Archaeologist. Full professor at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.Main field of researches-Paleolithic.Head of the different archaeological expeditions since 1993 (the caves of Wester Georgia)Head of different international projects since 1996 (Harvard, Hebrew, Oxford, Tarragona, Cork, Warsaw universities, Institute of Human Paleontology of Paris etc.)Author and co-author of 8 books and about 150 scientific articles Head of the Black Sea Marine and underwater expedition (2019)Also, head of different archaeological expeditions and projects concerning Bronze Age, Medieval etc.
ЗООАРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ И ТАФОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ДАННЫЕ О СРЕДНЕ- И ВЕРХНЕПАЛЕОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ КОМПЛЕКСАХ ПЕЩЕРЫ БОНДИ (РЕСПУБЛИКА ГРУЗИЯ)
We present a detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of Bondi Cave, western Georgia, cont... more We present a detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of Bondi Cave, western Georgia, containing Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic levels. The faunal assemblages are dominated by Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica) and European bison (Bison cf. bonasus). High proportions of specimens bearing cut marks and percussion marks indicate that human activity was the main depositional agent. Carcass transport was selective according to the animal’s size. Assemblage characteristics suggest short occupations of the cave by mobile Upper Paleolithic foragers. The general composition of the fauna probably re ects a more open setting for the Upper Paleolithic human occupations in this region, compared to the Holocene.
Микроостатки Волокон Льна И Шерсти В Палинологическом Материале Верхнепалеолитических Слоев Пещеры Бонди. Micro Remains of Flax and Wool Fibers in the Palynologicalmaterial of Upper Paleolithic Layers of Bondi Cave
Eieven samples from Upper Paleolithic layers of karst cave Bondi have been investigated by the me... more Eieven samples from Upper Paleolithic layers of karst cave Bondi have been investigated by the method of palynological analysis. The pollen and spore content there turned out to be very scarce, however, non-pollen fossils (=non-pollen palynomorphs) were represented better. In the lower layers many flax and wool fibers were found. High quantities of flax fibers and especially the presence of tWisted and painted fibers in the Bondi cave layers indicates the hand-made production of textile. In the Upper Paleolithic mixing of wool and flax fibers had already been used to make the knitted fabric durability, i.e. the knitting technology were being improved. The cave Bondi was used by man in the periods of cooler climate which were three for the time of sedimentation of the studied earth stratum. The maximum quantity of flax fibers together with the pollen of cold-loving plants can be used as an indicator of coolings. Their minimum contairi,on the contrary, indicates climate warrnings. Thi...
Jaskinia Gvardjilas Klde w Gruzji. Opracowanie wydane w stulecie badań polskiego archeologa Stefana Krukowskiego, 2019
Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu polskiego: Aleksandra Żórawska Redakcja i adjustacja języko... more Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu polskiego: Aleksandra Żórawska Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu gruzińskiego: Nino Jackeli, Lana Burkadze Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu angielskiego: Wojciech Brzeziński Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu rosyjskiego: Aleksander Otcherednoy
The nature and timing of the shift from the Late Middle Paleolithic (LMP) to the Early Upper Pale... more The nature and timing of the shift from the Late Middle Paleolithic (LMP) to the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) varied geographically, temporally, and substantively across the Near East and Eurasia; however, the result of this process was the archaeological disappearance of Middle Paleolithic technologies across the length and breadth of their geographic distribution. Ortvale Klde rockshelter (Republic of Georgia) contains the most detailed LMP-EUP archaeological sequence in the Caucasus, an environmentally and topographically diverse region situated between southwest Asia and Europe. Tephrochronological investigations at the site reveal volcanic ash (tephra) from various volcanic sources and provide a tephrostratigraphy for the site that will facilitate future correlations in the region. We correlate one of the cryptotephra layers to the large, caldera-forming Nemrut Formation eruption (30,000 years ago) from Nemrut volcano in Turkey. We integrate this tephrochronological constraint with new radiocarbon dates and published ages in an OxCal Bayesian age model to produce a revised chronology for the site. This model increases the ages for the end of the LMP (~47.5e44.2 ka cal BP) and appearance of the EUP (~46.7 e43.6 ka cal BP) at Ortvale Klde, which are earlier than those currently reported for other sites in the Caucasus but similar to estimates for specific sites in southwest Asia and eastern Europe. These data, coupled with archaeological, stratigraphic, and taphonomic observations, suggest that at Ortvale Klde, (1) the appearance of EUP technologies of bone and stone has no technological roots in the preceding LMP, (2) a LMP population vacuum likely preceded the appearance of these EUP technologies, and (3) the systematic combination of tephra correlations and absolute dating chronologies promises to substantially improve our inter-regional understanding of this critical time interval of human evolution and the potential interconnectedness of hominins at different sites.
