Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.)

The Sardinian Bronze Age (Nuragic period) and the factors which created and maintained an island-wide identity as seen through the presence of its distinctive nuraghi have received considerable attention; however the amount of research directly related to the stone tools of the era has been relative...

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Main Author: Freund, Kyle P.
Format: Others
Published: Scholar Commons 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3429
http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4624&context=etd
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spelling ndltd-USF-oai-scholarcommons.usf.edu-etd-46242015-09-30T04:41:09Z Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.) Freund, Kyle P. The Sardinian Bronze Age (Nuragic period) and the factors which created and maintained an island-wide identity as seen through the presence of its distinctive nuraghi have received considerable attention; however the amount of research directly related to the stone tools of the era has been relatively limited despite the wealth of knowledge it is capable of yielding. This thesis hopes to contribute to Sardinian archaeology through the study of ancient technology, specifically obsidian lithic technology, by combining typological information with source data gleaned from the use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). These data are integrated with statistical analyses breaking down the spatial distribution of nuraghi across the island through the use of distance-based methods, including k-means and kernel density analyses, which create a more comprehensive understanding of the island-wide political and social structure. This research will test the hypothesis that changes in the acquisition of obsidian raw materials were coupled with corresponding changes in how the obsidian was used. The results provide precedence for future work in Sardinia and create a model for integrating two types of analyses, sourcing and typological. By combining these results, it is possible to investigate how obsidian influenced the ancient economy as well as assess its cultural significance for people of the past. 2010-04-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3429 http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4624&context=etd default Graduate Theses and Dissertations Scholar Commons Mediterranean Nuragic culture Stone tools Typologies X-ray fluorescence (XRF) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) American Studies Anthropology Arts and Humanities
collection NDLTD
format Others
sources NDLTD
topic Mediterranean
Nuragic culture
Stone tools
Typologies
X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
American Studies
Anthropology
Arts and Humanities
spellingShingle Mediterranean
Nuragic culture
Stone tools
Typologies
X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
American Studies
Anthropology
Arts and Humanities
Freund, Kyle P.
Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.)
description The Sardinian Bronze Age (Nuragic period) and the factors which created and maintained an island-wide identity as seen through the presence of its distinctive nuraghi have received considerable attention; however the amount of research directly related to the stone tools of the era has been relatively limited despite the wealth of knowledge it is capable of yielding. This thesis hopes to contribute to Sardinian archaeology through the study of ancient technology, specifically obsidian lithic technology, by combining typological information with source data gleaned from the use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). These data are integrated with statistical analyses breaking down the spatial distribution of nuraghi across the island through the use of distance-based methods, including k-means and kernel density analyses, which create a more comprehensive understanding of the island-wide political and social structure. This research will test the hypothesis that changes in the acquisition of obsidian raw materials were coupled with corresponding changes in how the obsidian was used. The results provide precedence for future work in Sardinia and create a model for integrating two types of analyses, sourcing and typological. By combining these results, it is possible to investigate how obsidian influenced the ancient economy as well as assess its cultural significance for people of the past.
author Freund, Kyle P.
author_facet Freund, Kyle P.
author_sort Freund, Kyle P.
title Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.)
title_short Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.)
title_full Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.)
title_fullStr Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.)
title_full_unstemmed Lithic Technology and Obsidian Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (ca. 1600-850 B.C.)
title_sort lithic technology and obsidian exchange networks in bronze age sardinia, italy (ca. 1600-850 b.c.)
publisher Scholar Commons
publishDate 2010
url http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3429
http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4624&context=etd
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