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The origin of obsidian in prehistoric Bohemia

Publication at Faculty of Science, Faculty of Arts |
2016

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the first geochemical analysis conducted on prehistoric obsidian artefacts from Bohemia. Eleven samples from reliably dated contexts were chosen for the study.

The vast majority of the analysed samples can be classified into the Neolithic period. The artefacts were analysed using two non-destructive geochemical methods: concentration values determined by portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF) were calibrated using the results of laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS).

Based on the results, the origin of nine samples can, with the greatest degree of probability, be traced to Slovakia, the other two to Hungary.