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This research project concerns the study, analysis and dating of obsidian flows on the island of Lipari, in relation to the population of the Aeolian Islands, during the Neolithic period.
The collection, processing and diffusion of Lipari obsidian characterise the Neolithic population of Lipari and the entire Mediterranean. By improving the knowled...
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Context 1
... present work is part of the wider project, "Lipari obsidian and Neolithic human communities in the Aeolian islands" whose purpose is the study of the connection between obsidian flows from Lipari Island and the Neolithic populations of the Aeolian Archipelago (Italy) ( fig. 1). The study started in 2018 in collaboration with several research Italian institutes and is divided into four main areas: 1) History of archaeological studies on the Lipari obsidian; 2) Sampling and analysis of supply sources: chemical analysis through NAA (neutron activation analysis) and XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) ...
Context 2
... first group ( fig. 4; tab. 1) includes obsidian blocks collected in the pyroclastic deposits of Vallone del Gabellotto in Vallone Fiume Bianco (LIP6 and LIP4); Canneto Dentro (LIP3) and Vallone del Gabellotto (LIP8) pyroclastic deposits; from Pomiciazzo lava flow (LIP7); obsidian fragments collected by pyroclastic deposits of Monte Guardia succession, relating to volcanic phase dated around 27-24 ka (Forni et al., 2013). The second group includes some waste artefacts (splinters and blades) found in the Neolithic settlements: Facies Stentinello 5500-5000 BC: sites Castellaro (Lipari) and Rinicedda (Salina); Facies Diana 4500-4000 BC: site Contrada Diana (Lipari). ...
Citations
... A great variety of mineralisation is associated with medium-to high-grade metamorphites and Palaeozoic granitoids, especially in the Aspromonte area [28] (Figure 2). Geographically connected with the "calabro-peloritano arc" is the volcanic arc of the Aeolian Islands (Figure 2), whose volcanism also gave rise to the Quaternary rhyolitic flows that produced glassy rocks such as obsidians [31,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. ...
In the present work, more than one hundred and thirty lithic artefacts rediscovered in several archaeological sites dating from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages from Calabria (Southern Italy) were petroarchaeometrically characterised through minimally invasive techniques. In more detail, 110 specimens were found in the Grotta della Monaca site (Sant’Agata di Esaro), and the other 23 belong to a collection kept in the Museo Nazionale Preistorico ed Etnografico “Luigi Pigorini” (Roma), coming from several localities (Longobucco, Spezzano della Sila, Cicala, Gimigliano, Roccaforte del Greco, and Bova). For preservation needs, 2 small axes in polished stone and 2 obsidians collected from Grotta della Monaca were analysed by absolutely non-destructive techniques. Optical and electron microscopic investigations, sometimes integrated with wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction spectrometry, allowed us to ascertain that the source area of all the lithic tools was in Calabria, except for obsidians, which come from the island of Lipari (Messina, Southern Italy). For a small number of particularly favourable cases, it was possible to define with great precision the outcrop area of the used rocks given their textural and mineralogical features. The specific source area contained a pickaxe originating from Cetraro–Fuscaldo metabasalt (lawsonite–albite facies) outcrops and two small axes in polished stone, one derived from migmatitic metapelites from Palmi and the other from meta-ultramafic rocks from Curinga. The choice of the used lithologies, harder or softer, had to be linked to the use that humans had to make of the lithic artefacts.
... One of the possibly oldest records of obsidian artefacts in Sicily would be the Mesolithic layer of Perriere Sottano (Aranguren andRevedin 1989-1990); the next earliest ones were found in contexts dated between the end of the Mesolithic and the early Sicilian Neolithic (6020 − 5790 bce) at Grotta d'Oriente (2013). All of this seems clearly to point to an early occupation of Pantelleria with contacts both with Tunisia and Sicily, possibly to extract the obsidian there before Lipari, in the mid 6th millennium bce (Martinelli et al. 2020). The role of Pantelleria as a potential bridge for domesticated taxa will be clarified only by new investigations and scientific analyses. ...
This review paper analyses the first steps of the spread of domestic plants into Sicily. Despite being the biggest island of the Mediterranean and its central position, the process of arrival and diffusion of crops in Sicily is still poorly understood. Starting from the limited but significant record from Grotta dell’Uzzo, the plant macrofossil data are presented and discussed with some comparison with the pollen, zooarchaeological and obsidian data. The closest regions to Sicily, from where these domesticates may have come, are discussed. The arrival of domesticated plants in Sicily fits perfectly with the model of dispersal by sea. The introduction of crops was a slow process that covered the whole of the Neolithic period. The intention is to raise interest in this field and to inspire researchers to analyse more plant macro- and micro-remains from prehistoric archaeological contexts in Sicily.
