The obsidian sources of eastern Turkey and the Caucasus: Geochemistry, geology, and geochronology
- Title
- The obsidian sources of eastern Turkey and the Caucasus: Geochemistry, geology, and geochronology
- Creator(s)
- Frahm, Ellery
- Date
- 2023
- Is Part Of
- Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
- Volume
- 49
- Pages
- 104011
- Language
- eng
- ISSN
- 2352-409X
- Short Title
- The obsidian sources of eastern Turkey and the Caucasus
- Abstract
- It has been 25 years since the publication of the monograph L'obsidienne au Proche et Moyen Orient: Du volcan à l'outil (Cauvin et al., 1998) and, within it, Poidevin’s (1998) chapter that summarized all available geochemical and geochronological data for obsidian sources in Turkey and the Caucasus. It was a highly valuable resource to those of us working on Near Eastern obsidian sourcing in the early 2000s; however, an update is long overdue. Poidevin (1998) compiled 229 analyses for obsidian sources in eastern Turkey and the Caucasus, and while he recognized the importance of independent analytical data, he was also frustrated that the few available data obscured real differences in obsidian composition versus variation among the different analytical facilities. Today we are closer to Poidevin’s (1998) goal. Here I summarize more than 7300 elemental analyses for 58 geochemically distinct obsidian sources. For example, Poidevin (1998) had just two analyses for Meydan Dağ, a highly important obsidian source, whereas here I report consensus values for 22 elements in Meydan Dağ obsidian based on 423 analyses from 25 independent techniques and laboratories. Not all 58 of the known obsidian sources within this region, however, have been so well characterized, and it is clear that there remains work to be done.
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