Not just obsidian. Considerations on the spread of obsidian and the network of maritime connections in the Neolithic

Abstract

In spite of the great emphasis that the spread of Sardinian obsidian in the Western Mediterranean has always enjoyed, scholars rarely and only partially have looked at the concrete modalities and possible implications of this phenomenon. This contribution reconstructs a virtually reliable picture of the routes and modes of obsidian transfer by sea, we have to consider a complex web of factors: overall demand for obsidian, cargoes, overall routes, single route sections, carriers and counterparts. An attempt is therefore made to prospect a credible picture of the concrete ways, in which obsidian was transported and the counterparts were acquired.