Geochemical and petrological study of the basaltic rocks as building stones of the sacred/non-sacred sites (the Safavid period) of the Ardebil province, Iran

Compositional analyses of materials from prehistoric contexts has become an important component of most scientifically oriented archaeological projects (e.g., Bishop et al., 1990; Blackmen and Vidale, 1989; Tite, 1999; Kennett et al., 2002). Characterizing the elemental signature of materials (obsidian, metals, stones) helps determine provenance and technological production techniques, and therefore is useful for reconstructing trade and interaction between people prehistorically (Budd et al., 1996). Several techniques have been used to geochemically fingerprint the archaeological materials (Picouet et al., 1999; Shriner and Dorais, 1999). Archaeologists are just beginning to explore various applications of the analytical technique (e.g, ICP-MS) for reconstructing prehistoric human behavior (e.g., Young et al., 1997; Durand et al., 1999). In particular, trade and cultural exchange represent important but elusive pieces of information archaeologists gather about ancient peoples. Stone artifacts from building materials to lithic tools are commonly preserved at archaeological sites or at the sacred and/or non-sacred contexts. Simple petrographic descriptions can provide useful information on raw material provenance, but for some lithic materials more sophisticated techniques are required. Geochemistry can provide this sophisticated tool, trace and interpret the bedrock or the source of the ancient lithic materials. Geochemists have determined the geologic, magmatic and/or tectonic affinities of igneous rocks for decades (e.g., Pearce and Cann, 1973; Winchester and Floyd, 1977). This paper reports on mineral assemblages and whole-rock geochemistry that mafic rocks used to make lithic artifacts and especially building stones in the Ardebil province, northwestern Iran, have two bedrock sources. Searching the sources and bedrocks of the building stones is mainly based on the mineralogy and whole-rock geochemistry.

.Keywords: Basaltic rocks, Lithic artifacts, Building stones, Safavid period, Ardebil, Iran