Détermination de provenance d’une sélection d’obsidiennes du palais minoen de Malia (Crète)

What is it about?

Excavation of Malia Palace (Crete) had delivered a large collection of obsidian artefacts from Ancient Minoan II to Middle Minoan II levels. Among these artefacts, some present visual macroscopic characteristics distinct from Aegean raw materials from Melos and Gyali islands. To determine the provenance of these obsidians, non-destructive analysis by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were realised from a sampling of 31 artefacts. As suspected, the sources recognised are mainly Aegean, with the larger part (25 artefacts) identifiable to Melos sources (Sta Nychia: 21; Demenegaki: 4) and one piece to the Gyali island. The originality lies in the identification at Malia for the Ancient Minoan II levels of five artefacts attributed to Cappadocian sources, with four pieces coming from the Göllü Dağ volcanic complex and for the first time in the Aegean area, of one obsidian artefact ascribed to the Nenezi Dağ volcano.

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