Obsidians of Pantelleria (Strait of Sicily): A Petrographic, Geochemical and Magnetic Study of Known and New Geological Sources

Open Archaeology

article

Silvio G. Rotolo¹  Leonardo Sagnotti²  Gaia Siravo²  Fabio Speranza²  Maria Luisa Carapezza²  Alessandra Correale²  Franco Foresta Martin²  Gregor Hahn⁴  Alastair G.E. Hodgetts⁵  Mariangela La Monica¹  Manuela Nazzari²  Pierangelo Romano¹ 

[1] Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare Università di Palermo (DiSTeM), (Dept. of Earth and Marine Science, University of Palermo);Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology);Laboratorio Museo di Scienze della Terra Isola di Ustica;School of Geog., University of Leicester;School of Geog., Earth & Envr. Sciences, University of Birmingham

关键词: Obsidian;    Pantelleria;    Ustica;    Lipari;    Bronze age;   

DOI  :  10.1515/opar-2020-0120

学科分类：土木及结构工程学

来源: De Gruyter

【 摘 要 】

This paper provides new petrochemical and paleomagnetic data from obsidian sub-sources on the island of Pantelleria, exploited since the Neolithic. Data has been obtained from 14 obsidian samples from 4 locations: Fossa della Pernice (2 sites), Salto la Vecchia and Balata dei Turchi . Here, we aim to better characterize these obsidians using a cross-disciplinary and multi-analytical approach, to further understand their archaeological significance. Major element analyses (EMP) have enabled two compositional super-groups to be distinguished: (i) Fossa della Pernice , less peralkaline and (ii) Balata dei Turchi–Salto la Vecchia, distinctly more peralkaline and having almost identical chemical patterns. Trace element analyses (LA-ICP-MS) corroborate major element groupings, with the Balata dei Turchi–Salto la Vecchia super-group being further characterized by a pronounced negative europium anomaly. Glass H 2 O contents (FT-IR) reveal an overlap among all the sub-sources (H 2 O = 0.1–0.3 wt. %). Magnetic methods have refined the petrochemical groupings, permitting further distinction between Balata dei Turchi–Salto La Vecchia and the Fossa della Pernice super-groups. The occurrence of sub-microscopic (< 1 μm) ferromagnetic minerals results in different magnetic susceptibility and Natural Remanent Magnetization values and allows the best distinction among the products from the chosen sites. When compared with obsidian tools excavated from Bronze-age settlements on the island of Ustica (230 km NE of Pantelleria), 12% are distinctly peralkaline, indicating their provenance to be from the Balata dei Turchi sub-source.

【 授权许可】

CC BY