Chert and obsidian procurement of three Corsican sites during the 6th and 5th millenniums BC

Abstract

Provenance studies of Corsican siliceous raw materials used during, the Neolithic focused mainly on obsidian. They showed an almost systematic use of Monte Arci sources (Sardinia). Chert studies have long been dodged, whereas the multiplicity of potential origins, in Sardinia and in continental areas, may provide complementary spatial information about diffusion patterns and interaction phenomenon in the Middle Tyrrhenian during the Neolithic. We studied obsidian and chert industries of three Corsican sites: Renaghju (Early Neolithic), Monte Revincu and Vasculacciu (both Middle Neolithic). In order to assign a provenance, 2241 chert archaeological samples were characterized by petrographic approaches and 100 obsidian artefacts were submitted to geochemical analyses. Each site provides a specific trend regarding relative abundances of raw materials, provenance and consumption patterns. Considered in the wider perspective of the Neolithic Corsican context, results reveal procurement variations from a chronological as well as a geographical point of view. Those variations may echo economic and social evolutions undergone in Neolithic societies of the Tyrrhenian area.Les études de provenance des matériaux siliceux employés en Corse au Néolithique se sont principalement focalisées sur l’obsidienne, montrant quasi systématiquement une utilisation des sources du Monte Arci (Sardaigne). Cependant, l’identification de l’origine du silex, compte tenu de la diversité des sources potentielles distribuées en Sardaigne et sur le continent, peut apporter des informations spatiales complémentaires sur les phénomènes de circulation et de diffusion. L’origine de ces matériaux lithiques importés en Corse a été déterminée par des approches pétrographiques (2241 échantillons de silex) et géochimiques (100 échantillons d’obsidienne), pour trois sites en cours d’étude : Renaghju (Corse-du-Sud), daté du Néolithique ancien, Vasculacciu (Corse-du-Sud) et Monte Revincu (Haute-Corse), datés du Néolithique moyen. Mis en perspective avec d’autres analyses disponibles par ailleurs, les résultats révèlent sur un plan chronologique (Néolithique ancien et moyen) et géographique (Nord et Sud) des variations d’approvisionnements en terme de nature et d’origine des matériaux. Ces variations reflètent les évolutions économiques et sociales rythmant les premières sociétés néolithiques de l’aire tyrrhénienne

On sourcing obsidian assemblages from the Mediterranean area: analytical strategies for their exhaustive geochemical characterisation

“…This type of approach has been adopted by our research group since 2003, and is reflected in the various studies published since (see e.g. Bressy et al, 2008;Carter et al, 2008;Lugliè et al, 2008a;Orange et al, 2013;Le Bourdonnec et al, 2014). As explained above, this facilitates the exhaustive characterisation of lithic assemblages, while optimizing both the time and cost of the analyses.…”

“…99% density ellipses. Bressy et al, 2008;Le Bourdonnec et al, 2010, 2015a, 2015bLugliè et al, 2007Lugliè et al, , 2008aLugliè et al, , 2008bLugliè et al, , 2009Poupeau et al, 2000;and unpublished data. Much like the PIXE, LA-ICP-MS is a less available, more expensive geochemical characterisation technique. However, it has several advantages that make it an ideal complement to other, more easily accessible methods.…”

“…13 and 14). (Lugliè et al, 2007(Lugliè et al, , 2008a(Lugliè et al, , 2009Poupeau et al, 2000) and 626 archaeological samples (Bressy et al, 2008;Le Bourdonnec et al, 2010, 2015bLugliè et al, 2007Lugliè et al, , 2008aLugliè et al, , 2008bLugliè et al, , 2009Poupeau et al, 2000 and unpublished data). …”

“…Following former studies on Sardinian sites that used a source-based perspective (Le Lugliè et al, 2007Lugliè et al, , 2008aLugliè et al, , 2008bLugliè et al, , 2009Lugliè et al, , 2011Lugliè, 2012), our research recently focused on collections from Neolithic sites in Corsica, Tunisia, Southern France, and Northern Italy (Bressy et al, 2008;Le Bourdonnec et al, 2010, 2015aLugliè et al, 2014). Through the Neolithic period, the island of Corsica and the North-western Mediterranean offer an interesting framework, since obsidian has a variable significance in the different lithic assemblages.…”

Blade production and the consumption of obsidian in Stentinello period Neolithic Sicily

“…A central conclusion drawn from these analyses is that multiple knapping traditions existed across the West Mediterranean region over the course of the Neolithic, including pressure-flaked blade industries in southern France and Corsica (Bressy et al, 2008;Costa, 2006;Léa, 2012), direct percussion blade technology in southern Italy (Diamond and Ammerman, 1985), and flake-based industries in Sardinia (Freund, 2014;Lugliè et al, 2008). Nevertheless, these conclusions are based on a small number of total analyses and there is still much work to be done in terms of understanding how and where obsidian was acquired, reduced, and consequently used.…”