Trace Element Characteristics of Central Anatolian Obsidian Flows and Their Relevence to Pre‐History

Abstract

This report concerns the chemical characterization of obsidian sources from Central Anatolia by neutron activation analysis. The sources covered in this study were Galin Dag, Hotamis Dag, Koru Dag, Nenezi Dag, and Catkoy, The study reported here was undertaken with the object of obtaining an accurate "fingerprint" of the compositions of obsidian sources that would permit tracing the origin of archaeological obsidian artifacts to their sources, and in particular, archaeological obsidian recovered from prehistoric sites in Israel. The extent of the sampling within the sources was more thorough than hitherto reported and the results are of high precision and accuracy. 1995 pp. /75-190 Israel Journal a/Chemistry

Sourcing obsidian from Tell Aswad and Qdeir 1 (Syria) by SEM-EDS and EDXRF: Methodological implications

“…• the bureaucracy involved in exporting archaeological objects for analysis; • the fact that so many of the early characterization techniques were partly, or wholly destructive, such as optical emission spectroscopy (Renfrew et al, 1966), neutron activation analysis (Aspinall et al, 1972;Yellin, 1995) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (Abbès et al, 2003).…”

Instrumental Neutron Activation Based Provenance Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, With a Case Study on Mycenaean Pottery From Cyprus

“…This amounted to several thousand analysed samples, the vast majority of which were pottery. In addition to pottery, a few hundred rock samples (Bonen et al 1980; Bentor et al 1981) and a few hundred obsidian samples (Perlman and Yellin 1978, 1980; Yellin and Perlman 1981; Pullar et al 1986; Yellin 1995a) were also analysed. Several hundred tektites from all the major strewn fields also were studied (Yellin et al 1983).…”

“…Excavations that provided motivation and/or material for these studies included Tel Mevorakh (Yellin and Perlman 1978; Yellin 1984a), Tell Artel (Yellin and Perlman 1984a), Tel Qasile (Yellin and Gunneweg 1985), Galilee region (Adan‐Bayewitz 1985), Deir el‐Balah (Goldberg et al 1986; Yellin et al 1986, 1990), Tel Miqne (Gunneweg et al 1986), Tel Quiri (Sharon et al 1987), Tel Dor (Yellin 1990), Jerusalem, Judah and related sites (Mommsen et al 1984; Perlman et al 1986; Gunneweg and Yellin 1990; Gunneweg et al 1991; Maeir et al 1992; Zorn et al 1994; Cahill 1995; Yellin 1996a; Yellin and Cahill 1998, 2002, 2003a,b, 2004; Cahill and Yellin forthcoming), Tel Batash (Gunneweg and Yellin 1991), Tel Dan (Yellin and Gunneweg 1989a; Yellin and Maeir 1992), Jericho (Yellin and Gunneweg 1989b), Masada (Yellin 1994), Tel Anafa (Gunneweg and Yellin 1997; see also Gunneweg et al 1984), Qumran (Yellin et al 2001), the Ma’agan Mikhael shipwreck (Yellin 1996b, 1999; Yellin and Artzy 2004) and Tell es‐Sa’idiyeh, Jordan (Koehl and Yellin 1981 and forthcoming). In addition to pottery, we undertook research on the origin of archaeological obsidian from sites in Israel and characterization of source obsidian from Anatolia and the Lake Van region of eastern Turkey (Perlman and Yellin 1980; Yellin and Perlman 1981, 1984b; Pullar et al 1986; Yellin and Gopher 1992; Yellin 1995a, 1997b; Yellin et al 1996). We also experimented with the analysis of flint (Frachtenberg and Yellin 1992; Frachtenberg 1993; Yellin 1995b; see also Yellin 1993).…”

Multiple origins of Bondi Cave and Ortvale Klde (NW Georgia) obsidians and human mobility in Transcaucasia during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic

“…Along the 'obsidian belt' that extends from western Mediterranean to Transcaucasia (Blackman et al, 1998, figure 1;Poidevin, 1998, figure 1;Yellin, 1995), this raw material's use is documented regularly in archaeological contexts from 9 to 13 ka in western and eastern Mediterranean respectively (Carter, 2009;Lugliè, 2009) and since 14 ka in the Near and Middle East . In the latter region there is an even early occurrence, as represented by the Middle Palaeolithic site of Shanidar in northern Iraq, dated at 28 ka Renfrew et al, 1966).…”