Chert Sourcing Case Studies Part II: Landscape Distribution and Prehistoric Societies.

The first part of this session explored the methods and techniques used to establish a chemical signature for chert. In the second part of the symposium, we explore how a wide range of raw materials – including chert as well as metals - are transformed into objects that, in turn, leave a signature in the material culture of past societies. Building on data generated from the geochemical analysis of chert and other raw materials, papers in this symposium will explore themes such as the site location and the availability and accessibility of sources of raw material; the scale of raw material procurement at quarries and mines; the “curation” of items and their meaning beyond utility; and sourced materials and their role in ritual.