Understanding human occupation in Georgia’s mountains during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age: contributions from archaeozoology, cementochronology and isotope geochemistry
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31 août 2022
- handle: 10670/1.qf85ro
- hal: hal-03908644
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Academies (Learned societies) Pinnacles Orology Ridges, Mountain Ranges, Mountain Mountain ridges Peaks Mountain ranges Mounts (Mountains) Mountain peaks Summits (Mountains) Hills OrographyCiter ce document
Adeline Vautrin et al., « Understanding human occupation in Georgia’s mountains during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age: contributions from archaeozoology, cementochronology and isotope geochemistry », HAL-SHS : archéologie, ID : 10670/1.qf85ro
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The exploitation of mountain ecosystems by agro-pastoral communities has played an important role in the development of these societies in the Caucasus. Providing access to raw materials such as obsidian and copper ores needed for tools, the mountains also offer herders ample pasture for their flocks. Nevertheless, in winter, these high-altitude areas seem less favourable to the permanent installation of agro-pastoral societies, notably because of the snow which prevents access to these pastures and restricts the parking of the animals. As the archaeological occupations of the mountains in Georgia are still little studied, the archaeozoological approach that we use allows us to test the hypothesis according to which zootechnical innovations allowed a more perennial settlement of societies in the mountain ecosystems during the Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age periods. To try to answer this hypothesis, the first phase of the study was devoted to recording archaeozoological remains to verify that the sites were indeed occupied by herders. The season of occupation of the sites is tested by means of cementochronology, the first results of which will be presented. Finally, measurements of isotope ratios recorded in carbonates (dental enamel) and collagen (bone) have been carried out to account for breeding practices (mobility, feeding, seasonality of births).