Sourcing Obsidian from Late Neolithic Sites on the Great Hungarian Plain: Preliminary p-XRF Compositional Results and the Socio-Cultural Implications

Abstract

Significant archaeological research has been conducted on chipped stone tools recovered from prehistoric sites throughout Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The limited number of obsidian geological sources in the region, combined with the relatively homogeneous nature of obsidian and the increased use of new techniques for conducting compositional analysis in the field, has facilitated an accurate sourcing of obsidian artefacts from sites in the region. This article presents the compositional results of 203 obsidian artefacts recovered from seven Late Neolithic (5,000–4,500 BCE) sites from the Great Hungarian Plain. Compositional results of the archaeological specimens obtained with a Bruker portable X-ray fluorescence device (p-XRF) were compared with obsidian geological compositional data to determine artefact provenance. By sourcing the obsidian chipped stone tools, it is possible to reconstruct prehistoric patterns of exploitation/exchange and to note how these patterns vary throughout the Plain. The results illustrate that the majority of the studied artefacts originated from the Carpathian 1 source and only a limited number of samples came from the Carpathian 2E and Carpathian 2T sources. Based on this preliminary study, the variation in geological source exploitation may be linked to socio-cultural practices that differentiated the Tisza and Herpály archaeological units during the Late Neolithic. IANSA 2019 ● X/2 ● Online First Danielle J. Riebe: Sourcing Obsidian from Late Neolithic Sites on the Great Hungarian Plain: Preliminary p-XRF Compositional Results and the Socio-Cultural Implications Online First Nandris, 1977; Williams Thorpe, 1978; Williams Thorpe et al., 1984). Four major sources are known in the region: Carpathian 1, Carpathian 2E, Carpathian 2T, and Carpathian 3 (Figure 1). While technology has significantly improved making it possible to inexpensively carry out compositional analysis in the field, p-XRF analysis of obsidian from prehistoric sites in Hungary has not been published previously. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is two-fold: firstly, to identify if different patterns of obsidian exploitation occurred during the Late Neolithic on the Great Hungarian Plain and if so, what social implications can be discerned from the variability. Secondly, while site-specific studies are essential, it is necessary to contextualize the sites and their assemblages within a regional framework. Through p-XRF analysis of obsidian, it is possible to use the analytical results to begin reconstructing regional systems of interaction and model socio-cultural developments in the past. As part of an ongoing research project that is investigating the extent to which regional interactions impacts socio-cultural boundaries in the past, obsidian specimens from seven Late Neolithic sites located on the Great Hungarian Plain were selected for p-XRF compositional analysis. The following results are preliminary in scope but illustrate the success of compositional analysis in reconstructing Late Neolithic regional interactions, including material exploitation and exchange, across the Great Hungarian Plain.