... The geological sources of obsidian on Lipari [16][17][18], Pantelleria [19], and the other central Mediterranean source islands have been documented. Lipari is just 23 km of openwater travel from northern Sicily, and there are two source subgroups, Gabellotto Gorge and Canneto Dentro, both formed during the Mesolithic period [20]. ...
... The geological sources of obsidian on Lipari [16][17][18], Pantelleria [19], and the other central Mediterranean source islands have been documented. Lipari is just 23 km of open-water travel from northern Sicily, and there are two source subgroups, Gabellotto Gorge and Canneto Dentro, both formed during the Mesolithic period [20]. ...
Forty-two obsidian artifacts excavated at the site of Valdesi in western Sicily were analyzed to determine their geological sources and to reconstruct trade patterns. Non-destructive analysis was performed using a portable, non-destructive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, with the calibrated element's composition values compared directly with a dataset of geological samples from the Mediterranean and European sources that were analyzed with the same instrument. The results, based on straightforward X-Y graphs using the trace elements Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, and Nb, showed the presence of obsidian from two subsources on Lipari (Gabellotto Gorge, Canneto Dentro), two on Pantelleria (Balata dei Turchi, Lago di Venere), and one on Sardinia. The majority coming from Lipari coincided with the location of Valdesi, and nearly 20% came from Pantelleria, both consistent with the overall distribution patterns for Sicily, while the one from Sardinia is a unique discovery. These results are discussed in terms of the time period and context for Valdesi, as well as the open-water and land-based routes that must have been taken.
“Lipari obsidian and Neolithic human communities in the Aeolian islands” is a project aimed at studying the connection between obsidian flows on the island of Lipari and Neolithic populations on the Aeolian archipelago, in Italy. As it is well known, obsidian is of particular interest to trace prehistorical trading patterns; indeed, Lipari obsidian has the widest distribution and has been found in southern France, Dalmazia, Sicily and mainland Italy. The project outputs will give a general vision of both archaeological and volcanological aspects through the stratigraphic and radiometric dating of eruptions which produced obsidian, in relationship with the first phases of the human settlements and row material exploitation. To reach this goal, we are considering both raw materials (geological samples) from different flows and artefacts from Neolithic settlements (archaeological samples) on the Aeolian islands, and performing fission-track dating to get the age of obsidian sources and artefacts. Obtained results are expected to shed some new light on the 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.
T The paper addresses the long-lasting human presence on the island of Stromboli, an active volcano at the northern edge of the Aeolian archipelago, in the Southern Tyrrhenian sea, Italy. A conceptual model has been built to explore the phenomenon, it takes into account a series of aspects comparing Stromboli to other islands: their morphology, natural resources and geography along with the archaeological and historical data and, further, human attitude to volcanic environments, to risk and to insularity has been deeply explored. We propose a complex narrative where a combination of geological, socio-economic, historical, and psychological factors influenced people’s choices and that human presence is related more to the volcanic (and island) environment (and opportunities) than to volcanic activity.
This study provides a critical and interdisciplinary review of the archaeological record of the Aeolian Islands (Italy), from their earliest settlement in the mid-sixth millennium BC (Middle Neolithic) to the establishment of trans-Mediterranean networks at the end of the second millennium BC (Final Bronze Age). We combine archaeological, archaeometric, bioarchaeological and environmental data to explore the interplay between different prehistoric practices and their spatial settings, revisiting old evidence and presenting new data. The resulting picture reveals different levels of interaction and the critical role of these small island communities in establishing and/or facilitating networks at the local and (inter)regional scale. Ceramic networks allow us to trace connections between the islands and their neighbours, underscoring the centrality of the island of Lipari, which is further supported by the spatial analysis of the settlement data, in particular concerning the growing web of intervisibility between contemporary settlements on the Aeolian Islands, Sicily and Calabria. We also highlight significant environmental factors, such as arid phases and volcanic events, and assess their impact in light of the islanders' responses, underscoring their long-term adaptability to the challenges of insularity. The study is supported by a new and up-to-date database of 50 prehistoric sites, incorporating unpublished results of ongoing archaeological investigations by the authors.
