Characterization of Chert Sources as an Aid to the Identification of Patterns of Trade, Southeast Solomon Islands: A Preliminary Investigation

Inter-island communication has long been a focus of research into Pacific island communities. Archaeology, previously reliant upon stylistic features of artefacts and similarities among implements, has recently sought support from the physical sciences in its attempts to define prehistoric inter-group contacts. For example the chemical 'fingerprinting' of obsidian from archaeological sites and from distant source deposits has provided clear evidence of inter-group contact over relatively long distances (e.g. Ambrose and Green, 1972). This paper presents the results of a preliminary investigation into the application of similar techniques to the analysis of cherts (in this context synonymous with flint) used as raw material for ancient tool manufacture in the eastern Solomon Islands.