Archaeometric Characterization of Obsidian Artifacts at Casa dei Francesi (Ustica Island, Italy) and Clues of a Hidden Prehistoric Settlement
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13077576 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Franco Foresta Martin (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, corresponding author), Felice Larocca, Francesca Micheletti (0000-0002-0804-6033, University of Bari Aldo Moro), Mauro Pallara (University of Bari Aldo Moro), Pasquale Acquafredda (0000-0001-6965-3569, University of Bari Aldo Moro) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 236-247 |
| Publication date | 2020-10-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Open Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2300-6560 • E-ISSN: 2300-6560 |
| Publisher | De Gruyter Open (PUBLISHER • PL) |
| DOI | 10.1515/opar-2020-0111 |
| OpenAlex | W3093576454 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 12 |
At Ustica island (Palermo, Italy), in the area of Casa dei Francesi, 119 fragments of obsidian artifacts were collected on the surface of an agricultural field at an altitude of 50 m asl. In the same area, until now, scientific literature reports only the presence of late Roman pottery (4 th –6 th centuries AD), and no evidence has appeared that it could be the site of a prehistoric settlement. The most important prehistoric settlement, the Faraglioni Village (Middle Bronze Age) is located 700 m further north, overlooking the sea. Obsidian provenance analyses, performed on the 119 samples with absolutely non-destructive techniques WD-XRF and SEM-EDS, indicate two sources areas: Lipari (93 samples, 78%) and Pantelleria (26 samples, 22%). Concerning the obsidians from the island of Pantelleria, it was possible to also establish the sub-source of Salto la Vecchia. The typological and functional analyses of the 119 obsidian fragments point out that 115 are debitages, some of which show evidence of percussion bulbs, and only 4 are tools with micro-retouching. This work focuses on the geochemical and typological characterization of the obsidian assemblage collected, the characteristics of which suggest the existence of a prehistoric settlement in the area of the Casa dei Francesi or nearby
Archaeological science · Archaeology · Assemblage (archaeology · Bronze Age · Chalcolithic · Geography · Pottery · Prehistory · Provenance · Settlement (finance · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Geology · Paleontology
Analysis by pXRF of Prehistoric Obsidian Artifacts From Several Sites on Ustica (Italy)
Applicability of prompt-gamma activation analysis to determine elemental compositions of silicate-based cultural heritage objects and their raw materials
First evidence in Italian mainland of Pantelleria obsidian
Obsidian from the Site of Piano dei Cardoni, Ustica (Palermo, Italy)
Application of 40ar/39ar and 230th Dating Methods to the Chronostratigraphy of Quaternary Basaltic Volcanic Areas
Reassessment of WD-XRF method for obsidian provenance shareable databases
Obsidian from the Site of Piano dei Cardoni, Ustica (Palermo, Italy)
Petroarcheometric Analysis on Obsidian Artefacts Found Within Some Neolithic – Eneolithic Period Caves of Southern Italy
Analysis by pXRF of Prehistoric Obsidian Artifacts From Several Sites on Ustica (Italy)
Petroarchaeometric Data on Antiparos Obsidian (Greece) for Provenance Study by SEM-EDS and XRF
Characterization and Provenance of Archaeological Obsidian from Pirozza-Spalmatore, a Site of Neolithic Colonization on the Island of Ustica (Sicily)
Chemical Characterization of Obsidians from Different Mediterranean Sources by Non-destructive SEM-EDS Analytical Method
I. Nouvelle méthode d'analyse et provenance de l'ensemble des obsidiennes néolithiques du Midi de la France
Characterization of Pacific Northwest Coast Obsidian by X‐ray Fluorescence Analysis
New Insights into the Provenance of the Obsidian Fragments of the Island of Ustica (Palermo, Sicily)
Non‐destructive Analytic Method Using XRF for Determination of Provenance of Archaeological Obsidians From the Mediterranean Area
| Citations per year | 0.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2022 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |