeological case study involving 100 artifacts from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (central Anatolia). With each technique the artifacts formed two compositional groups that correlated with the East Göllü Dag and Nenezi Dag sources. The non-destructive capabilities of these methods are emphasized (albeit with certain analytical limitations in the case of SEM-EDS), suggesting important new techniques for Near Eastern Obsidian provenance studies.
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Early Neolithic Obsidians in Sardinia (Western Mediterranean): the Su Carroppu case
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2007Co-Authors: Carlo Lugliè, Gérard Poupeau, François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Enrico Atzeni, Stéphan Dubernet, Philippe Moretto, Laurent SeraniAbstract:All the Obsidians from the undisturbed Early Neolithic (Cardial ware phase I) layer of the Su Carroppu rock-shelter (Sardinia island) were studied. Their elemental composition and that of Obsidians from the Monte Arci (Sardinia) volcanic complex was determined by ion beam analysis (PIXE). A comparison between the composition of Su Carroppu artefacts, analysed non-destructively, and that of Western Mediterranean analysed in the same conditions shows that the archaeological material belongs to the SA, SB2 and SC Monte Arci-types, to the exclusion of the SB1 type. The typological/technological study of this industry allowed us to reconstruct two chaînes opératoires, for the production of blades (using predominantly SC Obsidians) and of flakes (based exclusively on SA and SB2 Obsidians), respectively, but on the whole, assemblage blade/bladelet production was performed somewhat preferably with SA and SB2 types. Thus, in the earliest EN culture known on the island, ancient man had, for the making of its Obsidian toolkit, a highly adaptive behaviour applied to the reduction of different useful Obsidian sources.
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Raman micro-spectroscopy of western Mediterranean Obsidian glass: one step towards provenance studies?
Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 2004Co-Authors: Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, Stéphan DubernetAbstract:This paper presents the first results of the Raman characterization of Obsidians from the western Mediterranean. About 40 geological samples, from the islands of Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria and Sardinia, representative of the seven archaeologically significant Obsidian sources, were analysed. Apart from the general shape of the spectra, which characterize three islands, a detailed treatment of the stretching massif part was performed to obtain quantitative discriminating parameters. The combination of these factors seems to provide a complete discrimination of all archaeologically significant western Mediterranean sources. These sources have provided raw material of Meso- and Neolithic artefacts distributed around the Tyrrhenian basin and nowadays provide key evidence of ancient exchange networks. Because some alternatives to classical geochemical fingerprinting are currently being sought, Raman spectroscopy could be a complementary or even alternative technique in provenance studies of archaeological Obsidians.
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Provenance of the Jerf el Ahmar (Middle Euphrates Valley, Syria) Obsidians
Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 2003Co-Authors: Frédéric Abbès, Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, Sarah Delerue, Stéphan Dubernet, Marie-claire Cauvin, Danielle StordeurAbstract:A provenance study of Obsidians collected in the Jerf el Ahmar village dated from 9500 to 8700 BC cal (Middle Euphrates Valley, Syria) was made from geochemical analyses. The elementary composition of 44 Obsidian artefacts and of 19 samples from potential Obsidian volcanic sources was determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and -mass spectrometry (ICP-AES/-MS) or particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and scanning electron microscope-energy dispersion of X-rays (SEM-EDX). We show that each of these approaches gives reliable source assignment. We found that 42 of the Jerf el Ahmar Obsidians came from the Cappadocia (Göllü Dağ volcanic massif) and two from the Bingöl area in Eastern Anatolia. This information confirms the arrival in the Levant of Obsidian from the latter sources during the end of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A period, most probably in relation with the diffusion of the Neolithic process from the Middle Euphrates Valley towards the Northeast.
Ludovic Bellot-gurlet - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Obsidians artefacts from Renaghju (Corsica Island) and the Early Neolithic circulation of Obsidian in the Western Mediterranean
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2015Co-Authors: François-xavier Le Bourdonnec, André D'anna, Pascal Tramoni, Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, Carlo Lugliè, Henri MarchesiAbstract:The site of Renaghju has the largest excavated area of any Neolithic site on the island of Corsica (Western Mediterranean). Its lowest layer, exposed over a few hundred meters square contained a rich Early Neolithic Cardial ceramic and lithic industry dated by 14C to the second half of the 6th millennium BC. Obsidian, a raw material exogenous to the island, comprises ca. 15 % of the chipped stone industry. The provenance of 622 Obsidian artefacts (84 % of the total assemblage) was determined through a combination of visual characterization, together with noninvasive particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and energy dispersion spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS) on millimeter-sized polished fragments. This is, by far, the largest sample of Obsidian artefacts analyzed from a Corsican Neolithic site. All but one of the artefacts was found to be made of Obsidian from sources associated with the volcanic complex of Monte Arci on the nearby island of Sardinia. Obsidian from each of the three major Monte Arci sources exploited during the Neolithic were identified, with a predominance of Obsidians of the SA and SB2 types over the SC type. Only one artefact was shown to be made of Obsidian from another source, namely, that on the island of Palmarola, in the Pontine Archipelago. The Monte Arci Obsidian were procured in the form of small nodules that were then reduced on site, the knappers primarily producing flakes using an expedient and intensive technology. This tradition involved the production of very few types of formal implements, including geometrics and carving/boring tools, forms that are typical of the Tyrrhenian Cardial Early Neolithic. This is the earliest Neolithic culture on Corsica, whose appearance coincides with a major colonization of both Corsica and Sardinia. The significant presence of Sardinian Obsidians in the southwestern Corsican site of Renaghju attests to early contacts between groups inhabiting these islands from the 6th millennium BC, while the Palmarola Obsidian indicates occasional contacts with groups living on the Italian Peninsula. Alternatively, this “exotic” raw material’s presence at Renaghju might be viewed as the result of frequent and intensive movements of the first colonists in the Tyrrhenian area.
