New Ten Second Sourcing Technology Set to Transform Archaeology

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a method of sourcing obsidian artefacts that takes only 10 seconds -- dozens of times faster than the current methods -- with a handheld instrument that can be used at archaeological excavations.

Credit : University of Sheffield

Obsidian, naturally occurring volcanic glass, is smooth, hard, and far sharper than a surgical scalpel when fractured, making it a highly desirable raw material for crafting stone tools for almost all of human history. The earliest obsidian tools, found in East Africa, are nearly two million years old, and obsidian scalpels are still used today in specialised medical procedures.

The chemistry of obsidian varies from volcano to volcano, and the chemical "fingerprints" allow researchers to match an obsidian artefact to the volcanic origin of its raw material.[...] sciencedaily.com

Journal Reference:
Ellery Frahm, Beverly A. Schmidt, Boris Gasparyan, Benik Yeritsyan, Sergei Karapetian, Khachatur Meliksetian, Daniel S. Adler. Ten Seconds in the Field: Rapid Armenian Obsidian Sourcing with Portable XRF to Inform Excavations and Surveys. Journal of Archaeological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2013.08.012