Reconstructing Lithic Supply Zones and Procurement Areas: An Example from the Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand

Abstract

While our ability to match lithic artefacts to geological source continues to improve, few explicit techniques exist for the spatial analysis and interpretation of sourced assemblages on the regional level. Obsidian from the Bay of Islands, New Zealand is used here to describe a method of spatial analysis focused on defining intra-regional procurement areas where people accessed a common set of sources. The results suggest future analyses of North Island obsidian should take care to account for the natural accessibility of sources and the use of non-local obsidian among coastal populations with greater access to maritime trade and exchange.