Lead Isotope Analysis for Provenance Studies in the Aegean Region: A Re-Evaluation

For more than a decade lead isotope analyses have been used in attempts to identify ore sources for silver and lead artifacts from the Aegean region. These regional provenance studies have been used to formulate statements on archaeological issues in the Aegean. Methods of data analysis and presentation used to interpret lead isotope analyses have been borrowed directly from the field of geology, where this technique was developed and originally applied. However, the goals of geologists and those of archaeologists are not the same.