Using pXRF to Unravel Raw Material Choices in Early Holocene Lithic Assemblages from the Island of Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean

Summary

This poster presents the preliminary results of an extensive geo-chemical fingerprinting program using pXRF that was undertaken on a large and diverse lithic collection that included three different raw materials, namely obsidian, carnelian and picrolite. Specifically, the project investigated the use of these three raw materials in Early Holocene lithic assemblages - stone tools and ornaments - from the island of Cyprus, eastern Mediterranean. Obsidian, carnelian and picrolite have been defined as the three rare rock types that found their way to Cypriot assemblages that date between 12,000 and 5,500 cal BP. Interestingly, two of them reached the island via a sea-crossing whereas picrolite albeit insular is a rare resource. Contrary to previous work that examined only a small proportion of obsidian or picrolite (but not carnelian) collections from the island’s early sites, this project used HH pXRF to analyse all the artefacts made on these materials with the aim to establish a) numbers of utilised sources and, b) patterns of source preferences. The overall aim is to address the extent and directions of human interactions in the eastern Mediterranean and the reasons behind the choice of the above raw materials over the locally available options.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15797