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Obsidians artefacts from Renaghju (Corsica Island) and the Early Neolithic circulation of Obsidian in the Western Mediterranean
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2014Co-Authors: F.-x. Le Bourdonnec, André D'anna, Pascal Tramoni, Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, Carlo Lugliè, Henri MarchesiAbstract:International audienceThe site of Renaghju has the largest excavated area of any Neolithic site on the island of Corsica (Western Mediterranean). Its lowest layer, exposed over a few hundred meters square contained a rich Early Neolithic Cardial ceramic and lithic industry dated by 14C to the second half of the 6th millennium BC. Obsidian, a raw material exogenous to the island, comprises ca. 15 % of the chipped stone industry. The provenance of 622 Obsidian artefacts (84 % of the total assemblage) was determined through a combination of visual characterization, together with noninvasive particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and energy dispersion spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS) on millimeter-sized polished fragments. This is, by far, the largest sample of Obsidian artefacts analyzed from a Corsican Neolithic site. All but one of the artefacts was found to be made of Obsidian from sources associated with the volcanic complex of Monte Arci on the nearby island of Sardinia. Obsidian from each of the three major Monte Arci sources exploited during the Neolithic were identified, with a predominance of Obsidians of the SA and SB2 types over the SC type. Only one artefact was shown to be made of Obsidian from another source, namely, that on the island of Palmarola, in the Pontine Archipelago. The Monte Arci Obsidian were procured in the form of small nodules that were then reduced on site, the knappers primarily producing flakes using an expedient and intensive technology. This tradition involved the production of very few types of formal implements, including geometrics and carving/boring tools, forms that are typical of the Tyrrhenian Cardial Early Neolithic. This is the earliest Neolithic culture on Corsica, whose appearance coincides with a major colonization of both Corsica and Sardinia. The significant presence of Sardinian Obsidians in the southwestern Corsican site of Renaghju attests to early contacts between groups inhabiting these islands from the 6th millennium BC, while the Palmarola Obsidian indicates occasional contacts with groups living on the Italian Peninsula. Alternatively, this “exotic” raw material’s presence at Renaghju might be viewed as the result of frequent and intensive movements of the first colonists in the Tyrrhenian area
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Provenance study of some Obsidians from the Malia Minoan palace (Crete)
Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2008Co-Authors: Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Olivier Pelon, Michel Louis SéfériadèsAbstract:Excavation of Malia Palace (Crete) had delivered a large collection of Obsidian artefacts from Ancient Minoan II to Middle Minoan II levels. Among these artefacts, some present visual macroscopic characteristics distinct from Aegean raw materials from Melos and Gyali islands. To determine the provenance of these Obsidians, non-destructive analysis by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were realised from a sampling of 31 artefacts. As suspected, the sources recognised are mainly Aegean, with the larger part (25 artefacts) identifiable to Melos sources (Sta Nychia: 21; Demenegaki: 4) and one piece to the Gyali island. The originality lies in the identification at Malia for the Ancient Minoan II levels of five artefacts attributed to Cappadocian sources, with four pieces coming from the Göllü Dağ volcanic complex and for the first time in the Aegean area, of one Obsidian artefact ascribed to the Nenezi Dağ volcano.
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Obsidian provenance studies in Colombia and Ecuador: Obsidian sources revisited
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2008Co-Authors: Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Olivier Dorighel, Gérard PoupeauAbstract:The field occurrences, elemental compositions and formation ages of Colombian and Ecuadorian Obsidians are revisited. It is shown that the regional sources of this raw material are linked to two major volcanic structures: the Chacana and the Paletara calderas, localised on the eastern cordillera of Ecuador and on the central Andean cordillera of south Colombia respectively. Seventy-two samples were analysed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and/or particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The same 10 types of elemental compositions were identified independently from ICP and PIXE. Four of these types were previously unknown. The formation ages of these Obsidians previously determined by fission tracks dating are in the range 0.17–1.58 Ma at Chacana and 3.46–4.27 Ma at Paletara. Most Colombian and Ecuadorian pre-Hispanic artefacts present elemental compositions compatible with a Chacana- or Paletara-derived origin of the raw material. However, some of them present fission track ages discordant with the present-day known Obsidian occurrences, which implies that the regional source inventory is not yet exhaustive.
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Obsidian provenance studies in archaeology: A comparison between PIXE, ICP-AES and ICP-MS
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2005Co-Authors: Ludovic Bellot-gurlet, Gérard Poupeau, Joseph Salomon, Thomas Calligaro, Brice Moignard, Jean-claude Dran, Jean-alix Barrat, Laurent PichonAbstract:Elemental composition fingerprinting by PIXE technique is very attractive for Obsidian provenance studies as it may proceed in a non-destructive mode, even if a more complete elemental characterization can be obtained by ICP-MS and/or ICP-AES. Only few studies have compared results obtained by both methods for solid rock samples. In this work, elemental compositions were determined by ICP-MS/-AES for international geochemical standards and by ICP-MS/-AES and PIXE for inter-laboratory reference Obsidians. In addition 49 Obsidian source samples and artefacts were analysed by both ICP-MS/-AES and PIXE. Instrumental work and measurement quality control performed for Obsidian chemical characterization, underline that PIXE and ICP-MS/-AES provide reproducible, accurate and comparable measurements. In some volcanic districts the limited number of elements dosed by PIXE is sufficient for the discrimination of the potential raw sources of Obsidians. Therefore, PIXE can be an advantageous substitute to ICP-MS/-AES techniques for provenance studies.
