Unearthing Georgia’s Obsidian Secrets

 A Journey Through Ancient Volcanoes and Trade Networks

The Caucasus Mountains are like a giant, rocky spine stretching across the land. But hidden in these mountains are secrets that the wind whispers about. These secrets are written right into the rocks themselves. One of these secrets is the story of obsidian - a black, glassy rock that was used to make tools and was super important for ancient civilizations.

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Forget about just one big "Obsidian Field" in Georgia. The real story is much more interesting! Imagine instead a whole bunch of different obsidian sources, scattered all over the place like a sky full of tiny, sparkling stars. These aren't just neat little piles of obsidian - they're actually the leftovers from ancient volcanoes that have been worn down over thousands of years.

Now picture the brave ancient Georgians, climbing over the rough terrain and following old trails to find these precious obsidian sources. Each piece of obsidian, every shard of that volcanic glass, wasn't just a material for making tools. It was a connection to the fiery heart of the earth itself - a real link to the powerful forces that shaped their world.

 For archaeologists, figuring out where all this obsidian came from is like attempting to repair a broken mirror. They must carefully examine the fragments of obsidian tools discovered at various archaeological sites and compare the chemical "fingerprints" to determine where each piece came from.This detective work shows that there was a whole complex network of obsidian trade and exchange, with the stone whispering stories of the journeys it took, the communities it connected, and the landscape that the ancient people knew so well.

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So the "Obsidian Field" of Georgia isn't really a place at all - it's a story. A story written in black glass, that tells us about the ingenuity and toughness of ancient cultures, and reminds us of the incredible power of the earth.