The Place Where the Rare Obsidian Mirrors of the Neolithic in Anatolia and the Near East Were Manufactured Has Been Found

LBV Magazine English Edition ^ | February 25, 2025 | Guillermo Carvajal

[SunkenCiv]

Luxury and prestige objects have existed in all human societies, and the Neolithic was no exception. Among the most intriguing artifacts of this period are the obsidian mirrors, finely crafted pieces whose function remains a subject of debate. Recent archaeological studies have allowed researchers to reconstruct their manufacturing and distribution process in Southwest Asia, particularly in Central Anatolia, where findings at the Tepecik Çiftlik site suggest that it may have been the key center for the production of these unique objects.

The mirrors, circular and highly polished, were not utilitarian tools but items with a strong symbolic component. Their rarity is remarkable: to date, only 56 specimens have been discovered throughout the Near East, distributed across six archaeological sites in Anatolia and one in the Levant...

Among the sites where these mirrors have been found, Tepecik Çiftlik stands out as a key location for understanding their production. Located in the Melendiz Plain, in the Cappadocia region, this settlement was occupied from the Neolithic to the Early Chalcolithic, between 7000 and 6000 BCE. Its proximity to natural obsidian sources, such as the Nenezidağ and Göllüdağ deposits, enabled its inhabitants to develop a specialized industry in cutting and polishing this volcanic material.

[FreedomPoster]

That’s sort of like the diffence between a caribou and a reindeer.

I learned that when I visited Alaska 2 years ago.

You know the difference, right?

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Reindeer can fly.

[kelly4c]

Same here 😁 And Im not even sure what an obsidian mirror looks like :)

[sauropod]

bkmk

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Thanks, SunkenCiv.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure!

[GingisK]

That is interesting. We really don’t know beans about “the good old days”, do we?

[Beowulf9]

😆

[bert]

$34.90- $15.00 Amazon

[minnesota_bound]

I saw a comment that you can look at your cell phone screen when it is off and see what a Obsidian mirror would be like.