Overheard a geochemist at the museum talk about obsidian sourcing - totally flipped my view on trade routes

I was at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science last weekend and caught this guy explaining how they can trace obsidian tools back to specific volcanic flows using X-ray fluorescence. He said a single obsidian blade found in Ohio matched a source in Wyoming, over 1,200 miles away. That one detail made me rethink how connected ancient groups really were - I always pictured tribes as isolated, but they must have had some serious long-distance networks. The way he laid out the numbers, like matching 40 out of 50 artifacts to distant quarries, convinced me I was wrong. Has anyone else had a find that totally changed how they see prehistoric travel?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_cole1d agoMost Upvoted

Holy crap, 1,200 miles for a single blade? That's insane. I always figured they traded with whoever was in the next valley, not half the country away. I guess I gotta rethink how far people were willing to walk to get the good stuff.

terry_thomas1d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah and it makes you wonder what else was moving along those old trade routes that we just can't see anymore...