Early Neolithic chert variability in central Cyprus: Geo-chemical and spatial analyses

Three archaeological surveys in central Cyprus have recovered lithic artifacts from a variety of chert sources, isolated findspots and sites. Typological analyses of these finds and 14C results from one site suggest that they date to the Late Epi-Palaeolithic and very early Neolithic periods. Previous research (McCartney et al., 2006, McCartney et al., 2007, McCartney et al., 2008, Murphy et al., 2019, Stewart et al., 2017) of the spatial relationships between these finds suggests ways that these early settlers to the island entered into and explored this new landscape to access a variety of resources, with chert artifacts leaving a lasting record of this behaviour. A previous pilot test of Instrumental Neutron Activation analysis (INAA) further supported our initial observations. Here we expand this research to include a much larger sample size. While this study was only able statistically to isolate one group of artifacts, it does indicate that all the other artifacts in the study originated in the circum-Troodos Lefkara sedimentary formation chert deposits. The single anomaly, a group of dark, silicified umber artifacts, may reflect early use of this distinctive raw material, judging by its restricted location along the central south coast and into the interior by way of the Tremithos River valley.