Southern Caucasus Research Articles

IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA AND TURKEY: EMERGING RELIGIOUS IDENTITY OF AZERBAIJAN

The authors discuss the evolution of religious identity of Azerbaijan and the impact of Middle Eastern actors (Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) on the process. Today, the pro-Islamic leaders of the Middle East are attempting, with the persistence that can hardly be overestimated, to move into the Southern Caucasus, one of the world’s strategically important regions. Thus, the uncompromising rivalry of religious ideologies is hardly surprising. It means that the national and religious identities of post-Soviet Azerbaijan have come to the fore in the context of Iranian-Turkic, Iranian-Arab and Shi‘a-Sunni confrontation. Today, there are enough drivers behind the already obvious awareness of their religious identity among young Azeris. The complicated search for national and religious identities in independent Azerbaijan is driven by an outburst of national and religious sentiments during the protracted Karabakh conflict and two wars with Armenia (in 1992-1994 and 2020). The process is unfolding under the huge influence of theocratic Shi‘a Iran, the closest neighbor with its twenty-five million-strong Azeri diaspora; proliferation of the puritanical Wahhabi teaching of Saudi Arabia and Salafism as its export variant throughout the Caucasus, and, last but not least, strategic rapprochement with Turkey that is moving away from nationalism towards Islamism. This has made Azerbaijan a fertile soil for a confrontation within the multipolar Islamic world, which is expanding the geography of its conflicts to the Southern Caucasus. The proxy wars in Syria and Iraq, in which the Shi‘a-Sunni confrontation is also obvious may destabilize the Caucasus in the future. Here the authors assess the impact of the Middle Eastern heavyweights—Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey— on the process of shaping the Azeri religious identity as an Islamic political factor.

Middle Pleistocene environments, landscapes and tephrostratigraphy of the Armenian Highlands: evidence from Bird Farm 1, Hrazdan Valley

ABSTRACTThe significance of the southern Caucasus in understanding Pleistocene hominin expansions is well established. However, the palaeoenvironments in which Palaeolithic occupation of the region took place are presently poorly defined. The Hrazdan river valley, Armenian Highlands, contains a rich Palaeolithic record alongside Middle Pleistocene volcanic, fluvial and lacustrine strata, and thus offer exciting potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. We present the first results of sedimentological, geochemical, tephrostratigraphical and biological (diatoms) study of the sequence of Bird Farm 1, located in the central part of the valley. These data show six phases of landscape development during the interval 440–200 ka. The sequence represents the first quantitative Pleistocene diatom record from the Armenian Highlands and the southern Caucasus, and indicates the persistence of a deep, stratified lacustrine system, with evidence for changing lake productivity that is tentatively linked to climate. Furthermore, major element chemical characterization of visible and crypto‐tephra horizons in the sequence enables the first stages of the development of a regional tephrostratigraphy. Together, the evidence from Bird Farm 1 demonstrates the importance of lacustrine archives in the region for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and highlights the potential for linkages between archives on both a local and regional scale.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Persian Residences in the Southern Caucasus: Latest Discoveries in the Periphery of the Achaemenid Empire

– New outstanding Achaemenid monumental complex in the periphery of the Persian Empire. – Magnetometer and ERT prospecting of adobe mud-brick architecture. – Test excavation, soil magnetic studies on top soils, mudbricks and excavation profiles.

The early hunting dog from Dmanisi with comments on the social behaviour in Canidae and hominins

The renowned site of Dmanisi in Georgia, southern Caucasus (ca. 1.8 Ma) yielded the earliest direct evidence of hominin presence out of Africa. In this paper, we report on the first record of a large-sized canid from this site, namely dentognathic remains, referable to a young adult individual that displays hypercarnivorous features (e.g., the reduction of the m1 metaconid and entoconid) that allow us to include these specimens in the hypodigm of the late Early Pleistocene species Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides. Much fossil evidence suggests that this species was a cooperative pack-hunter that, unlike other large-sized canids, was capable of social care toward kin and non-kin members of its group. This rather derived hypercarnivorous canid, which has an East Asian origin, shows one of its earliest records at Dmanisi in the Caucasus, at the gates of Europe. Interestingly, its dispersal from Asia to Europe and Africa followed a parallel route to that of hominins, but in the opposite direction. Hominins and hunting dogs, both recorded in Dmanisi at the beginning of their dispersal across the Old World, are the only two Early Pleistocene mammal species with proved altruistic behaviour towards their group members, an issue discussed over more than one century in evolutionary biology.

