Prehistoric Obsidian Trade in the Adriatic: New Evidence from Susac and Palagruza

Robert H. Tykot (U. South Florida), Luke R. Adams (U. Southampton), Bryon Bass (U. Edinburgh), Timothy Kaiser (Royal Ontario Museum) & Staso Forenbaher (Southern Methodist University)

Obsidian artifacts have been recovered from Neolithic thru Bronze Age contexts on the Adriatic islands of Susac and Palagruza. Obsidian from geological sources on the islands of Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria and Sardinia is found at Neolithic sites on the Italian peninsula; obsidian from sources in central Europe has until now been very rarely found as far south as the Mediterranean. This provenance study examines obsidian usage in a ‘frontier' area between peninsular Italy and southeastern Europe, and provides important information on Mediterranean island colonization, long-distance maritime contacts, and social interaction, influence, and development in these regions.