PROVENANCE STUDIES ON OBSIDIAN ARTIFACTS FROM EARLY NEOLITHIC IRAN

Obsidian utilization in the ancient Near East began during the early Neolithic and continued well into the Bronze Age. Although the highest concentrations of the obsidian sources in the Near East are located in eastern Turkey and the Caucasus regions, obsidian artifacts from these sources can be found hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from the sources. Neutron activation analysis and X-ray fluorescence analysis were used to determine the chemical compositions of obsidian from many of the sources. Obsidian artifacts from a number of sites in Iran were similarly analyzed. The results indicate that sources in the Lake Van region and Armenia were the primary sources of obsidian throughout the region.