Economy and status of Neolithic to Early Bronze age sites in the Southern Caucasus during the 6th‐3rd mill. BCE: The evidence from ground stone tools

Caroline Hamon

doi:10.2218/jls.3086

Abstract

In the Southern Caucasus, the evolution of the Neolithic to Bronze age (6th-3rd millenia BCE) economies is often investigated through the prism of adaptation to constrasted landscapes and environments (arid plain, high moutains, subtropical western coasts) and strategies of natural resource exploitation. This overview of the main technological and functional characteristics of ground stone tools from about 20 sites in the Kura Valley (Georgia, Azerbaijan) contributes to the discussion surrounding these questions. After an overview of the evolution of the grinding equipment and stone tool manufacture within a long term perspective, from the Late Neoliothic to the Early Bronze Age, several issues are adressed. The composition of the macrolithic toolkit is a key issue when discussing the importance of agriculture versus pastoralism in the economy of these populations, which evolved in different regional and environmental contexts. Its management also contributes to our understanding of the degree of sedentarity versus mobility of the populations. Finally, we discuss how the technical evolution of the macrolithic toolkit reflects the principal global changes occurring during this long period of time (neolithisation, emergence of metallurgy, and the mining phenomenon) and their cultural meaning. Our initial results underline the significance of some implements as cultural markers, and also contribute to defining the common cultural background and regional specificities within the South Caucasus region.

Highlights

The Southern Caucasus is located at the geographical and cultural crossroads between Europe and Asia
Through the technological and use-wear analysis of a large sample of macrolithic tools from the Kura Valley, our goal is to identify the solutions adopted by Caucasian populations at several key moments of their history, from the emergence of agriculture to the development of metallurgy
Our study is based on raw material, technological and use-wear analyses of the macrolithic assemblages from a sample of about 20 sites excavated in the Kura valley and neighbouring regions of Georgia (Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

The Southern Caucasus is located at the geographical and cultural crossroads between Europe and Asia. It occupies a territory of some 800 km between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east. Due to its complex tectonic history, the region is organised around two main mountain ranges: to the north the Greater Caucasus range constitutes a natural border which reaches heights of up to 5000 meters, while to the south the volcanic plateaus of the Lesser Caucasus occupy a large central part of the region. Two main rivers structure the hydrographic and circulation network, with the Kura between the Greater and Journal of Lithic Studies (2020) vol 7, nr.

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