Publication details
Ground obsidian artefacts from an Early Eneolithic site in Nitra-Selenec (Slovakia)
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE: REPORTS |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | odkaz na publikovaný výsledek |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105717 |
| Keywords | Ground obsidian; Early Eneolithic; Western Carpathians; Use-wear analysis; ED-XRF; Debitage knapping techniques |
| Description | Obsidian was an important lithic raw material in the prehistory of the Western Carpathians. Whereas the use of knapped obsidian in this region is well known, the production of ground or polished artefacts has long remained unreported. Two obsidian finds were found in 2009–2010 during the excavation of the Early Eneolithic (4300–4000 cal BC) site Nitra-Selenec. Grinding was combined with pressure knapping, and we focused our research on the purpose and position of grinding in the operational chain. Based on petrographic characteristics and chemical composition data, we conclude that the raw material originated from sources located in present-day northeastern Hungary (CII) and rule out that they were imported from other centres where ground obsidians are found in abundance. Our interpretation of the artefacts is that they were most likely ground for a practical reason related to the preparation of the core. Our results re-open the debate about the practical, economic or social significance of obsidian knapping in the prehistory of the Western Carpathians and surrounding territories. |