Human-environmental interactions and seismic activity in a Late Bronze to Early Iron Age settlement center in the southeastern Caucasus

Suchodoletz, Hans von; Kirkitadze, Giorgi; Koff, Tiiu; Fischer, Markus L.; Poch, Rosa M.; Khosravichenar, Azra; Schneider, Birgit; Glaser, Bruno; Lindauer, Susanne; Hoth, S.; Skokan, Anna; Navrozashvili, Levan; Lobjanidze, Mikheil; Akhalaia, Mate; Losaberidze, Levan; Elashvili, Mikheil

doi:10.3389/feart.2022.964188

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 77 publications

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“…In the Late Bronze Age, Colchis was bordered by the Lchashen-Tsitelgori culture to the East (Sagona, 2018). Recent geoarchaeological studies in the Shiraki Plain of the South-eastern Caucasus also show evidence of active changes in the environment, which occurred in the Middle/Late Holocene, dominated by aridification and diminishing water resources (von Suchodoletz et al, 2022), differing from what we observe in Colchis.…”

Section: Facies 3: Anthropogeniccontrasting

confidence: 81%

The Bronze Age occupation of the Black Sea coast of Georgia—New insights from settlement mounds of the Colchian plain

Laermanns,

Elashvili,

Kirkitadze

et al. 2024

Geoarchaeology

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Along the lower course of the Rioni and several minor rivers, more than 70 settlement mounds (local name: Dikhagudzuba) have been identified by field surveys and remote sensing techniques. They give evidence of a formerly densely populated landscape in the coastal lowlands on the Colchian plain (western Georgia) and have been dated to the Bronze Age. As yet, limited information is available on their internal architecture, the chronology of the different layers and their palaeoenvironmental context. Based on archaeological sources, remote sensing measurements of three mounds and sediment cores from one mound and its closer surroundings, our study presents a review of the relevant literature and reveals the internal structure, distribution and spatial extent of the mounds. Geochemical and sedimentological analyses of element contents (X‐ray fluorescence) and granulometry helped to identify different stratigraphical layers and differentiate between natural facies and anthropogenic deposits; using the Structure‐from‐Motion technique the mounds' dimensions were calculated. The studied settlement mounds had relatively small dimension (varying from 30 to 100 m in diameter) and were similar in their stratigraphy. Measurement of elements that can identify types of human activity, notably metals and phosphorus, suggest changing intensities of human occupation, pastoral agriculture and metalworking through the occupation sequence. According to the 14C chronology, the formation of the settlements occurred during the first half of the second millennium B.C., which confirms the archaeological interpretation of their Bronze Age origin. The narrow age difference between the lowermost and uppermost anthropogenic layers indicates an intentional construction of the mounds, rather than a successive accumulation of construction debris due to the disintegration of loam bricks by weathering. Therefore, they are indeed mounds and not tells. It is most likely that the characteristic circular moats that surround them were the source of their construction material. Fluvial and alluvial processes in a warm and humid climate dominated the environment of the mounds.

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Section: Facies 3: Anthropogeniccontrasting

confidence: 81%

The Bronze Age occupation of the Black Sea coast of Georgia—New insights from settlement mounds of the Colchian plain

Laermanns,

Elashvili,

Kirkitadze

et al. 2024

Geoarchaeology

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The Lake Paravani archive – a contribution to the late Quaternary landscape evolution of the Lesser Caucasus (Georgia)

Gademann,

Ustiashvili,

Adikashvili

et al. 2024

Boreas

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Lake Paravani, located on the volcanic Javakheti Plateau in the central part of the Lesser Caucasus at 2073 m a.s.l., forms a unique geo‐bio‐archive for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions in this remote region. Based on sediment cores from the southwestern part of the lake we expand the existing palynological and sedimentological records beyond the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). For the first time, it is possible to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment in this part of the Lesser Caucasus back to c. 28 cal. ka BP. Our study shows that until 16 cal. ka BP glacial conditions dominated (Phase I) in the region; there is, however, proof that the lake already existed during the LGM. In the following transitional Phase II from 16 until 6 cal. ka BP, cold and arid conditions with sparse steppe vegetation and a lowered lake level prevailed. Around 10 cal. ka BP, tree pollen started to expand while herbaceous pollen, especially Chenopodiaceae, declined. In Phase III, since 6 cal. ka BP, mixed forest probably represented the Holocene climatic optimum. Fluctuating lake levels indicate shifting climatic conditions. The minor changes of arboreal pollen hin the uppermost part of Phase II may be an indication of human activity. The more humid, vegetation‐rich environment and mild climate around 4.5–2 cal. ka BP correlate with the expansion of the Late Bronze Age settlements in this area (from ~3.5 cal. ka BP/~1.5 ka BC). The proliferation of sites on the plateau, along with even higher‐altitude sites possibly dating to the same period, may indicate that this climate amelioration played an important role in enabling more sustained human occupation. The results extend the record on Lake Paravani by several millennia beyond the LGM and complement the palaeo‐lake reconstructions of the wider region, e.g. at Lake Van (Türkiye) or Lake Sevan (Armenia).

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New insights into complex social organization in the southern Caucasus – Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age settlement patterns in the Shiraki Plain (southeast Georgia)

Losaberidze,

Kirkitadze,

Akhalaia

et al. 2024

E&G Quaternary Sci. J.

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Abstract. Due to its location between Mesopotamia and the Eurasian steppes, the southern Caucasus occupies a distinctive place in Old World archeology. While several local areas in the South Caucasus have shown a complex social organization with fortified structures during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (LBA–EIA), the Shiraki Plain (southeast Georgia), despite its immense potential, has yet to be examined in a regional context. The presented research aims to conduct an initial multi-stage landscape archeological survey over the Shiraki Plain in order to reveal the LBA–EIA fortified settlements of previously identified Didnauri and Nazarlebi types. The authors use remote sensing, photogrammetry, and terrestrial survey methods to investigate selected areas. The results demonstrate the density and complexity of the massive, fortified structures spread over both the plain and neighboring ridges. Their spatial distribution suggests the idea of a well-organized defensive system adapted to the landscape, which in turn is discussed in a broader regional context.

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Human-environmental interactions and seismic activity in a Late Bronze to Early Iron Age settlement center in the southeastern Caucasus

Cited by 4 publications

References 77 publications

The Bronze Age occupation of the Black Sea coast of Georgia—New insights from settlement mounds of the Colchian plain

The Bronze Age occupation of the Black Sea coast of Georgia—New insights from settlement mounds of the Colchian plain

The Lake Paravani archive – a contribution to the late Quaternary landscape evolution of the Lesser Caucasus (Georgia)

New insights into complex social organization in the southern Caucasus – Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age settlement patterns in the Shiraki Plain (southeast Georgia)

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