A new method of sourcing the origins of artefacts in high
definition is set to improve our understanding of the past.
Dr Ellery Frahm at the University of Sheffield developed the
new technology to better study Mesopotamian obsidian tools unearthed in Syria,
where cultural heritage is threatened by the ongoing conflict.
The research brings five decades of research full circle and
presents a significant advance in the field. While at the University of
Sheffield from 1965 – 1972, Professor Lord Colin Renfrew developed a technique
that matched stone tools made of obsidian, naturally occurring glass, to their
volcanic origins based on their chemical fingerprints. Considered one of the
greatest successes in scientific archaeology, matching artefacts to specific
volcanoes was a significant leap forward in understanding trade, contact, and
cultural change in the ancient world.