In Georgia, a strong foundation for scientific study of this period was developed in 1930-ies. Si... more In Georgia, a strong foundation for scientific study of this period was developed in 1930-ies. Since then more than 500 Paleolithic sites were identified The frequency of paleolithic sites on the territory of Georgia was determined by geographic position of Georgia itself, as it is situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe According to some archaeologists the archaeological evidence demonstrates the different local-cultural groups. Despite the small territory we have at least 5 local-cultural versions in the Middle Palaeolithic singled out with us four out of which are represented in the Rioni-Kvirila basin (Fig). Most quantity of levallois industries were recovered in Imereti region (Western Georgia). 1. Drouchula,-Kudaro Local-cultural group.Mousterian assemblages characterized by blades and elongated points, as recovered in Drouchula, Tsona,Kudaro and other sites, resemble the "Tabun D-type" and Hummallian entities in the Levant.Unfortunatly, we have not the dates from this sites, but we assume that they are younger than Levantian "Tabun-D type"; at the same time, this industry has some similarities with the Northern-Caucasus Miqoqian industries , as well. 2. Tsutskhvati caves Local-cultural group. Multi-stage cave system characterized by the industry which resemble the Zagros region, but there are some differences-the non-Levalloias industry of Tsutskhvati is denticulated; 3. Tskaltsitela local-cultural group-Levalloiasian, denticulated industry (by M.Nioradze); 4. Tsopi Local-cultural.The industry of Tsopi site differs from above mentioned sites by the high quantity of the tools of Quina and Demi-Quina type; 5. Tskhinvali local-cultural group (according to v. Lubin)-Levalois, Unretouched industry. Another type of industry is represented I Ortvala Klde, Djieti open-air site etc.-Mousterian assemblages such as in Ortvala Klde demonstrates similarities with the Middle Paleolithic industries of Anatolia, the Zagros region-recurrent Levallois big number of the convergent tools. Most of the local-cultural groups and the sites are discovered in Western Georgia (Imereti Region) A first evidence of the Middle Paleolithic hunters temporary camp which, possibly has been used as place for some kind of rituals and where is represented a first evidence of the cave rock-art in Georgia has been determined in Rion-Kvirila basin as well. This is a cave-site named "Undo Cave". Recently, we discovered some other cave-sites near Undo Cave. This fact gave a reason to consider Undo Cave as a one of the caves of Multi-staged cave system which doesn't belong to any above mentioned groups.
Authors constructing a hypothesis concerning importance of specific type of Neanderthal ancestry ... more Authors constructing a hypothesis concerning importance of specific type of Neanderthal ancestry to avoid damaging impact of COVID-19.
Résumé: La Géorgie livre de nombreux gisements du Paléolithique moyen qui permettent d'appré... more Résumé: La Géorgie livre de nombreux gisements du Paléolithique moyen qui permettent d'appréhender les modes d'occupations humaines à la fin du Pléistocène moyen et début du Pléistocène supérieur au pied de la barrière montagneuse du Grand Caucase. Plusieurs complexes industriels sont basés sur des traits techniques originaux ou emprunts d'influences régionales (Proche-Orient, Zagros, Europe orientale). Un d'entre eux, le groupe Djruchula-Koudaro rassemble des sites de la région d'Imereti et d'Ossetie du Sud (Nord et Nord Ouest du pays) avec des assemblages lithiques présentant des caractéristiques morpho-techniques communes avec une tendance laminaire très marquée et l'emploi de retouches bifaciales, notamment pour appointer les supports allongés. Si l'origine de ces traits permet indéniablement de penser à une influence probable du Proche-orient, l'hypothèse, développée dans les années 1960–1970 par des chercheurs géorgiens proposant ég...
