The role of herding strategies in the exploitation of natural resources by early mining communities in the Caucasus

Yeghegis-1 rockshelter site: new investigations into the late Chalcolithic of Armenia

“…2014; Sagona 2018). Recently intensified research in this region has shed light on the subsistence and economic strategies of Chalcolithic pastoral farming communities who specialised in domestic sheep, goat and cattle herding (Berthon et al 2013, 2021; Samei 2019; Chataigner et al . 2020; Samei et al 2020; Palumbi et al .…”

“…2021) with evidence of prevalent seasonal upland mobility as early as the sixth millennium BC (Berthon et al . 2021; Hirose et al . 2021; Janzen et al .…”

“…In the Lesser Caucasus the Chalcolithic covers the period c. 5200-3500 BC, prior to the appearance of the Kura-Araxes cultural complex (Bobokhyan et al 2014;Sagona 2018). Recently intensified research in this region has shed light on the subsistence and economic strategies of Chalcolithic pastoral farming communities who specialised in domestic sheep, goat and cattle herding (Berthon et al 2013(Berthon et al , 2021Samei 2019;Chataigner et al 2020;Samei et al 2020;Palumbi et al 2021) with evidence of prevalent seasonal upland mobility as early as the sixth millennium BC (Berthon et al 2021;Hirose et al 2021;Janzen et al 2023).…”

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“…Unlike animals, humans premeditate their locomotion, drawing from a significant reservoir of ancestral knowledge about the terrain and its characteristics. The crux lies in the spatial diversity of land utilisation and the temporal shifts in climatic conditions and resources like copper 10,2 or obsidian, 11 underscoring the critical nature of selective survival strategies. Pastoralism stands as a persistent motif within the prehistory of southwest Asia, with pastoral communities assuming pivotal roles in narratives that recount the region's economic, cultural, and political progression spanning from the Neolithic Revolution to the emergence of intricate civilisations.…”

“…Among the primary inquiries concerning early mining and metal production in the South Caucasus, 10 this topic holds particular significance due to the direct correlation between organizational aspects, the extent, and the importance of mining and extractive metallurgy within the social and economic domains. Therefore, the methodologies encompassing the production of salt, copper, and gold production within semi-nomadic pastoralist communities in the Caucasus region and beyond have been meticulously scrutinized.…”