Territoires et échanges préhistoriques en Corse : l'apport des recherches sur les matières premières minérales

Research conducted over the past 20 years on mineral raw material provenance in Corsica provides us with an overview of the circulation and diffusion patterns of raw materials on the island and in the surrounding areas during the Neolithic. Drawing upon the identification and inventory of potential sources, further progress in analytical methods, and the study of about 30 archaeological assemblages, the different research projects have focused on rhyolite, obsidian, chert, rocks used for polished artefacts, and clay minerals. The main results highlight uninterrupted relationships between Corsica and Sardinia throughout the whole period, as well as more sporadic but highly significant links with continental (Alps, Marches-Umbria) and insular Italy (Palmarola, Lipari). Long-distance circulations on the island and between mountainous and coastal areas are currently under investigation.