Provenance of middle Stone Age obsidian artefacts from the central sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley

Abstract

The Gademotta/Kulkuletti sites, located in the central part of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley, represent the earliest Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequences in the country. Here we present the geochemical provenance of obsidian archaeological artefact recovered through excavation at the site. The artefacts and source materials were characterized by EDXRF and electron microprobe. Results show that the artefacts were procured from two sources, one local, and one presumably more distant, implying that despite the local availability of good quality raw material, not all obsidians were procured from a nearby source.