Obsidian deposits in the central Balkans? Tested against archaeological evidence

• Main Author: Tripković Boban
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade, Serbia 2003-01-01
• Series: Starinar
• Subjects: obsidian; Neolithic; central and north Balkans; chipped stone industry
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-0241/2003/0350-02410454163T.pdf

Finds of obsidian artefacts on sites distant from the presumed primary source have often received a romantic note in the history of archaeology manifested in the idea about local exploitation as a form of procurement and archaeologists’ search for as yet undetected deposits of this raw material. In due course, such concepts have found their way into Serbian archaeology as well. The main objective of this contribution, therefore, is to reconsider the current knowledge about obsidian in the central and north Balkans, to test how well founded the idea about the use of local sources is, as well as to indicate some possible directions for future research.