Mechanical Spectroscopy of Natural and Synthetic Silicate Glasses and Melts

Wagner, Norman; Heide, K.; Bagdassarov, N.

doi:10.1002/9781118408063.ch10

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…We can rule out interpretations based on older data ( SI Appendix ), including the hypothesis ( 9 ) that a change in the obsidian sources occurred because of differences in suitability for blade production. When exploring the potential for functional analysis with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we found support for geophysical and archaeological studies ( 15 – 18 ) that suggest that obsidian use–wear can exhibit inter- and intrasource variation, at least in the Near East. This, in turn, indicates that use–wear research must be supplemented with artifact-by-artifact sourcing of the entire assemblage, the same level of characterization that we argue is required to elucidate how, as settlements grew closer, opportunities for casual intercommunity contact across the landscape rose nearly exponentially.…”

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confidence: 53%

“…Tests using obsidian are rare, while those with more than one source of obsidian are even rarer ( 16 ). Recent archaeological and geophysical ( 15 – 18 ) experiments suggest that key variables for the formation of use–wear ( 15 ) can differ between and within obsidian sources. Specifically, chemical composition [alkalinity ( 17 )], intrinsic water content ( 17 ), and microscopic mineral inclusions ( 16 , 18 ) can all affect use–wear on obsidian.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent archaeological and geophysical ( 15 – 18 ) experiments suggest that key variables for the formation of use–wear ( 15 ) can differ between and within obsidian sources. Specifically, chemical composition [alkalinity ( 17 )], intrinsic water content ( 17 ), and microscopic mineral inclusions ( 16 , 18 ) can all affect use–wear on obsidian. These three variables were assessed in our obsidian collection, and our data suggest that obsidian use–wear in the Near East will exhibit inter- and intrasource variations ( SI Appendix ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying the origins of obsidian artifacts in the Deh Luran Plain (Southwestern Iran) highlights community connections in the Neolithic Zagros

Frahm

Carolus

2022

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Exchange networks created by Neolithic pastoral transhumance have been central to explaining the distant transport of obsidian since chemical analysis was first used to attribute Near Eastern artifacts to their volcanic origins in the 1960s. Since then, critical reassessments of floral, faunal, and chronological data have upended long-held interpretations regarding the emergence of food production and have demonstrated that far-traveled, nomadic pastoralists were more myth than reality, at least during the Neolithic. Despite debates regarding their proposed conveyance mechanisms, obsidian artifacts’ transport has received relatively little attention compared with zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical lines of investigation. The rise of nondestructive and portable instruments permits entire obsidian assemblages to be traced to their sources, renewing their significance in elucidating connections among early pastoral and agricultural communities. Here we share our findings about the obsidian artifacts excavated from the sites of Ali Kosh and Chagha Sefid in the southern Zagros. In the 1960s and 1970s, 28 obsidian artifacts from the sites were destructively tested, and the remainder were sorted by color. Our results emphasize a dynamic, accelerating connectivity among the Early and Late Neolithic communities. Here we propose and support an alternative model for obsidian distribution among more settled communities. In brief, diversity in the obsidian assemblage accelerated diachronically, an invisible trend in the earlier studies. Our model of increasing population densities is supported by archaeological data and computational simulations, offering insights regarding the Neolithic Demographic Transition in the Zagros, an equivalent of which is commonly thought to have occurred around the world.

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confidence: 53%