Chert procurement in Corsica during the Neolithic: Inferring social territories in the Tyrrhenian islands

Abstract

From the Neolithic, foreign siliceous materials were imported into Corsica as the island lacks local chert and obsidian. Such a context constitutes a real opportunity to investigate the relationship of the island with surrounding areas, in perspective with cultural evolutions. For 20 years, chert sourcing studies were carried out. We took into account 26 sites, dating from the Ancient Neolithic to the Final Neolithic. The work is based on non-destructive petro-archaeological observations of the artefacts. and on the survey and characterization of Sardinian sources (320 samples collected and 60 different lithotypes characterized). The study aims to better understand the place of chert among the lithic assemblages throughout time and identify the provenance of most of the chert material introduced into Corsica. It reveals procurement evolution in terms of preferred facies and of stages of introduction, depending on the chronology and geographical situation of the sites. The results confirm connections with Sardinia, among which Perfugas basin constitutes a major source of raw material for Corsica. It also shows relations with the Italian Peninsula for some Middle Neolithic sites in Northern Corsica. Comparisons with data from Sardinia show the affinities and differences between the two islands and open further avenues for research.