Identification of Anthropological Landscapes and Human Activity in Georgia in Correlation with Holocene Black Sea Level Fluctuations

Abstract

The database of palynological studies of marine, lagoon, alluvial and bog sediments of the Black Sea coastline on the territory of Georgia includes 26 profiles of Holocene sediments. Analysis and synthesis of pollen diagrams allowed us to make a stratigraphic subdivision of Holocene sediments and reveal climatic fluctuations for the last 10 000 years. The most informative pollen spectra were those of marine formations with no gaps in sediment accumulation. Three main stages of climate warming have been revealed, reaching a maximum in the periods 6000-5500 BP, 3800-2400 BP and 1350-600 BP. Rather significant warming is indicated for the Middle Ages (7^th -11^th cent. B. C.). In all these periods the Black Sea level on the Georgian coast was some metres higher than previously. During climatic optima new cultures appeared in the Georgian archaeological record. Early agriculture penetrates not only into the middle mountain belt, but also into higher areas.