Fission Track Dating of Obsidian Samples from Lipari Neolithic Settlements

Abstract

The present work describes the first results of the project “Lipari Obsidian and Neolithic Human Communities in the Aeolian Islands”, which aims to study the connection between obsidian sources on the island of Lipari and Neolithic populations on the Aeolian archipelago in Italy. Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass used to produce chipped tools; in the Neolithic period it was the sharpest known material and its trade played an important role in the Mediterranean area. It is thus of particular interest for tracing prehistoric trading patterns. Indeed, Lipari obsidian has a wide distribution and has been found even in southern France, Dalmatia, Sicily and mainland Italy. To reach the project goal, we considered both raw materials from different obsidian geological samples and artefacts from Neolithic settlements on the Aeolian islands, and performed fission-track dating (FT), a radiometric technique that can be used for uranium-bearing minerals and glasses. The preliminary results facilitated the age determination of geological samples, which we could relate to the different eruption phases. Archaeological samples were also dated; their link with the studied volcanic deposits and lava flows made it possible to shed some new light on raw material procurement and on the ability of the Neolithic populations to move from their locations, with particular attention to the consequences of environmental features on the first human settlements on the Aeolian islands.

Keywords

• Neolithic settlements
• obsidian flows
• fission-track dating