Obsidian Across the Americas draws attention to recent obsidian
studies in the Americas and acts as a reference for archaeologists and
scholars interested in material culture and exchange. Moreover, it
provides a wide range of case studies in obsidian characterization,
material application, and theoretical interpretations in the Americas.
The limited geographic occurrence and relatively homogenous nature of
obsidian have made the material ideal for archaeometric studies. Since
Cann and Renfrew's seminal paper in 1967 on the compositional analysis
of obsidian in the Mediterranean, analytical techniques have improved,
identification and characterization of sources have increased, and
applications have broadened geographically and theoretically to address
various socio-cultural activities and behaviours around the world. While
many previous publications have focused on different aspects of obsidian
characterization, this volume uniquely presents obsidian compositional
studies from across the Americas that have relied on the instrumentation
housed in the Elemental Analysis Facility at the Field Museum of Natural
History. The case studies, which feature materials from North American,
Mesoamerican, and South American geological sources, explore the ways in
which obsidian analyses have been used to investigate interactions,
socio-economic exchanges, and socio-cultural change at multiple scales
in the past.
