2008-2009

Radiolarites and obsidian are elements of key importance in the lithic supply of the Carpathian Basin. Obsidian has always been a key element of prehistoric material culture and a favourite subject of archaeometrical studies, i.e., the application of natural scientific methods for objects of cultural heritage. In the earliest phase of the Neolithic, both obsidian and radiolarite are an important marker of the movements of goods as well as peoples that has key role in tracing the Neolithisation process.

The last decades of research showed the importance of lithic raw materials, especially radiolarites, in tracing these movements in Transdanubia. Our first impressions on Early Neolithic lithic industries in Croatia show that:

- there is essential local supply of various radiolarites

- there is considerable (supposed) import from the territory of Hungary

- it is imperative to find border zones (in the sense of supply) and find, if any, objective discrimination features to define these supply zones.

The source regions are known in Hungary but unknown in Croatia. It needs essential fieldwork to locate them. Archaeological distribution mapping is quite advanced in Hungary; should be followed by similar elaboration in Croatia.

Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) – a non-destructive nuclear analytical method – has been successfully applied for characterization of chipped stone archaeological objects and their raw materials, especially of radiolarite [1] and obsidian [2]. The method can be effective in distinction between objects of different provenance.

However, the geochemical invetigations of Hungarian radiolarites is in the beginning phase, it is necessary to perform more analyses and additional fieldwork, both in Croatia and Hungary. In this project, we would like extend the research to the region of Croatia. Micropalaeontological research should be performed in both countries.

As for obsidian, the state of research is more advanced. At the Institute of Isotopes (IKI), with PGAA, we have determined the characteristic chemical elements for fingerprinting the main sources and we have build an adequate database of compositions, including archaeological pieces from the Carpathians, Romania and geological references from the Mediterranean. In April 2006, a preliminary work has been done on a test series from Croatia, in the frame of EU FP 6 with the participation of Marcel Buric, as guest scientist at IKI.

In general, this research project includes both fieldworks, archaeometry research (PGAA) and comparative data analysis.