Indications of a major Neolithic trade route? An archaeometric geochemical and Sr, Pb isotope study on amphibolitic raw material from present day Europe

In order to interpret pre-historic cultural interactions, the provenance of amphibolitic raw material used for flat-axes and adzes in lower to middle Neolithic cultures throughout present day Germany were investigated by elemental and Sr, Pb isotopic methods. Within all settlements studied, a homogeneous actinolite-hornblende schist rock type (AHS) was found to be massively dominating, with a distinct petrography of needle-shaped actinolite interwoven with single larger grains of hornblende along with calcic plagioclase and large amounts of ilmenite. Geochemically, the AHS group is very homogeneous and has a signature of an enriched basaltic precursor with high concentrations of particularly the LIL-elements. The geochemical signature is relatively rare and can not be matched in nearby geological outcrops, wherefore the conclusion of “imported material” is quickly reached. Strontium and Pb isotopic analyses of the AHS were compared to the isotopic composition of amphibolitic rocks with similar petrography and trace elemental signatures within possible archaeological trade regions. The isotopic data of the archaeological material point roughly to a Proterozoic age of the stone used; an age which can be reasonable matched to a single outcrop situated at Jistebsko within the Czech Republic. This area further shows archaeological traces of prehistoric mining. Based on petrographic, geochemical and isotopic evidence, this area is here presented as the provenance area of the stone raw material, which later spread throughout prehistoric Europe – establishing contact and trade routes between Neolithic cultures.