This paper presents an overview of the work carried out over the last decade on the Middle Palaeo... more This paper presents an overview of the work carried out over the last decade on the Middle Palaeolithic of Georgia by a Georgian-French team, co-directed by the national Museums of Georgia and France. Since 2000, the importance of several Middle Palaeolithic key sites in the Rioni-Kvririla Basin (western Georgia) has been highlighted by this collaboration. Southern Caucasus/Transcaucasia was occupied by human groups throughout the Pleistocene. This is to some extent due to its geographic position at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as the fact that the region offered a rich variety of ecological niches to hominin populations. The southern flanks of the Great Caucasus mountain range is an area particularly rich in Palaeolithic sites, which have revealed evidence of the local evolution of some regionally-specific Palaeolithic traditions, as well as broader regional influences, particularly in relation to the Levant. The archaeological record of these sites demonstrat...
Impact of Seismic and Volcanic Processes on Humans in Palelithic
The goal of our project is research into the evolutionary history of Neanderthals in the Caucasus... more The goal of our project is research into the evolutionary history of Neanderthals in the Caucasus. their replacement by Anatomically Modern Humans, and how much natural catastrophes, namely earthquakes, might have influenced this process. We may have found evidence of Pleistocene paleo-earthquakes in some caves of westem Georgia (Upper Imereti region). The upper Imeretian plateau is located on the fault zone where one of the strongest earthquakes of recent times occurred in 1991 (magnitude 7). Our attention is focused on a roof collapse accident, marked by large blocks that had been evidenced in some layers of Bondi Cave (Western Georgia, Upper Imereti region). These layers, in the front space of the cave, arc dated 10 19,360 14C BP (14,330 cal BP Hulu). The cracks on the ceiling and wall suggest that the blocks fell from the ceiling. Apparently, collapse of these large blocks was caused by a massive earthquake, which may be the first evidence of a paleo-earthquake in the region. In...
Faunal Exploitation Patterns along the Slopes of the Caucasus during the Late and Early Upper Paleolithic
This paper provides preliminary results of our detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis... more This paper provides preliminary results of our detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains from the new excavations at the Middle Pleolithic and Upper Pleolithic sites of Ortvala Klde rockshelter and Dzudzuana Cave (1996-2001 seasons. We highlight the foraging behaviors and the depositional histories of the bone assemblages and draw broad conclusions regarding differences and similarities in hunting,butchering, and transport strategies of Late Middle Paleolithic and Early Upper Paleolithic occupants of the foothills of the southwestern Caucasus.
Abstract Recent surveys and the researches of the Lower Paleolithic of Georgia demonstrate that t... more Abstract Recent surveys and the researches of the Lower Paleolithic of Georgia demonstrate that the territory of Georgia was much more intensively occupied by the humans than it was known before. The Lower Paleolithic sites and the stone materials were discovered in Eastern Georgia and Western Georgia, as well. Recently discovered sites differ from the before known and studied sites and they assigned to the non-handaxe, core and flake assemblages. The researches of the Georgian scientists support the opinion of the French scientists (Marie-Antoinette de Lumley et al.) that it is probable that the Dmanisi Hominids were Dmanisi Hominids were asphyxiated, 1,810,000 years ago, by volcanic ashfalls.
Djruchula cave, on the Southern slopes of the Great Caucasus: an extension of the Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic blady phenomenon to the North
The Middle Paleolithic blade phenomenon is now acknowledged as part of Middle Paleolithic technol... more The Middle Paleolithic blade phenomenon is now acknowledged as part of Middle Paleolithic technological variability. These blade assemblages are now largely documented and well dated in some areas such as the Levant and Northwestern Europe, while inother regions, they are only briefly reported. In the Southern Caucasus, Middle Paleolithic blade assemblages have been identified along time ago 2 and needed re-examination in the light of recent analytical methods and questions. Our study, based on the technological and techno-economic approach, enabled us to compare these blade productions with the Early Levantine Mousterian assemblages already well pub-lished, and to investigate the role of the site in the settlement pattern of these Southern Caucasus Middle Paleolithic populations. The clear technological affinities of the Djruchula assemblageswith the Early Levantine Mousterian from Hayonim lower E and F, Hum-mal Ia and Abou Sif, suggest their belonging to the same techno-complex. It seems that the High Caucasus Mountains served as anatural barrier and limited the expansion of the Middle Paleolithic leptolithic tradition to the North (Russian plains, Central Europe) where these industries are still unknown.
