Provenancing turquoise: a difficult task

Queffelec, Alain

doi:10.4000/archeosciences.7186

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The source of this material, on the other hand, is unknown. The well-known sources of turquoise are located far in the American Cordillera, both in North and South America (Queffelec, 2021), while a source is mentioned in coastal Brazil (Costa et al, 2004), and a single source is known so far in the Caribbean, in the US Virgin Islands (Alminas et al, 1994;Tucker et al, 1985). The application of non-destructive isotopic analysis of copper, as proposed by Hull et al (2008), and of lead, as measured destructively by Thibodeau et al (2012), is not straightforward to implement without risk for the analyzed artifacts and with good reproducibility.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithic raw materials provenance in the Caribbean islands: flint, jasper, obsidian and so on.

Queffelec¹,

Delvigne²,

Leck³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Lithic materials in archaeological records have always been the object of special attention by archaeologists, especially from prehistoric contexts. They draw such attention thanks to their often excellent preservation, and the information that the intrinsic characteristics of the rocks can yield about past behaviors including mobility of goods and people through chemical analysis and provenance studies. Although they do not represent the majority of the artifacts recovered from precolonial archaeological sites in the Lesser Antilles, their diversity necessitates varied knowledge, methods, and skills to be studied. Here, we present preliminary results from lithic specialists in characterization of volcanic rocks, diorite, turquoise used for bead production, and silicites.Several volcanic glass artifacts have been identified for the first time from Saladoid sites from Guadeloupe and Dominica. However, many questions remain about the geological origin and the petrogenesis of these artifacts given their very specific chemical composition. On the other hand, detailed microtextural and micropaleontological studies of the different siliceous raw materials provide first results identifying and mapping their origin and distribution among the Caribbean islands. As a first glance of what will become a long-term project, results presented in this paper demonstrate the capacity of petrological studies carried out with appropriate technical methods to help us improve our knowledge of the Ceramic Age populations’ movement and rock distribution networks.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithic raw materials provenance in the Caribbean islands: flint, jasper, obsidian and so on.

Queffelec¹,

Delvigne²,

Leck³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Turquoise has a narrow distribution in the Levant being limited to mines located in Sinai, at Wadi Magarah, Gebel Adeida and Serabit el-Khadim [ 123 , 124 ]. Although direct historical (epigraphic) evidence of turquoise mining from the Sinai sources are numerous [ 125 ], the procurement of the necklace turquoise from these same sources has yet to be confirmed through ongoing geochemical and isotopic [ 126 ] characterization of both geological and archaeological samples. Meanwhile, two other potential sources of turquoise should be noted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan)

Alarashi,

Benz,

Gresky

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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In 2018, a well-constructed cist-type grave was discovered at Ba`ja, a Neolithic village (7,400–6,800 BCE) in Southern Jordan. Underneath multiple grave layers, an 8-year-old child was buried in a fetal position. Over 2,500 beads were found on the chest and neck, along with a double perforated stone pendant and a delicately engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered among the concentration of beads. The first was found behind the neck, and the second on the chest. The meticulous documentation of the bead distribution indicated that the assemblage was a composite ornament that had gradually collapsed, partly due to the burying position. Our aim was to challenge time degradation and to reimagine the initial composition in order to best explore the significance of this symbolic category of material culture, not as mere group of beads, but as an ornamental creation with further aesthetic, artisanal and socioeconomic implications. The reconstruction results exceeded our expectations as it revealed an imposing multi-row necklace of complex structure and attractive design. Through multiple lines of evidence, we suggest that the necklace was created at Ba`ja, although significant parts of beads were made from exotic shells and stones, including fossil amber, an unprecedented material never attested before for this period. The retrieval of such an ornament from life and its attribution to a young dead child highlights the significant social status of this individual. Beyond the symbolic functions related to identity, the necklace is believed to have played a key role in performing the inhumation rituals, understood as a public event gathering families, relatives, and people from other villages. In this sense, the necklace is not seen as belonging completely to the realm of death but rather to the world of the living, materializing a collective memory and shared moments of emotions and social cohesion.

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Provenancing turquoise: a difficult task

Cited by 2 publications

References 49 publications

Lithic raw materials provenance in the Caribbean islands: flint, jasper, obsidian and so on.

Lithic raw materials provenance in the Caribbean islands: flint, jasper, obsidian and so on.

Threads of memory: Reviving the ornament of a dead child at the Neolithic village of Ba`ja (Jordan)

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