Select your language

Possible obsidian sources for artifacts from Timor: narrowing the options using chemical data

Ambrose Wal, Allen Charlotte , O’Connor Sue, Spriggs Matthew, Oliveira Nuno Vasco , Reepmeyer Christian . 2009. Journal of Archaeological Science.
Possible obsidian sources for artifacts from Timor: narrowing the options using chemical data
ARTICLE, (2009 ) - SUBMITTEDVERSION - English (en-GB)
Journal of Archaeological Science
OPENACCESS - © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved..
Audience : RESEARCHERS, STUDENTS
Elsevier Ltd.
Subject
Obsidian Sourcing, Timor Artifacts, Chemical Analysis, Laser Ablation ICPMS, Obsidian Sources, Papua New Guinea, Island Southeast Asia, Banda Arc Volcanic Chain, Wetar Island, Rhyolitic Volcanics, Extinct Volcanoes, Southwest Pacific, Archaeological Research, Geochemical Analysis, Material Sourcing, Archaeological Artifacts, Regional Source Samples, Pacific Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Geological Analysis
Domains
Archéologie, Anthropologie, Histoire, Sciences Sociales, Sciences de la Terre, Sciences humaines
Description

Measurements made at the Australian National University using laser ablation ICPMS show that none of the 88 analyzed obsidian artifacts from East Timor match either the known Papua New Guinea or the five Island SE Asian source samples in our ANU collections. There is a coastal journey of more than 3000 km between the occurrence of obsidians from the Bismarck Archipelago volcanic province of Papua New Guinea and the Sunda-Banda Arc volcanic chain, yet obsidian artifacts from the two important PNG sources of Talasea and Lou Island are found at coastal Bukit Tengkorak in eastern Sabah at a similar distance along with material that has no known source. Timor lies south of the eastern section of the active volcanic Banda Arc island chain but it is within range of possible rhyolite sources from there. Although there is a continuous chain of around 60 active volcanoes stretching from west Sumatra to the Moluccas most are basaltic to andesitic with few areas likely to produce high silica dacite–rhyolite deposits. This does not exclude the possibility that the volcanic landscapes may contain obsidian, but without detailed survey and chemical analysis of sources from the Sunda-Banda Arc the attribution of the Timor obsidian artifacts remains to be demonstrated. Timor may seem to be an unlikely source for the presence of obsidians as it lacks reports of the silica-rich rhyolite volcanic centers necessary to produce this material. Despite the absence of detailed survey and analysis of Indonesian obsidian sources, especially from the volcanically active Banda Arc, this paper presents evidence that one of two obsidian sources is clearly from Timor while the other, with less certainty, is also from an unknown local source.

Keywords
Timor natural glasses, Obsidian artifacts, Chemical analysis
Language
English (en-GB)
Creators
Ambrose Wal, Allen Charlotte , O’Connor Sue, Spriggs Matthew, Oliveira Nuno Vasco , Reepmeyer Christian
Contributors
Sources
Journal of Archaeological Science. 36:607-615
Coverage
Papua New Guinea, Island Southeast Asia, Wetar Island, Southwest Pacific
Name of newspaper
Journal of Archaeological Science