Using PIXE four types of elemental compositions were found among obsidian artefacts from the Bond... more Using PIXE four types of elemental compositions were found among obsidian artefacts from the Bondi Cave and Ortvale Klde, Middle to Upper Palaeolithic sites in NW Georgia. One of those types corresponds to obsidians from the Chikiani source, whose compositions were determined with a very good agreement by PIXE and ICP-AES/MS. The composition of Chikiani obsidians is remarkably constant despite KeAr and 39 Ar/ 40 Ar extrusion ages from ca 2.4 and 2.8 Ma. The compositions of two other groups of obsidian artefacts are similar to source materials from eastern Anatolia and Armenia, in particular Ikisdere, Sarikamis, Gutansar, and Hatis. Obsidian is only a minority component in the lithic assemblages at the Bondi Cave and Ortvale Klde. Both Neanderthal and Modern Human populations used obsidian in particular from Chikiani. Considering that the shortest walking distance to this nearest source is at minimum of about 180 km, and to other potential sources of more than 350 km it is suggested that this material reached these two sites mostly, if not exclusively, by a series of 'down the line' exchanges.
ЗООАРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ И ТАФОНОМИЧЕСКИЕ ДАННЫЕ О СРЕДНЕ- И ВЕРХНЕПАЛЕОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ КОМПЛЕКСАХ ПЕЩЕРЫ БОНДИ (РЕСПУБЛИКА ГРУЗИЯ)
We present a detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of Bondi Cave, western Georgia, cont... more We present a detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of Bondi Cave, western Georgia, containing Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic levels. The faunal assemblages are dominated by Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica) and European bison (Bison cf. bonasus). High proportions of specimens bearing cut marks and percussion marks indicate that human activity was the main depositional agent. Carcass transport was selective according to the animal’s size. Assemblage characteristics suggest short occupations of the cave by mobile Upper Paleolithic foragers. The general composition of the fauna probably re ects a more open setting for the Upper Paleolithic human occupations in this region, compared to the Holocene.
Микроостатки Волокон Льна И Шерсти В Палинологическом Материале Верхнепалеолитических Слоев Пещеры Бонди. Micro Remains of Flax and Wool Fibers in the Palynologicalmaterial of Upper Paleolithic Layers of Bondi Cave
Eieven samples from Upper Paleolithic layers of karst cave Bondi have been investigated by the me... more Eieven samples from Upper Paleolithic layers of karst cave Bondi have been investigated by the method of palynological analysis. The pollen and spore content there turned out to be very scarce, however, non-pollen fossils (=non-pollen palynomorphs) were represented better. In the lower layers many flax and wool fibers were found. High quantities of flax fibers and especially the presence of tWisted and painted fibers in the Bondi cave layers indicates the hand-made production of textile. In the Upper Paleolithic mixing of wool and flax fibers had already been used to make the knitted fabric durability, i.e. the knitting technology were being improved. The cave Bondi was used by man in the periods of cooler climate which were three for the time of sedimentation of the studied earth stratum. The maximum quantity of flax fibers together with the pollen of cold-loving plants can be used as an indicator of coolings. Their minimum contairi,on the contrary, indicates climate warrnings. Thi...
