Marie Orange

This paper details an integrated characterisation study of a substantial assemblage of obsid-ian artefacts (n = 519) from the Syrian Neolithic site of Qdeir 1 (El Kowm oasis). The results of the chemical characterisation (using ED-XRF and SEM-EDS) have been coupled with the typo-technological data. Such an approach has allowed us (i) to identify four raw materials in the assemblage, namely Bingöl A and Bingöl B from eastern Anatolia, plus Göllü Da˘ g and Nenezi Da˘ g from central Anatolia, (ii) to specifically source the distinctive green peralkaline obsidian to Bingöl A (rather than 'Bingöl A and/or Nemrut Da˘ g'), (iii) to observe that these four raw materials were consumed in a nigh-identical manner, probably worked locally by specialist craftspeople to produce fine pressure flaked blades, and (iv) to hypothesise that the people of Qdeir 1 may have played a key redistributive role in the circulation of obsidian tools, likely supplying the neighbouring village of El Kowm.

This paper aims to study and compare the obsidian economies of Renaghju and I Stantari, two neighbouring Neolithic sites located on the Cauria plateau (south-western Corsica). The occupation phase 3 of Renaghju and phase 1 of I Stantari, both attributed to the Middle Neolithic (fifth millennium BC), have provided respectively 112 and 99 obsidian artefacts. With the aim of completing our rather lacunary knowledge of the obsidian consumption behaviours in place in Corsica during this period, the entire assemblages have been geochemically characterised virtually non-destructively using LA-ICP-MS at SOLARIS (Southern Cross University [SCU]). Our analyses revealed that, while the obsidian raw materials were exclusively sourced from the Monte Arci complex in Sardinia (SA, SB2, and SC sub-types only), rather different consumption patterns are observed for the two sites despite their comparable nature (megalithic sites) and geographical proximity (400m apart). These differences in obsidian consumption on adjacent sites could be explained by their divergent functions (ceremonial site [Renaghju] vs. ceremonial locus and large settlement [I Stantari]), or eventually point towards the need for a readjustment of the chronological attribution of the I Stantari phase 1 occupation level.

This paper presents an overview of the work conducted by our research group in the Mediterranean area. Initiated in the 1990s by the late Gérard Poupeau, our research relies on international and multidisciplinary collaborations to endeavour archaeological and anthropological issues linked to the diffusion and consumption of the obsidian raw material during the Neolithic period. Our line of action is to develop flexibly unique analytical strategies, tailored to each obsidian assemblage considered for a sourcing study. Drawing its strength from the complementarity of the methods available within our group, _i.e._ visual characterisation, SEM-EDS, ED-XRF, pXRF, PIXE, and LA-ICP-MS, this approach allows for the exhaustive and non-destructive analysis of those assemblages, thus optimising the potential of sourcing studies. Working hand in hand with archaeologists, the results are closely integrated to the information brought by the typological and technological characteristics of the artefacts, in the aim to reconstruct an overview of the obsidian economy at site level, but also to replace it in a broader — regional and supra-regional — context.

This paper presents an overview of the work conducted by our research group in the Mediterranean area. Initiated in the 1990s by the late Gérard Poupeau, our research relies on international and multidisciplinary collaborations to endeavour archaeological and anthropological issues linked to the diffusion and consumption of the obsidian raw material during the Neolithic period. Our line of action is to develop flexibly unique analytical strategies, tailored to each obsidian assemblage considered for a sourcing study. Drawing its strength from the complementarity of the methods available within our group, i.e. visual characterisation, SEM-EDS, ED-XRF, pXRF, PIXE, and LA-ICP-MS, this approach allows for the exhaustive and non-destructive analysis of those assemblages, thus optimising the potential of sourcing studies. Working hand in hand with archaeologists, the results are closely integrated to the information brought by the typological and technological characteristics of the artefacts, in the aim to reconstruct an overview of the obsidian economy at site level, but also to replace it in a broader — regional and supra-regional — context.

L'obsidienne était une matière première précieuse de l'industrie lithique néolithique. En Méditerranée occidentale, elle se trouve parfois dans les sites archéologiques très éloignés des quatre "îles-sources" de Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria et Sardaigne. Si entre ces sources l'analyse visuelle ne permet d'attribuer qu'entre 70 et 85% des artefacts d'un site à un gisement potentiel, il est en revanche presque toujours possible d'identifier l'origine de ce matériau à partir de sa composition chimique. Comme il est nécessaire de traiter un nombre important d'objets archéologiques, la construction d'une stratégie analytique adaptée est aujourd'hui indispensable. Celle-ci combine l'approche visuelle aux caractérisations instrumentales par MEB-EDS, EDXRF, pXRF, PIXE et LA-ICP-MS. Des analyses exhaustives, réalisées sur plus de 9500 pièces (France continentale, Corse, Italie du Nord, Sardaigne, Tunisie), intégrées aux études typo-...

