Geochemical analysis of Anaseuli obsidians and mobility pattern of ancient humans in western Georgia

Abstract

Archaeological excavations conducted at various times in south-western Georgia have revealed stone age sites, with a notable colle­ction of flint and obsidian. However, the precise origins of obsi­dian remain ambiguous. In recent years, Georgian and USA resear­chers have published noteworthy works connected to origins of obsi­dian artefacts (Chkhatarashvili, Glascock 2022; Chkhatarashvili et al., 2024a,b; Chkhatarashvili et al., 2025a,b). This work present the results of geochemical analyses conducted on obsidian artefacts disc­overed at the Neolithic sites of Anaseuli I-II. The research was carried out using the XRF method at the Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Reactor Research (MURR). The analysis iden­tified two different sources of obsidian supply, which once again ind­ic­ates that the Caucasus region has been an active zone of human mobility and contact since ancient times.