Obsidian was used widely in the Near East in prehistoric and early historic times to make tools and other objects. We know quite a lot about its use as a tool-stone, but much less about other objects made from it, although such things in other contexts would be regarded as markers of identity. This apparent duality of use raises the question of whether the object made or obsidian as a raw material was more significant; it also raises questions about whether the same crafts-people were involved in both the production of tools and other objects or whether they were separated. As research progresses, we are increasingly realising that there is much information that is scattered and that more holistic and integrated approaches are needed. This demands in-depth study of individual objects using multi-disciplinary approaches. Significant areas for further study include the use of geochemical analysis to determine the provenance of the obsidian from which the objects were made and so to evaluate choice of source. Advanced technological investigation is also needed to elucidate manufacturing methods and techniques. These include studies of manufacturing techniques and surface topography as well as an evaluation of experimental data, not only to elucidate which techniques might have been used but also to assess skill and time input. The objects also need to be examined for indications of use and their context of deposition considered in greater detail. The type of objects produced and the way they were crafted also need to be compared to similar objects made of other materials to see if obsidian had a privileged position. Research into these matters is still at an early stage and this paper can only summarise what we know in order to provide a foundation for further study.

中文翻译：

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不仅仅是工具石：在近东使用黑曜石的其他方式

黑曜石在史前和早期历史时期在近东被广泛用于制造工具和其他物体。我们对它作为工具石的用途了解很多，但对用它制成的其他物品却知之甚少，尽管在其他情况下这些东西会被视为身份的标志。这种明显的使用双重性提出了一个问题，即作为原材料制成的物体或黑曜石是否更重要？它还提出了有关工具和其他物品的生产是否涉及相同的工匠或他们是否分开的问题。随着研究的进展，我们越来越意识到有很多分散的信息，需要更全面和综合的方法。这需要使用多学科方法对单个对象进行深入研究。需要进一步研究的重要领域包括使用地球化学分析来确定制造这些物体的黑曜石的来源，从而评估来源的选择。还需要先进的技术研究来阐明制造方法和技术。这些包括对制造技术和表面形貌的研究以及对实验数据的评估，不仅要阐明可能使用了哪些技术，还要评估技能和时间投入。还需要检查这些物品的使用迹象以及更详细地考虑它们的存放背景。所生产的物品类型和制作方式也需要与其他材料制成的类似物品进行比较，以查看黑曜石是否具有特权地位。