Melian obsidian

E822759

Melian obsidian is a volcanic glass from the island of Melos that was a major source of high-quality stone for toolmaking and trade across the Neolithic Aegean.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Melian obsidian canonical 1
Prince Rupert's Drop 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf archaeological material
lithic raw material
volcanic glass
associatedWith Cycladic culture sites
linked to: Cycladic culture

Franchthi Cave assemblages
Neolithic settlements in the Aegean
Sesklo culture sites
category obsidian
color black
dark gray
country Greece
evidenceFor long-distance trade in the Aegean
prehistoric maritime exchange networks
foundOn Milos
island of Melos
linked to: island of Milos
geologicalOrigin volcanic activity
identifiedBy X-ray fluorescence analysis
geochemical fingerprinting
neutron activation analysis
locatedIn Aegean Sea
Cyclades
majorSourceFor Aegean lithic industries
material silica-rich glass
namedAfter Melos
property conchoidal fracture
sharp edges when knapped
quality high-quality stone for toolmaking
significance important for reconstructing Aegean exchange systems
indicator of prehistoric mobility
key marker of Melian trade connections
sourceArea Demenegaki (Melos)
Sta Nychia (Melos)
quarries on Melos
tradedAcross Neolithic Aegean
tradedTo Anatolian coast
Crete
Cycladic islands
linked to: Cyclades

Greek mainland
usedFor blade manufacture
cutting tools
microlith production
projectile points
stone tool production
usedInPeriod Early Bronze Age Aegean
linked to: Aegean Bronze Age

Mesolithic Aegean
linked to: Mesolithic period

Neolithic Aegean
workedBy percussion flaking
pressure flaking

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Neolithic Aegean hasRawMaterialSource Melian obsidian
Prince Rupert, first Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company hasNamesake Prince Rupert's Drop
linked to: Melian obsidian