Obsidian Subsources Utilized at Sites in Southern Sardinia (Italy)

Tykot, Robert H.; Glascock, Michael D.; Speakman, Robert J.; Atzeni, Enrico

doi:10.1557/proc-1047-y01-06

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…the Flegrean area located in region Campania (South Italy) and the Sicily, are geochemically quite similar [34] whereas obsidians from North Latium (Avino P, Capannesi G, Rosada A, Manigrasso M: Classification of an area as metallogenic province: environmental importance and problems, submitted, 2014) and Sardinia (Arci Mt.) [35] are totally different, confirming as reported in literature. Figure 3 shows examples of the 71 obsidian artefacts coming from the archaeological excavations performed in Tuscany.…”

Section: Importance Of Nuclear Analytical Technique On the Matrixsupporting

confidence: 81%

Mediterranean and Near East obsidian reference samples to establish artefacts provenance

Avino

Rosada

2014

herit sci

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Background: The commercial obsidian trade played an important role during Neolithic period. Its characteristics favoured the exchange network. In this way the Mediterranean area was fundamental. The availability of significant numbers of obsidian samples has allowed to improve the knowledge about the trade and commercial routes. Obsidian samples from the Mediterranean (Aegean, Flegrean, North Latium, Sicily, Sardinia) and Near East (Anatolia) areas were directly collected on the sites and considered as reference. Almost 30 elements were analyzed by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA).

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Section: Importance Of Nuclear Analytical Technique On the Matrixsupporting

confidence: 81%

Mediterranean and Near East obsidian reference samples to establish artefacts provenance

Avino

Rosada

2014

herit sci

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“…It has been argued that down-the-line obsidian trade was the dominant mode of raw material acquisition for Neolithic peoples in Sardinia because of the broad geographic similarity in the purposes of obsidian usage and in the socio-economic circumstances in which it occurred (Tykot 1996(Tykot , 2003Tykot et al 2008). Down-the-line trade is defined as a mode of exchange in which residents close to a raw material source traded goods with those within their immediate contact zone, thus passing these goods through several hands before eventually being discarded (Renfrew 1969;Smith 1987).…”

Section: Exchange Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithic technology and obsidian exchange networks in Bronze Age Nuragic Sardinia (Italy)

Freund

Tykot

2011

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The study of the Sardinian Bronze Age (Nuragic period) and the factors which created and maintained an island-wide identity as seen through the presence of its distinctive nuraghi has received considerable attention; however, the amount of research directly related to the stone tools of the era has been relatively limited despite the wealth of knowledge it is capable of yielding. This research hopes to contribute to Sardinian archaeology through the study of ancient technology, specifically obsidian lithic technology, by combining typological information with source data gleaned from the use of portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. This research also explores temporal changes in the acquisition of obsidian raw materials and the corresponding changes in how the obsidian was used. The results provide precedence for future work in Sardinia and create a model for integrating two types of analyses, sourcing and typological. By combining these results, it is possible to investigate ancient economies, exchange networks, and cultural values.

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Mineralogical, petrographic and chemical analysis of geomaterials used in the mortars of Roman Nora theatre (south Sardinia, Italy)

Columbu¹,

Garau²

2017

IJG

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The composition and the origin of raw materials used in the ancient mortars and concrete of the Nora theatre\ud (first century AD) have been analysed to define their provenance and construction technologies of the\ud Roman period.\ud The use of geomaterials in the binder / aggregate mixtures of the mortars vary according to their function in\ud the different sectors (i.e., structure-wall, tribunalia vaults, wall of external niches, foundation of cavea tiers,\ud stage inner wall) but also according to different construction phases of the theatre or the work-steps. The\ud mortars with structural function are mainly hydraulic (e.g., concrete of vaults, jointing and foundation\ud mortars of cavea ashlars), while the lime mortars were used mainly for plasters, and rarely as bedding\ud mortars. As recommended by Vitruvius, in the hydraulic mortars were mainly used volcanic rocks, as coarse\ud and fine pozzolanic aggregate (pulvis puteolanus), and quartz-feldspar sands (present as crystal-clasts with\ud an almost constant ratio of about 2:1, respectively). The cocciopesto is anomalously rare or absent. In the\ud mortars local dacitic volcanic rock were also used, especially in the concrete as caementia.\ud The grey-black volcanic rocks are glasses with characteristics more near to obsidian and less to natural\ud pozzolan normally used in the Roman period. To identify the provenance of these glasses, a geochemical\ud comparison between the samples taken from the theatre mortars and the volcanic outcrops of some probable\ud Sardinian source areas is made by XRF and SEM-EDS / WDS analysis.\ud To verify the quality of the pozzolan (by its chemical reaction with the binder), the edges and inside of\ud volcanic glasses were analysed with an SEM-EDS microprobe, while the compositional characteristics and\ud the hydraulic degree of the binder was analysed with XRPD and TG/DSC methods, respectively.\ud The use of this kind of pozzolanic glass, without local origins, is a novelty because it has never been found in\ud the mortars of the archaeological site of Nora. Given the wide use of Sardinian obsidian in the\ud Neolithic or Calcolithic periods for production of tools and instruments, some considerations\ud about its use, origin and trade are made

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Obsidian Subsources Utilized at Sites in Southern Sardinia (Italy)

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

Mediterranean and Near East obsidian reference samples to establish artefacts provenance

Mediterranean and Near East obsidian reference samples to establish artefacts provenance

Lithic technology and obsidian exchange networks in Bronze Age Nuragic Sardinia (Italy)

Mineralogical, petrographic and chemical analysis of geomaterials used in the mortars of Roman Nora theatre (south Sardinia, Italy)

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