Socio-Cultural Connectivity Along the Zagros Mountains: A SEM-EDS Study of Rare Neolithic Obsidian Artifacts From the Kohgiluyeh Region (Southwest Iran)

Abstract

Recent archaeological investigations in the Kohgiluyeh region of southwestern Iran revealed numerous Neolithic sites along with diverse settlement strategies adapted to the local resources and environmental conditions of this high mountainous stretch of the Zagros Mountains. The regional Neolithic chipped stone collections mainly indicate the acquisition and use of local mineral resources, with obsidian being uncommon. Its occurrence suggests the existence of long-distance acquisition and/or distribution networks. This study presents a provenance analysis of two rare obsidian artifacts recovered during intensive surveys in the Kohgiluyeh region. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), we characterized the obsidian samples and determined their elemental compositions for source attribution. The results of these analyses indicate that the two artifacts originated from two distinct source areas in southeastern Anatolia: the Nemrut Dağ and Bingöl-A volcanic complexes. These findings provide evidence to reconstruct socio-cultural interactions between Neolithic communities along the Zagros Mountains and improve our understanding of settlement strategies in the southern Zagros region during the early stages of sedentism.