Empires and resources: Central Anatolian obsidian at Urkesh (Tell Mozan, Syria) during the Akkadian period

► Obsidians from Central Anatolian volcanoes are extraordinarily rare in Mesopotamia. ► Central Anatolian obsidian was found at Bronze-Age Tell Mozan in northeastern Syria. ► Their context was a palace courtyard dated to the known height of Akkadian influence. ► Specifically the artefacts came from two quarries at the Kömürcü source of Göllü Dağ. ► This occurrence of exotic obsidian may be embedded in metal trade or elite identity.