La fouille de l'abri sous bloc des Castelli, situé à 2140 m d'altitude et occupé à plusieurs reprises durant Néolithique moyen et le Néolithique ancien (6e-4e millénaires), a révélé l'exploitation raisonnée d'un véritable territoire de haute montagne du centre de la Corse. Cet atelier de fabrication d'armatures de traits était structuré par deux foyers appareillés successifs à l'entrée de l'abri. Les activités cynégétiques menées sur ce territoire spécifique ont incité les Néolithiques à exploiter un filon local de rhyolite aux très bonnes aptitudes à la taille, d'où la quasi totalité du lithique taillé dans l'abri (n=6099) est issue. Néanmoins, près de 8% du corpus est représenté par des roches allochtones, majoritairement de l'obsidienne. Celle-ci a permis de produire principalement des segments de cercle sur éclat (n=18), façonnés dans l’abri et utilisés vraisemblablement comme armature de trait. Une étude de provenance a été menée sur 527 vestiges en obsidienne datés du Néolithique moyen, basée sur l'analyse élémentaire par EDXRF, LA-ICP-MS, MEB-EDX et PIXE.
La présente communication s’attachera à décrire le contexte archéologique de ces artefacts ainsi que la stratégie analytique établie afin de retrouver l’origine de leur matière première.

Early Neolithic coastal settlements are well known in Corsica as in other western Mediterranean areas, e.g. Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia and South of France. However evidence for mountainous settlements, in particular in the highest fringe of the island, remains sporadic. The on-going archaeological study of a rock-shelter located at 2140m asl, near Corte, indicates that the highest mountainous areas of Corsica have been occupied and exploited since the 6th millennia BC. The rock-shelter occupation can be strongly linked with the exploitation of volcanic rocks outcrops (mainly rhyolite) and an open air settlement located in a small wetland (“I Pozzi”, 2000m asl), where organic sediments have been retrieved.
A multi proxy study, combining archaeological and paleo-environmental techniques (archaeological excavation and survey; geological survey; artefacts typology and raw materials sourcing, e.g. ceramic, obsidian; charcoal identification; pollen and NPPs analyses; micromorphology; magnetic susceptibility and particle size analyses) supported by 14C-AMS dates, are being carried out. The aim is to gain a better understanding of Neolithic economy in mountainous territories. The first results show a significant potential for the reconstruction of anthropogenic and environmental interactions in a remote landscape.
The research questions are predominantly focused on (1) the nature of the activities carried out at this seasonal settlement, considering the local geomorphological context and available resources; (2) the possible resilience or variations of activities through the chronological period considered; (3) the dynamics of vegetation change (tree line variation and anthropogenic indicators) and soil formation process, in relation with climate change and the potential impact of the introduction of agro-pastoral activities; (4) the role of Pinus in the forest cover assemblage and the potential use of pine resin in the tool making process linked with the nearby outcrop; (5) the interactions at a local and regional scales, but also in a wider context by demonstrating the links with the western Mediterranean.
This study, combined with previous studies of highland west Mediterranean occupations, enhances our understanding of the Neolithisation process of Mediterranean marginal landscapes.

This paper details an integrated characterisation study of a substantial assemblage of obsid-ian artefacts (n = 519) from the Syrian Neolithic site of Qdeir 1 (El Kowm oasis). The results of the chemical characterisation (using ED-XRF and SEM-EDS) have been coupled with the typo-technological data. Such an approach has allowed us (i) to identify four raw materials in the assemblage, namely Bingöl A and Bingöl B from eastern Anatolia, plus Göllü Da˘ g and Nenezi Da˘ g from central Anatolia, (ii) to specifically source the distinctive green peralkaline obsidian to Bingöl A (rather than 'Bingöl A and/or Nemrut Da˘ g'), (iii) to observe that these four raw materials were consumed in a nigh-identical manner, probably worked locally by specialist craftspeople to produce fine pressure flaked blades, and (iv) to hypothesise that the people of Qdeir 1 may have played a key redistributive role in the circulation of obsidian tools, likely supplying the neighbouring village of El Kowm.

Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry [LA-ICP-MS] is one of the most successful analytical techniques used in archaeological sciences. Applied to the sourcing of lithic raw materials, it allows for fast and reliable analysis of large assemblages. However, the majority of published studies omit important analytical issues commonly encountered with laser ablation. This research presents a new advanced LA-ICP-MS protocol developed at Southern Cross GeoScience (SOLARIS laboratory, Southern Cross University, Australia), which optimizes the potential of this cutting-edge geochemical characterization technique for obsidian sourcing. This new protocol uses ablation lines with a reduced number of assayed elements (specific isotopes) to achieve higher sensitivity as well as increased precision and accuracy, in contrast to previous studies working with ablation points and an exhaustive list of measured isotopes. Applied to obsidian sources from the Western Mediterranean region, the Carpathian basin, and the Aegean, the results clearly differentiate between the main outcrops, thus demonstrating the efficiency of the new advanced LA-ICP-MS protocol in answering fundamental archaeological questions.