Past, present and future suitable areas for the relict tree Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Juglandaceae): Integrating fossil records, niche modeling, and phylogeography for conservation

Pterocarya fraxinifolia, native to the southern Caucasus and adjacent areas, has been widely introduced in Europe. In this study, we investigate the following: (1) How did its current distribution form? (2) What are the past, current, and future suitable habitats of P. fraxinifolia? (3) What is the best conservation approach? Ecological niche modeling was applied to determine its climatic demands and project the distribution of climatically suitable areas during three periods of past, current, and future (2070) time. Then, an integrated analysis of fossil data was performed. Massive expansion of Pterocarya species between the Miocene and Pliocene facilitated the arrival of P. fraxinifolia to the southern Caucasus. The Last Glacial Maximum played a vital role in its current fragmented spatial distribution in the Euxinian and Hyrcanian regions with lower elevations, and Caucasian and Irano-Turanian regions with higher elevations. Climatic limiting factors were very different across these four regions. Future climate change will create conditions for the expansion of this species in Europe. Human activities significantly decreased the suitable area for P. fraxinifolia, especially in the Euxinian, Hyrcanian, and Irano-Turanian regions. Considering genetic diversity, climate vulnerability, and land utilization, the Euxinian, Hyrcanian, and Irano-Turanian regions have been recognized as conservation priority areas for P. fraxinifolia.

Red, black, and white hearts: ‘heart’, ‘liver’, and ‘lungs’ in typological and areal perspective

AbstractOn the basis of a sample of 424 languages or dialects, this article provides a typological-comparative investigation of designations for three major internal organs of the torso, the ‘heart’, the ‘liver’, and the ‘lungs’. While colexification patterns are relatively unconstrained, the data show a skewing in morphologically complex terms: ‘heart’ and ‘liver’ often serve as head nouns in complex terms for ‘lungs’, but the reverse is rare. Another recurrent phenomenon is that two of the organs –sometimes ‘heart’ and ‘lungs’, but more frequently ‘liver’ and ‘lungs’– share their head noun, and are distinguished from one another by modifiers that refer to their most salient characteristics, as in Azerbaijaniaɣ ǯiyær‘white ǯiyær’ = ‘lungs’ andgara-ǯiyær‘black-ǯiyær’ = ‘liver’. Having thus set the typological stage, I move on to discuss two different regions of the world in which such terms for ‘lungs’ and ‘liver’ have spread through language contact. This has happened in Eurasia, where the abovementioned pattern, which I call “explicitly dyadic”, was brought from Turkish to vernaculars of the Balkans and, most likely through Azerbaijani influence, to languages of the Southern Caucasus. Similar explicitly dyadic terms, but based on a head noun meaning ‘heart’, also occur in the Andes, where they appear to have spread from Quechuan to Barbacoan languages. The evidence not only shows that ‘liver’ and ‘lungs’ form a “semantic dyad” in which designations make use of “opposed characteristics” in different regions of the world, but also that such designations are salient and therefore prone to spread in language contact situations.

Interregional Assessment of Population Adaptation Models in the Conditions of Dynamic Development: Statistical Approach

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the tools for the interregional assessment of models of adaptation of the country's population. The study uses statistical methods that comply with international norms and standards, including the system of national accounts. It is assumed that the assessment of the models of adaptation of the population of the regions is determined on the basis of the characteristics of the living conditions and the economic potential operating in a particular territory. Models of adaptation of the population in the conditions of dynamic development include interaction of internal systems of the person and external systems of the environment for satisfaction of needs, creation of new goods, improvement of living conditions and safety of people. The following types of population adaptation models are used: active, optimal, inertial, and passive.The materials and methods of the study are the use of official data of the Federal State Statistics Service using the following methods: index, trend, balance, grouping, comparison, and multi-factor analysis. The author conducted an interregional assessment of population adaptation models of the country's regions according to 24 quantitative and qualitative indicators, which allow to objectively measuring the general state of the economy of the territories and the level of adaptability of the population for the period 2005-2019.Based on the results of the review of theoretical approaches, it is concluded that the models of population adaptation can be described as a complex object of research. Based on the measurement of the main socio-economic indicators, the ratings of the interregional assessment of population adaptation models, the living conditions of the population (work, life, leisure and security), the state of the economy and the standard of living of people are calculated. Over the past 15 years, there have been significant changes in many regions of the country in terms of the use of population adaptation models, which have contributed to an increase in the speed of adaptation of people to any situation. Thus, the central and north-western federal districts revealed an excessive concentration of financial, labor, administrative and material resources. Natural, industrial, technological, and economic resources are concentrated in the regions of the Volga, Ural, and Siberian federal districts. The regions of the southern and North Caucasus federal districts specialize in the development of recreational, agri-food, road, and housing and communal resources. The regions of the Far Eastern Federal District have the largest area of territory, investment activity, high per capita income of the population and wages of employees of organizations. However, in the territories, the living conditions of the population deteriorate, there is a significant migration outflow, and the adaptation of the population is slowed down.Conclusion: the use of the statistical approach for the interregional assessment of population adaptation models allowed to improve the quality of the information base, to determine the real state and contribution of each region to the country's economy, to measure the level of regional adaptability, which is of crucial importance when drawing up strategic directions for regional socio-economic development, to develop recommendations for improving regional policy in the conditions of dynamic development of territories.

