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A study of obsidian in prehistoric central and Eastern Europe, and it's trace element characterization. An analytically-based study of archaeological obsidian in Central and Eastern Europe, an investigation of obsidian sources in this area, and the characterization of these obsidians using neutron activation analysis.
Thorpe, Olwen Williams
Thorpe, Olwen Williams
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Publication Date
2009-11-12T15:22:57Z
End of Embargo
Supervisor
Warren, Stanley E.
Rights
The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.
Peer-Reviewed
Open Access status
Accepted for publication
Institution
University of Bradford
Department
Postgraduate School of Studies in Physics.
Awarded
1978
Embargo end date
Additional title
Abstract
Fieldwork in the Zemplen Mountain area of north-eastern
Hungary showed that there are at least eight geological
sources of obsidian here, five of which have obsidian of a
workable quality. There are a further three sources in the
Slovak Zemplen, all of which provide workable obsidian.
Sources in Central Slovakia are highly devitrified and not
useable, and reported sources in Rumania had been discounted
earlier (Nandris, 1975). Forty-six samples of obsidian
from the Zemplen sources, and 293 pieces from 87 archaeological
sites in Central and Eastern Europe, were analysed by neutron
activation analysis for 15 trace and two major elements.
The trace elements used included those which are geochemically
likely to show the greatest variation between different
obsidian sources, and which are not badly affected by
devitrification and hydration of the obsidian, for example
the rare earth elements. The analytical data was processed
using Cluster Analysis. 242 of the archaeological samples
came from Slovak sources, 22 from Hungarian sources, 9 from
Lipari and 5 from Melos. In addition, 6 samples were
tentatively assigned to Carpathian sources, and 9 could not
be assigned to any source. Obsidian from the Zemplen
Mountains was distributed up to a distance of approximately
480 km from the sources; it was used extensively in Slovakia
and Hungary and reached southern Poland, Austria, Moravia,
central Yugoslavia, north-east Italy and central Rumania.
Obsidian use in central and eastern Europe began in the
Mousterian period. The earliest pieces analysed were
Aurignacian and came from Hungarian sources. Later, in the
Gravettian, Slovakian sources began to be exploited and
remained predominant until obsidian use declined sharply in
the Later Neolithic, and Copper and Bronze Ages. The
Carpathian obsidian distribution overlaps with the Liparian
distribution at one site in north-east Italy. There is no
evidence for an overlap with Aegean or Near Eastern sources.
The rate of fall off of obsidian away from the sources
suggests a down-the-line trading mechanism.
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Type
Thesis
Qualification name
PhD