Provenance study on prehistoric obsidian objects found in Romania (Eastern Carpathian Basin and its neighbouring regions) using Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis
Authors/Creators
- 1. Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 29-33 Konkoly-Thege Str, Budapest, HU-1121, Hungary
- 2. Hungarian National Museum, 14-16 Múzeum Bld, Budapest, HU-1088, Hungary
- 3. Babeş–Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- 4. Székely National Museum, 10 Kós Károly Str, Sfîntu Gheorghe, RO-520055, Romania
- 5. Carei Municipal Museum, 1 B-dul 25 octombrie, Carei, RO-445100, Romania
- 6. National Institute for Nuclear Physics and Engineering, 30 Reactorului Str, P.O.BOX MG-6, Bucharest – Magurele, Romania
- 7. Mureş County Museum, 8a Mărăşti Str, Târgu Mureş, RO-540328, Romania
- 8. Teleorman County Museum, 1 1848 Str, Alexandria, RO-140033, Romania
Description
Macroscopic characteristics, such as hardness, relatively easy workability, transparency, translucency, and shiny
black colour of the Carpathian 1 (C1) type obsidian, which is one significant variety of the Carpathian obsidians
made, it highly valuable in the Prehistoric times. It was transported several hundreds of kilometres away from
the geological source, becoming wide-spread in the Eastern part of the Carpathian Basin as well.
Seventy-two pieces of Prehistoric (Neolithic to Bronze Age) obsidian artefacts (tools, arrow heads, chips and
fragments) found in different parts of Romania (Transylvania, Banat and Muntenia) have been investigated by
non-destructive prompt-gamma activation analyses. The aim of the study was to determine the provenance of
their raw materials. The geochemical composition of the artefacts showed high similarity with that of the obsidian
samples collected at outcrops from the Slovakian side of the Tokaj Mountains. Based on characteristic
major and trace element concentrations, most of the studied Romanian obsidian artefacts are characterized as C1
type obsidians. However, some archaeological pieces from Banat and Muntenia have been identified as
Carpathian 2 (C2, Tolcsva-Erdőbénye and Mád) type. Based on the PGAA results, any other provenance, such as
Lipari, Melos, Sardinia, Yali, Antiparos or Armenia can be excluded with high significance. Our results suggest
that in parallel with the predominance of the C1 type obsidian raw material in the Transylvanian Basin, simultaneous
use of C2 type obsidian raw material can be shown outside Transylvania (in Banat and Muntenia)
and especially during the Neolithic. This can imply different connections and raw material supply routes from
the Tokaj Mountains to Transylvania and to the southern regions during the Neolithic and the Copper Age.
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