Jaskinia Gvardjilas Klde w Gruzji. Opracowanie wydane w stulecie badań polskiego archeologa Stefana Krukowskiego, 2019
Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu polskiego: Aleksandra Żórawska Redakcja i adjustacja języko... more Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu polskiego: Aleksandra Żórawska Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu gruzińskiego: Nino Jackeli, Lana Burkadze Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu angielskiego: Wojciech Brzeziński Redakcja i adjustacja językowa tekstu rosyjskiego: Aleksander Otcherednoy
The nature and timing of the shift from the Late Middle Paleolithic (LMP) to the Early Upper Pale... more The nature and timing of the shift from the Late Middle Paleolithic (LMP) to the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) varied geographically, temporally, and substantively across the Near East and Eurasia; however, the result of this process was the archaeological disappearance of Middle Paleolithic technologies across the length and breadth of their geographic distribution. Ortvale Klde rockshelter (Republic of Georgia) contains the most detailed LMP-EUP archaeological sequence in the Caucasus, an environmentally and topographically diverse region situated between southwest Asia and Europe. Tephrochronological investigations at the site reveal volcanic ash (tephra) from various volcanic sources and provide a tephrostratigraphy for the site that will facilitate future correlations in the region. We correlate one of the cryptotephra layers to the large, caldera-forming Nemrut Formation eruption (30,000 years ago) from Nemrut volcano in Turkey. We integrate this tephrochronological constraint with new radiocarbon dates and published ages in an OxCal Bayesian age model to produce a revised chronology for the site. This model increases the ages for the end of the LMP (~47.5e44.2 ka cal BP) and appearance of the EUP (~46.7 e43.6 ka cal BP) at Ortvale Klde, which are earlier than those currently reported for other sites in the Caucasus but similar to estimates for specific sites in southwest Asia and eastern Europe. These data, coupled with archaeological, stratigraphic, and taphonomic observations, suggest that at Ortvale Klde, (1) the appearance of EUP technologies of bone and stone has no technological roots in the preceding LMP, (2) a LMP population vacuum likely preceded the appearance of these EUP technologies, and (3) the systematic combination of tephra correlations and absolute dating chronologies promises to substantially improve our inter-regional understanding of this critical time interval of human evolution and the potential interconnectedness of hominins at different sites.
In Georgia, a strong foundation for scientific study of this period was developed in 1930-ies. Si... more In Georgia, a strong foundation for scientific study of this period was developed in 1930-ies. Since then more than 500 Paleolithic sites were identified The frequency of paleolithic sites on the territory of Georgia was determined by geographic position of Georgia itself, as it is situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe According to some archaeologists the archaeological evidence demonstrates the different local-cultural groups. Despite the small territory we have at least 5 local-cultural versions in the Middle Palaeolithic singled out with us four out of which are represented in the Rioni-Kvirila basin (Fig). Most quantity of levallois industries were recovered in Imereti region (Western Georgia). 1. Drouchula,-Kudaro Local-cultural group.Mousterian assemblages characterized by blades and elongated points, as recovered in Drouchula, Tsona,Kudaro and other sites, resemble the "Tabun D-type" and Hummallian entities in the Levant.Unfortunatly, we have not the dates from this sites, but we assume that they are younger than Levantian "Tabun-D type"; at the same time, this industry has some similarities with the Northern-Caucasus Miqoqian industries , as well. 2. Tsutskhvati caves Local-cultural group. Multi-stage cave system characterized by the industry which resemble the Zagros region, but there are some differences-the non-Levalloias industry of Tsutskhvati is denticulated; 3. Tskaltsitela local-cultural group-Levalloiasian, denticulated industry (by M.Nioradze); 4. Tsopi Local-cultural.The industry of Tsopi site differs from above mentioned sites by the high quantity of the tools of Quina and Demi-Quina type; 5. Tskhinvali local-cultural group (according to v. Lubin)-Levalois, Unretouched industry. Another type of industry is represented I Ortvala Klde, Djieti open-air site etc.-Mousterian assemblages such as in Ortvala Klde demonstrates similarities with the Middle Paleolithic industries of Anatolia, the Zagros region-recurrent Levallois big number of the convergent tools. Most of the local-cultural groups and the sites are discovered in Western Georgia (Imereti Region) A first evidence of the Middle Paleolithic hunters temporary camp which, possibly has been used as place for some kind of rituals and where is represented a first evidence of the cave rock-art in Georgia has been determined in Rion-Kvirila basin as well. This is a cave-site named "Undo Cave". Recently, we discovered some other cave-sites near Undo Cave. This fact gave a reason to consider Undo Cave as a one of the caves of Multi-staged cave system which doesn't belong to any above mentioned groups.
Authors constructing a hypothesis concerning importance of specific type of Neanderthal ancestry ... more Authors constructing a hypothesis concerning importance of specific type of Neanderthal ancestry to avoid damaging impact of COVID-19.
