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Recent Research on Obsidian from Iowa Archaeological Sites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Duane C. Anderson ,
Joseph A. Tiffany  and
Fred W. Nelson
Duane C. Anderson
Affiliation:
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
Joseph A. Tiffany
Affiliation:
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
Fred W. Nelson
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
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Abstract

In this paper we summarize the results of six years of passive obsidian collecting in Iowa during which time 31 samples were obtained and subjected to trace element analysis. We find that: (1) 74% of the obsidian originated at the Obsidian Cliff Quarry in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; and (2) in contrast with earlier midwestern studies where obsidian was found in ritual contexts on Middle Woodland sites, the Iowa material is associated with a broader temporal range and on sites where ritual use is not evident. A discussion of the analytical methods used is provided as well as of previous research on midwestern obsidian finds.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 51 , Issue 4 , October 1986 , pp. 837 - 852
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1986

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