6533b7d3fe1ef96bd12602a0
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The first archaeometric characterization of obsidian artifacts from the archaeological site of Samshvilde (South Georgia, Caucasus)
D. BerikashviliDonatella BarcaNatalia RovellaS. A. RuffoloLuciana RandazzoM. F. La RussaM. F. La RussaMichela RiccaL. Kvakhadzesubject
010506 paleontologyArcheologygeographyProvenancegeography.geographical_feature_category060102 archaeologyOutcrop06 humanities and the arts01 natural sciencesArchaeologyVolcanic glassObsidian Trace elements LA-ICP-MS Samshvilde GeorgiaVolcanoAnthropology0601 history and archaeologySettore GEO/09 -Georis. Miner.e Appl.Mineral.-Petrogr. per l'Ambi.ed i B.Cult.Geology0105 earth and related environmental sciencesdescription
This paper presents the first results about the provenance of obsidian fragments recovered in the archaeological site of Samshvilde (South Georgia, Caucasus) with the aim to obtain knowledge related to the network distribution and procurement of obsidian in Georgia. The geochemical characterization of thirty archaeological finds was obtained by the LA-ICP-MS method, an almost non-destructive technique capable of chemically characterizing the volcanic glass. A comparison of geochemical results obtained on both archaeological artefacts and geological samples collected from Chikiani outcrop in Georgia, together with literature data of southern Caucasus and eastern Turkey, allowed us to define the source of the archaeological obsidians of Samshvilde site. The majority of archaeological samples (28/30) shows a local provenance, precisely from Chikiani (Georgia) on the contrary the other two samples suggest a provenance from two different Armenian sources respectively Gegham and Akhurian volcanic system.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-09-09 | Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences |