Characterization and Provenance of Archaeological Obsidian from Pirozza-Spalmatore, a Site of Neolithic Colonization on the Island of Ustica (Sicily)

This article presents the first archaeometric research carried out so far on a group of obsidian
artifacts collected in the promontory of Pirozza-Spalmatore, the site of a Neolithic settlement on the small
island of Ustica (Sicily, Italy). The obsidian assemblage, consisting of 28 artifacts, was subjected to optical,
typological and geochemical analyses, the latter carried out by means of a portable pXRF, in order to
determine their provenance. The results indicate that 89% of the fragments come from geologic obsidian
outcrops on the island of Lipari, and 11% from the island of Pantelleria. It is thus ascertained that, during
the Neolithic, Ustica used two different sources of obsidian, located 150–250 km away from the site. These
obsidian sources were typical of some western Sicily prehistoric villages, while eastern Sicilian villages
seem to have imported obsidian exclusively from Lipari. The analyses indicate that all the obsidian artifacts
attributed to Lipari come from the geological deposit of Gabellotto, while those attributed to Pantelleria
come from the two distinct deposits of Lago di Venere and Balata dei Turchi.