Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene seafaring in the Aegean: new obsidian hydration dates with the SIMS-SS method

Archaeological evidence regarding the presence of obsidian in levels that antedate the food production stage could have been the result of usage or intrusion of small obsidian artifacts from overlying Neolithic layers. The new obsidian hydration dates presented below employing the novel SIMS-SS method, offers new results of absolute dating concordant with the excavation data. Our contribution sheds new light on the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene exploitation of obsidian sources on the island of Melos in the Cyclades reporting dates c. 13th millennium - end of 10th millennium B.P.

► Seafaring before the Neolithic in Aegean Sea. ► Intrusion of small obsidian artifacts from overlying Neolithic layers. ► Obsidian Hydration Dating: a new reliable source of absolute dating. ► Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene seafaring in the Aegean.