PRODUCT INNOVATION AS THE CAUSE OF EXPORT PROPENSITY IN THE CAUCASUS: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA

Despite the extensiveness and abundance of empirical research in the existing literature, there is no clear view or position with respect to the role of innovation in exporting, especially regarding the heterogeneous impacts of different types of innovations (product, process, organizational and marketing innovations) on exporting. The objective of this article is the empirical verification of innovation as the cause of export propensity in firms from the South Caucasian countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia). The empirical investigation is based on the data collected by the Enterprise Survey (World Bank Microdata), conducted among companies located in the Southern Caucasus. Seven hundred and seventy-six firms were selected through an appropriate procedure, including 279 from Armenia, 236 from Azerbaijan, and 261 from Georgia. Logit regression models were applied to determine the chances of exporting, depending on the type of innovations implemented by each company. The results of binomial logistic regression analysis demonstrate that product innovations play an important role in explaining SMEs’ export propensity in the South Caucasian countries. Moreover, the likelihood of export is seen to be positively related to the share of foreign capital in company structure. The general level of economy innovativeness in the Caucasus is low, but the share of foreign ownership in companies under consideration was relatively high, so the foreign investors probably played a key role in the innovations implemented by local ventures. It is most likely due to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia going through an early stage in economic transition, in which soft innovations (organizational and marketing innovations) lag behind hard innovations. There is an evident lack of empirical studies of the role of innovation in the development of export in emerging countries, including the South Caucasian countries, and it still remains largely underexplored; therefore, the novelty of this research lies in the exploration of the Caucasian countries as emerging markets.

Water security in Central Asia and Southern Caucasus

The dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of new States in Central Asia and Southern Caucasus has created new political and security dynamics in these regions. The latter was affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the former is confronted by the threat of conflict over shared water resources. More than twenty years later, the protracted conflict in Southern Caucasus over Nagorno-Karabakh remains unresolved and overshadows water-related problems; despite this, the dispute over water is a very important factor in the conflict, and key to overcoming it. In Central Asia, although the threat of conflict over water resources did not materialize, the region remains under the spotlight of water-conflict literature. In the present paper, the complex nature of water security is reviewed through an in-depth analysis of security and development-related factors in their connection to water and vice versa, which leads to the conclusion that policy interventions should be based on a more holistic approach that includes a wider set of issues.

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

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.

Paleoecology, biochronology, and paleobiogeography of Eurasian Rhinocerotidae during the Early Pleistocene: The contribution of the fossil material from Dmanisi (Georgia, Southern Caucasus)

Rhinocerotidae represents a common element in the Eurasian Pleistocene faunas. Origin, dispersal route, and biochronology of several species are still poorly understood due to gaps in the fossil record, in particular from central Eurasia. A remarkable collection of rhinoceros remains was recovered from the Early Pleistocene site of Dmanisi (Georgia). This collection is unique for the Early Pleistocene Rhinocerotidae records due to its abundance in remains, its age (ca 1.8 Ma) and geographic position (between Eastern and Western Eurasia). Two crania, which display some different morphological traits, are assigned to two different morphotypes and investigated by means of geometric morphometrics using landmarks and semilandmarks. Shapes in lateral and dorsal views of different Rhinocerotini species are compared with the studied crania to infer paleoecological information. The shape in the lateral view reflects ecological niche, in particular feeding type from browsing to grazing, and it also represent taxonomic discrimination. Morphotypes 1 and 2 from Dmanisi fall in two different clusters, corresponding to two different species, notably in lateral view. The results suggest a niche partitioning during the Early Pleistocene of Dmanisi between a browse-dominated and a grass-dominated mixed feeders, or possibly the presence of two ecomorphotypes of the same species. A comprehensive update of the Early Pleistocene occurrences of Eurasian Rhinocerotidae is reported in the discussion on the paleoecology of the extinct Northern Eurasian rhinocerotines.

