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This dataset includes 4,582 obsidian artefacts matched to their natural geological source from 45 archaeological sites in New Zealand (Aotearoa). It is a compilation of a number of independent projects conducted in the laboratories of the University of Auckland and University of Otago from 2011 to 2018 [12345678910111213]. It combines previously published studies [35678910111213], an MA thesis [1], a BA(Hons) dissertation [2], a site report [4], and other previously unpublished primary data. The dataset has high reuse potential for future non-destructive studies of artefacts and social network analyses.

This study examines evidence for change in adze form and raw materials in the Auckland (Tamaki) region using a sample of 144 adzes from 11 securely dated assemblages spanning the pre-European Maori sequence. Non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence geochemical analyses indicate that the assemblages were dominated by two stone sources throughout the sequence; locally available Motutapu greywacke, and Tahanga basalt from the Coromandel Peninsula some 100 km distant. Additional analyses, incorporating adze form and use-life data, indicate that both materials were used in a similar manner. The results of this study suggest that, although patterns of change argued for in existing models of New Zealand’s prehistory provide a broad overview of general trends, targeted studies also are required to identify regional variation. Cet article porte sur l’analyse d’un échantillon de 144 herminettes, venant de 11 assemblages datés avec certitude et couvrant la période Maori pré-Européenne, afin de déterminer un potentiel changement de formes des herminettes et de matières premières utilisées dans la région d’Auckland (Tamaki). Les analyses géochimiques non-destructives (spectrométrie portative par fluorescence X) indiquent que les matériaux utilisés durant cette période proviennent principalement de deux sources: la grauwacke de l’île de Motutapu, située àproximité immédiate dans le golfe de Hauraki, et le basalte de la carrière de Tahanga (Péninsule de Coromandel), distante de 100 km. Les analyses complémentaires intégrant des données morphologiques, technologiques et fonctionnelles des herminettes indiquent que les matières premières de ces deux sources étaient utilisées de manière similaire. Bien que les changements identifiés dans les modèles actuels concernant la préhistoire néo-zélandaise donnent un large aperçu des tendances générales, les résultats présentés suggèrent que des études ciblées sont aussi nécessaires à l’identification des variations régionales.

Compositional analyses have long been used to determine the geological sources of artefacts. Geochemical “fingerprinting” of artefacts and sources is the most effective way to reconstruct strategies of raw material and artefact procurement, exchange or interaction systems, and mobility patterns during prehistory. The efficacy and popularity of geochemical sourcing has led to many projects using various analytical techniques to produce independent datasets. In order to facilitate access to this growing body of data and to promote comparability and reproducibility in provenance studies, we designed Pofatu , the first online and open-access database to present geochemical compositions and contextual information for archaeological sources and artefacts in a form that can be readily accessed by the scientific community. This relational database currently contains 7759 individual samples from archaeological sites and geological sources across the Pacific Islands. Each sample is comprehensively documented and includes elemental and isotopic compositions, detailed archaeological provenance, and supporting analytical metadata, such as sampling processes, analytical procedures, and quality control. Measurement(s) isotopic composition • chemical composition • contextual information for archaeological sources • contextual information for stone artefacts Technology Type(s) digital curation • computational modeling technique Factor Type(s) archaeological provenance • artefact attribute Sample Characteristic - Location Region (Papua New Guinea) • Vanuatu Islands • Solomon Islands • Fiji islands • Tonga Archipelago • Samoa • American Samoa • Wallis and Futuna Islands • Tuvalu Islands • Tokelau Islands • Rotuma Island Group • Cook Islands • Society Islands • Marquesas Islands • Archipel des Tuamotu • Gambier Islands • Austral Islands • Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands • Easter Island • State of Hawaii • Micronesia • New Zealand Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12073116