The chalcolithic of the Near East and south-eastern Europe: discoveries and new perspectives from the cave complex Areni-1, Armenia
Gregory E. Areshian, Boris Gasparyan, Pavel S. Avetisyan, Ron Pinhasi, Keith Wilkinson, Alexia Smith, Roman Hovsepyan & Diana Zardaryan DownloadThe archaeological exploration of a cave in the southern Caucasus revealed evidence for early social complexity, ritual burial and wine-making in the early fourth millennium. The marvellous preservation of wood, leather and plants offers a valuable contrast to the poorer assemblages on contemporary tell sites. The authors make the case that the Areni-1 cave complex indicates connections between the urbanisation of early Mesopotamia and the Maikop culture of south Russia.
