Abstract
The string of beads which forms the subject of this paper was found in
an Early Dynastic (Early Bronze Age) tomb (c.2700 BC) at Kish in
southern Mesopotamia, in the 1920s. Until recently the beads were thought
to be made of smoky quartz, but our recent analysis of them indicates that
they are made of obsidian from four different source groups. The results of
this analysis are presented here together with a brief discussion of the
wider use of obsidian from the sources involved and the presence of
obsidian artefacts in southern Mesopotamia in the Early Dynastic period.
an Early Dynastic (Early Bronze Age) tomb (c.2700 BC) at Kish in
southern Mesopotamia, in the 1920s. Until recently the beads were thought
to be made of smoky quartz, but our recent analysis of them indicates that
they are made of obsidian from four different source groups. The results of
this analysis are presented here together with a brief discussion of the
wider use of obsidian from the sources involved and the presence of
obsidian artefacts in southern Mesopotamia in the Early Dynastic period.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Exploitation of Raw Materials in Prehistory |
| Subtitle of host publication | Sourcing, Processing and Distribution |
| Editors | Xavier Terradas, Nuno Bicho, Telmo Pereira |
| Place of Publication | Cambridge |
| Publisher | Cambridge Scholars Press |
| Pages | 537-547 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781443895972 |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 15 Jul 2017 |