Sourcing obsidian from prehistoric sites in northwest Romania

Abstract

Portable X‐ ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF) was used to reveal the chemical signatures of 75 obsidian artefacts from seven sites in the Satu Mare region, ranging in age from Early Neolithic (late Starčevo‐ Criș culture) to Late Copper Age. The results reveal the origin of the obsidian to be the Carpathian 1 source area in eastern Slovakia, reinforcing the pattern documented elsewhere in Romania and in northern Bulgaria which indicates a clear preference for Carpathian 1 obsidian throughout the period from the later stages of the Early Neolithic to the Bronze Age

Keywords

• pxrf
• obsidian sourcing
• neolithic
• copper age
• northwest romania