Résumé: La Géorgie livre de nombreux gisements du Paléolithique moyen qui permettent d'appré... more Résumé: La Géorgie livre de nombreux gisements du Paléolithique moyen qui permettent d'appréhender les modes d'occupations humaines à la fin du Pléistocène moyen et début du Pléistocène supérieur au pied de la barrière montagneuse du Grand Caucase. Plusieurs complexes industriels sont basés sur des traits techniques originaux ou emprunts d'influences régionales (Proche-Orient, Zagros, Europe orientale). Un d'entre eux, le groupe Djruchula-Koudaro rassemble des sites de la région d'Imereti et d'Ossetie du Sud (Nord et Nord Ouest du pays) avec des assemblages lithiques présentant des caractéristiques morpho-techniques communes avec une tendance laminaire très marquée et l'emploi de retouches bifaciales, notamment pour appointer les supports allongés. Si l'origine de ces traits permet indéniablement de penser à une influence probable du Proche-orient, l'hypothèse, développée dans les années 1960–1970 par des chercheurs géorgiens proposant ég...
This paper presents an overview of the work carried out over the last decade on the Middle Palaeo... more This paper presents an overview of the work carried out over the last decade on the Middle Palaeolithic of Georgia by a Georgian-French team, co-directed by the national Museums of Georgia and France. Since 2000, the importance of several Middle Palaeolithic key sites in the Rioni-Kvririla Basin (western Georgia) has been highlighted by this collaboration. Southern Caucasus/Transcaucasia was occupied by human groups throughout the Pleistocene. This is to some extent due to its geographic position at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as the fact that the region offered a rich variety of ecological niches to hominin populations. The southern flanks of the Great Caucasus mountain range is an area particularly rich in Palaeolithic sites, which have revealed evidence of the local evolution of some regionally-specific Palaeolithic traditions, as well as broader regional influences, particularly in relation to the Levant. The archaeological record of these sites demonstrat...
Impact of Seismic and Volcanic Processes on Humans in Palelithic
The goal of our project is research into the evolutionary history of Neanderthals in the Caucasus... more The goal of our project is research into the evolutionary history of Neanderthals in the Caucasus. their replacement by Anatomically Modern Humans, and how much natural catastrophes, namely earthquakes, might have influenced this process. We may have found evidence of Pleistocene paleo-earthquakes in some caves of westem Georgia (Upper Imereti region). The upper Imeretian plateau is located on the fault zone where one of the strongest earthquakes of recent times occurred in 1991 (magnitude 7). Our attention is focused on a roof collapse accident, marked by large blocks that had been evidenced in some layers of Bondi Cave (Western Georgia, Upper Imereti region). These layers, in the front space of the cave, arc dated 10 19,360 14C BP (14,330 cal BP Hulu). The cracks on the ceiling and wall suggest that the blocks fell from the ceiling. Apparently, collapse of these large blocks was caused by a massive earthquake, which may be the first evidence of a paleo-earthquake in the region. In...
Faunal Exploitation Patterns along the Slopes of the Caucasus during the Late and Early Upper Paleolithic
This paper provides preliminary results of our detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis... more This paper provides preliminary results of our detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains from the new excavations at the Middle Pleolithic and Upper Pleolithic sites of Ortvala Klde rockshelter and Dzudzuana Cave (1996-2001 seasons. We highlight the foraging behaviors and the depositional histories of the bone assemblages and draw broad conclusions regarding differences and similarities in hunting,butchering, and transport strategies of Late Middle Paleolithic and Early Upper Paleolithic occupants of the foothills of the southwestern Caucasus.
Abstract Recent surveys and the researches of the Lower Paleolithic of Georgia demonstrate that t... more Abstract Recent surveys and the researches of the Lower Paleolithic of Georgia demonstrate that the territory of Georgia was much more intensively occupied by the humans than it was known before. The Lower Paleolithic sites and the stone materials were discovered in Eastern Georgia and Western Georgia, as well. Recently discovered sites differ from the before known and studied sites and they assigned to the non-handaxe, core and flake assemblages. The researches of the Georgian scientists support the opinion of the French scientists (Marie-Antoinette de Lumley et al.) that it is probable that the Dmanisi Hominids were Dmanisi Hominids were asphyxiated, 1,810,000 years ago, by volcanic ashfalls.
