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Assistant Professor, University of Tehran , Nasir.eskandari@ut.ac.ir
Abstract: (24 Views)
Obsidian is regarded as the earliest known commodity in ancient trade networks. For over half a century, the provenance analysis of obsidian artifacts recovered from archaeological sites across diverse regions—from Africa to Europe and Asia—has remained a significant area of scholarly inquiry. This research has provided valuable insights into prehistoric exchange systems, trade routes, and interactions among ancient civilizations, attracting sustained interest from specialists in archaeology, anthropology, and archaeometric studies. Research on the characterization and provenance analysis of obsidian tools across the Iranian Plateau remains scarce. In Western Asia, the principal sources of obsidian are located in the Caucasus and southeastern Turkey, serving as key suppliers of this volcanic glass. Given their proximity to these sources, the inhabitants of northwestern Iran extensively utilized obsidian for tool production from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, contributing to technological advancements and facilitating long-distance exchange networks across the region. Obsidian artifacts have been recovered in limited quantities from key archaeological sites in southeastern Iran, including Tepe Yahya, Tepe Gavkashi, Shahr-e Sukhteh, Konar Sandal, and Tal-i Iblis. However, to date, no comprehensive studies have been conducted on their characterization and provenance analysis. This study employs portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectroscopy to analyze obsidian samples recovered from the Proto-Elamite settlement at Tal-i Iblis, Bardsir, in the Kerman region. By applying this analytical approach, the research aims to systematically characterize the compositional and structural properties of obsidian artifacts associated with the late fourth millennium BCE at this site, contributing to broader discussions on material sourcing and exchange networks in southeastern Iran. The chemical analyses reveal that the obsidian tools from the Proto-Elamite settlement at Tell-e Iblis exhibit compositional and structural affinities with sources in the Nemrut Dağ region, situated north of Lake Van in southeastern Turkey. Given that the analyzed specimens were recovered from a Proto-Elamite occupation context at Tal-i Iblis, these findings suggest that non-local Proto-Elamite groups played an active role in the procurement and distribution of obsidian in eastern Iran during the late fourth millennium BCE, contributing to broader exchange networks and material circulation across the region.
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