Publication Date:
2024-05-03
Description:
Forty-two obsidian artifacts excavated at the site of Valdesi in western Sicily were analyzed
to determine their geological sources and to reconstruct trade patterns. Non-destructive analysis was
performed using a portable, non-destructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, with the calibrated
element’s composition values compared directly with a dataset of geological samples from the
Mediterranean and European sources that were analyzed with the same instrument. The results,
based on straightforward X-Y graphs using the trace elements Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, and Nb, showed the
presence of obsidian from two subsources on Lipari (Gabellotto Gorge, Canneto Dentro), two on
Pantelleria (Balata dei Turchi, Lago di Venere), and one on Sardinia. The majority coming from Lipari
coincided with the location of Valdesi, and nearly 20% came from Pantelleria, both consistent with
the overall distribution patterns for Sicily, while the one from Sardinia is a unique discovery. These
results are discussed in terms of the time period and context for Valdesi, as well as the open-water
and land-based routes that must have been taken.
Description:
Published
Description:
1093
Description:
OSA4: Ambiente marino, fascia costiera ed Oceanografia operativa
Description:
JCR Journal
Keywords:
obsidian trade;
;
pXRF;
;
Sicily
;
prehistory
;
trace elements
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