Djruchula cave, on the Southern slopes of the Great Caucasus: an extension of the Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic blady phenomenon to the North
The Middle Paleolithic blade phenomenon is now acknowledged as part of Middle Paleolithic technol... more The Middle Paleolithic blade phenomenon is now acknowledged as part of Middle Paleolithic technological variability. These blade assemblages are now largely documented and well dated in some areas such as the Levant and Northwestern Europe, while inother regions, they are only briefly reported. In the Southern Caucasus, Middle Paleolithic blade assemblages have been identified along time ago 2 and needed re-examination in the light of recent analytical methods and questions. Our study, based on the technological and techno-economic approach, enabled us to compare these blade productions with the Early Levantine Mousterian assemblages already well pub-lished, and to investigate the role of the site in the settlement pattern of these Southern Caucasus Middle Paleolithic populations. The clear technological affinities of the Djruchula assemblageswith the Early Levantine Mousterian from Hayonim lower E and F, Hum-mal Ia and Abou Sif, suggest their belonging to the same techno-complex. It seems that the High Caucasus Mountains served as anatural barrier and limited the expansion of the Middle Paleolithic leptolithic tradition to the North (Russian plains, Central Europe) where these industries are still unknown.
Using PIXE four types of elemental compositions were found among obsidian artefacts from the Bond... more Using PIXE four types of elemental compositions were found among obsidian artefacts from the Bondi Cave and Ortvale Klde, Middle to Upper Palaeolithic sites in NW Georgia. One of those types corresponds to obsidians from the Chikiani source, whose compositions were determined with a very good agreement by PIXE and ICP-AES/MS. The composition of Chikiani obsidians is remarkably constant despite KeAr and 39 Ar/ 40 Ar extrusion ages from ca 2.4 and 2.8 Ma. The compositions of two other groups of obsidian artefacts are similar to source materials from eastern Anatolia and Armenia, in particular Ikisdere, Sarikamis, Gutansar, and Hatis. Obsidian is only a minority component in the lithic assemblages at the Bondi Cave and Ortvale Klde. Both Neanderthal and Modern Human populations used obsidian in particular from Chikiani. Considering that the shortest walking distance to this nearest source is at minimum of about 180 km, and to other potential sources of more than 350 km it is suggested that this material reached these two sites mostly, if not exclusively, by a series of 'down the line' exchanges.
Sunken Island of Gonio and Prospects for Multidisciplinary Underwater Research in Georgia. doc, 2023
The Black Sea coast was inhabited by peoples groups from prehistoric and historical eras of Georg... more The Black Sea coast was inhabited by peoples groups from prehistoric and historical eras of Georgia and later by various Georgian tribes. As a result of marine transgression and regression, tectonic and other geological processes, the Black Sea coastline ran along different contours of the present-day sea and land in western Georgia and its southern regions at different times. The population changed its habitation depending on where the shores of the seas and river coastlines were located at the time. Proceeding from the above statement, the Black Sea must have had a great, diverse, multifaceted influence on the lifestyles, activities, social structures, habitat adaptation of the inhabitants of this region, as well as on the movement and migration of groups of humans or peoples in different eras. It is due to changes in sea level and other processes that fishermen collect various archaeological material of different eras from the seabed, from its various depths (even from 120 m depth). In particular, there is a lot of material from the Classical era, various types of ships and their fragments, some of which are for the land-based population and most of which are related to the sea and sailing in general, for example amphorae. In 2019, an expedition from Ilia State University under our leadership conducted short-term marine research using modern technology. As a result, it discovered a sunken island of the Gonio, the historic Apsaros, This article discusses the results of a preliminary study of the island and its surroundings, and presents some of our visions and future research prospects that have emerged from our findings.
ნიკოლოზ თუშაბრამიშვილი, გიგი თევზაძე. COVID-19ის ისტორიული გეოგრაფია: ნეანდერტალური პერსპექტივა
Authors attempting to connect the facts of relatively high resistance to COVID-19 on Central Cauc... more Authors attempting to connect the facts of relatively high resistance to COVID-19 on Central Caucasus territory with neanderthals heredity. The resistance to Asian pathogens among neanderthals seems to developed in community lived isolated in refugium formed on the nowadays territory of west Georgia after big glacial period (130 000 BP). According authors hypothesis, neanderthals interbred with homo sapience, arrived on the territory 48-50 000 years BP and inherit above mentioned resistance to their offspring. This inheritance, through interbreeding, then can be passed to other groups of humans, arrived on the territory later and also, in various, probably weaker, forms transmitted to other areas by the people migrated later from.
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Papers by Nikoloz Tushabramishvili