Population genetic data for 21 autosomal STR loci in the Azerbaijani population using the Globalfiler™ kit.

The Republic of Azerbaijan is located in the southern Caucasus mountains, a region which is linguistically and ethnically diverse. We report allele frequency data for 21 autosomal loci from the Globalfiler™ kit in the Azerbaijani population using 467 individuals from Baku. Exact tests for Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium and Linkage Equilibrium were conducted, and all forensic parameters were estimated. High levels of Expected Heterozygosity HE were seen, with a minimum of 0.637 for TPOX and a maximum of 0.949 for SE33. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) values for all STR loci were high, ranging from 0.587 for TPOX to 0.947 for SE33. Matching probability (MP) estimates ranged from 0.006 for SE33 to 0.178 for TPOX. Power of Discrimination (PD) values for most of the tested loci (17/21) were ≥ 0.9. The Combined Matching Probability (CMP) and the Combined Power of Discrimination (CPD) for all 21 loci were 7.84 × 10-27 and 1.0 respectively. Exact tests for population differentiation using all available Globalfiler™ datasets from across Europe and Asia reveal a general trend of higher differentiation with increasing geographical separation, but there is a need for additional population data from neighboring regions of Azerbaijan.

Comparison of DNA methylation landscape between Czech and Armenian vineyards show their unique character and increased diversity

Grapevine is a worldwide crop and it is also subject to global trade in wine, berries and grape vine plants. Various countries, including the countries of the European Union, emphasize the role of product origin designation and suitable methods are sought, able to capture distinct origins. One of the biological matrices that can theoretically be driven by individual vineyards’ conditions represents DNA methylation. Despite this interesting hypothesis, there is a lack of respective information. The aim of this work is to examine whether DNA methylation can be used to relate a sample to a given vineyard and to access a relationship between a DNA methylation pattern and different geographical origin of analysed samples. For this purpose, DNA methylation landscapes of samples from completely different climatic conditions presented by the Czech Republic (Central Europe) and Armenia (Southern Caucasus) were compared. Results of the Methylation Sensitive Amplified Polymorphism method confirm uniqueness of DNA methylation landscape for individual vineyards. Factually, DNA methylation diversity within vineyards of Merlot and Pinot Noir cultivars represent only 16% and 14% of the overall diversity registered for individual cultivars. On the contrary, different geographical location of the Czech and Armenian vineyards was identified as the strongest factor affecting diversity in DNA methylation landscapes (79.9% and 70.7% for Merlot and Pinot Noir plants, respectively).

SOUTH CAUCASIAN ETHNIC COMMUNITIES IN RUSSIA: SPECIFICS OF FORMATION AND ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR HOMELANDS

This study has been suggested by the huge importance of labor migration for the social and economic development of the South Caucasian post-Soviet space. Confronted with an unprecedented outflow of their citizens and acutely aware of the problems associated with migration of able-bodied population to other countries, Russia among them, these countries have arrived at a conclusion that their migration policies need reforms. The article analyzes the trends of labor migration from the South Caucasian countries to Russia and other equally popular destinations. The migration trends up to and including Russia’s regions with the maximum numbers of labor migrants from the Southern Caucasus and the structure of their employment by industry are also analyzed. The paper contains statistics on the amounts of remittances sent by labor migrants from Russia to their homelands and assesses their impact on the economies of corresponding states. The cultural and economic contacts between the diasporas and the countries of their origin suggested a comparative analysis of their emergence and development. We have identified the typical industries preferred by representatives of each of the South Caucasian states in Russia, and the documents required of migrants to be employed in Russia. Conclusions related to the specifics of influence and the role of the diasporas in the structure of their employment are contained in the final part of our article along with the identified patterns and trends of these processes. Today, the situation on the market is unbalanced when it comes to job availability and the positions of members of these diasporas. The situation will remain the same as long as diasporas preserve their influence and the migration flows, their proportions. We have identified the most attractive regions in terms of job availability, the spread of migrants from the Southern Caucasus across the regions of the Russian Federation and the rivalry between Azeris, Armenians, and Georgians for jobs in various employment spheres.

