Archaeological Obsidian Studies : Method and Theory, 1998, 262 p., rel. -

Since Robin Torrence's work on the Island of Melos is the 1960s and 1970s obsidian has played a crucial part in the expansion of archaeological knowledge about European prehistoric production and exchange. This book brings the story of its analysis up-to-date and describes work conducted on the volcanic stone all over the world. Contents: Current issues and future directions in archaeological volcanic glass studies: an introduction; A systematic approach to obsidian source characterization; The sources and exploitation of Sardinian obsidian; Intrasource chemical variability and secondary depositional processes: lessons from the American Southwest; Characterization of archaeological volcanic glass from Oceania: the utility of three techniques; Application of PIXE-PIGME to archaeological analysis of changing patterns of obsidian use in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea; Factors affecting the energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis of archaeological obsidian; Laboratory obsidian hydration rates; Obsidian hydration dating at a recent age obsidian mining site in Papua, New Guinea; Perspective in the 1990s on method and theory in archaeological volcanic glass studies.