SUFI PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY KAZAKHSTAN: TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS

We deemed it necessary to write about the Sufi tradition in Kazakhstan and its unfolding transformation into new practices. Religious revival in Kazakhstan has made Sufism, its teaching and practices very attractive. Its traditions have survived in the Soviet past and were revived in post-Soviet Kazakhstan. Pilgrimage to holy places, first and foremost within Kazakhstan, and veneration of saints have gained popularity as prominent features of Sufism. The same process is unfolding in the neighboring states—in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Northern and Southern Caucasus, and Turkey. In Soviet times, in Kazakhstan, however, the Sufi tradition was partly crushed by repressive secularization practiced by Soviet authorities, which explains why Sufism is sometimes revived in the form of pseudo-Sufi teachings. Sufism is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, therefore, the forms of its revival should be studied in depth to tap its spiritual and moral potential for the purposes of our country’s cultural development. No wonder that Sufism and its profound spiritual teaching of Islamic mysticism have stirred up a lot of interest in both Muslim and Christian regions in the country’s western part. The article examines the forms of revival, traditions and transformations of Sufism in our country. In our analysis we relied on scientifically proven information from open academic sources and our field studies carried out using the methods of participant observation and in-depth interviews.

The gall wasp fauna of Iran (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipinae): species checklist and biogeographical assessment.

We provide a checklist of the gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipinae) of Iran, and place these records in a biogeographical perspective on three spatial scales, comprising (i) the Western Palaearctic, (ii) Western Asia (Turkey, the southern Caucasus and the Middle East) and (iii) regions within Iran. We present distribution and biological data for 121 species in 24 genera, representing nine of the 12 known cynipid gall wasp tribes. The most species-rich tribe in Iran is the oak gall wasp tribe Cynipini, with 74 species and 11 genera. Cynipid species richness is highest in the central and northern Zagros, with a distinctively different fauna in the forests along the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Of the species found in Iran, 63 have distributions that extend westwards far into Europe, and can be considered Western Palaearctic species. Twenty four species comprise a distinct eastern component within the Western Palaearctic, with distributions that include Iran and some or all of Turkey, the Middle East and the Caucasus. Twenty one species are apparently endemic to Iran, with distinct Zagros and Caspian components. We highlight biological and phylogeographic processes that may underlie these patterns.

Extending the scale of obsidian studies: Towards a high‐resolution investigation of obsidian prehistoric circulation patterns in the southern Caucasus and north‐western Iran

Recent archaeological research has highlighted the potential role of mobile pastoral groups in the diffusion of raw materials and technological innovations between the southern Caucasus and north‐western Iran from the Neolithic onwards. Two successive projects, PAST‐OBS and SCOPE, were designed to explore this hypothesis through the study of obsidian consumption patterns from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age using a flexible analytical strategy that considerably extends the scale of obsidian studies in these regions. By focusing on the exploitation of obsidian at multiple levels—local, regional and interregional—we hope to unravel the complexity of the obsidian networks under study. The aim of this paper is to present (1) a reassessment of the work so far carried out by previous obsidian studies, with a view to homogenizing and to clarifying the nomenclature in use; and (2) an introduction to the PAST‐OBS and SCOPE projects in order to initiate a discussion of our preliminary results.

Investigating early husbandry strategies in the southern Caucasus: intra-tooth sequential carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of Neolithic goats, sheep, and cattle from Göytepe and Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe

The beginning of agriculture marks major changes in food acquisition technology in human history. In the southern Caucasus, agricultural villages emerged around 6000 cal. BC, 2000 to 3000 years later than in the Fertile Crescent despite their geographical closeness to each other. This study aims to provide isotopic evidence indicative of animal herding strategies in the early farming communities in the southern Caucasus. To analyze intra-individual sequential carbon and oxygen isotope variations, we used tooth enamel of five goats, four sheep, and three cattle from the Neolithic settlements, Göytepe and Hacı Elamxanlı Tepe (Azerbaijan). The analyses also included reference samples of modern domestic goat and sheep that are known to have grazed in the vicinity of the sites. As a result, the sequential carbon and oxygen isotope variations of the modern goat and sheep samples showed large amplitude and a synchronous pattern during the whole enamel maturation period. The same pattern was observed in some of the Neolithic goat and sheep samples, suggesting they may have grazed in the vicinity of the lowland site throughout the year. Other Neolithic goat and cattle samples exhibited relatively small amplitudes and inverse cyclical variation patterns. While these patterns may have been caused by multiple factors, such as drinking water and food/fodder, vertical transhumance has also been proposed for the similar isotope patterns. Despite the difficulty in specifying exact causes for the observed isotopic patterns, their diversity within/among the species implies multiple pastoral strategies that may have had adaptive advantages in new agricultural frontiers in the southern Caucasus.

Reconstructing Funerary Sequences of Kurgans in the Southern Caucasus

Reconstructing Funerary Sequences of Kurgans in the Southern Caucasus