Raw materials exploitation in Prehistory of Georgia: sourcing, processing and distribution
Abstract
Study of raw materials has a big importance to understand the ecology, cognition, behavior, technology, culture of the Paleolithic human populations. Unfortunately, explorations of the sourcing, processing and distribution of stone raw materials had a less attention until the present days. The reasons of that were: incomplete knowledge of the archaeologists who are doing the late period archaeology (Bronze Age-Medieval) and who are little bit far from the Paleolithic technology and typology; Ignorance of the stone artifacts made on different kind of raw-materials, except flint and obsidians. Studies on the origin of the stone raw materials are becoming increasingly important since in our days. Interesting picture and situation have been detected on the different sites and in different regions of Georgia. In earlier stages of Middle Paleolithic of Djruchula Basin caves the number of basalt, andesite, argillite etc. raw materials are quite big. Since 130 000 a percent of the flint raw-material is increasing dramatically. Flint is an almost lonely dominated raw-material in Western Georgia during thousand years. Since approximately 50 000 ago the first obsidians brought from the South Georgia, appeared in Western Georgia. Similar situation has been detected by us in Eastern Georgia during our excavations of Ziari and Pkhoveli open-air sites. The early Lower Paleolithic layers are extremely rich by limestone artifacts while the flint raw-materials are dominated in the Middle Paleolithic layers. Study of these issues is possible to achieve across chronologies, the origins of the sources of raw-materials, the sites and regions. By merging archaeology with anthropology, geology and geography we are able to acquire outstanding insights about those populations. New approach to the Paleolithic stone materials, newly found Paleolithic quarries gave us an opportunities to try to achieve some results for understanding of the behavior of Paleolithic populations, geology and geomorphology of different regions of Georgia. References: 1. 2015. Tushabramishvili N. Ziari. Online Archaeology 8. Tbilisi, Georgia. Pp. 41-43 2. 2012. M François-Xavier Le Bourdonnec, Sébastien Nomade, Gérard Poupeau, Hervé Guillou, Nikolos Tushabramishvili, Marie-Hélène Moncel, David Pleurdeau, Tamar Agapishvili, Pierre Voinchet, Ana Mgeladze, David Lordkipanidze). Multiple origins of Bondi Cave and Ortvale Klde (NW Georgia) obsidians and human mobility in Transcaucasia during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. Journal of Archaeological Science xxx (2012) 1-14 3. 2011. Mercier N., Valladas H., Meignen L., Joron J. L., Tushabramishvili N., Adler D.S., Bar Yosef O. Dating the early Middle Palaeolithic Laminar Industry from Djruchula cave, Republic of Georgia. Paléorient Volume 36. Issue 36-2, pp. 163-173 4. 2010. L. Meignen&Nicholas Tushabramishvili. Djruchula Cave, on the Southern Slopes of the Great Caucasus: An Extension of the Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic Blady Phenomenon to the North. Journal of The Israel Prehistoric Society 40 (2010), 35-61 5. 2007. Tushabramishvili N.,Pleurdeau D., Moncel M.-H., Mgeladze A. Le complexe Djruchula-Koudaro au sud Caucase (Géorgie). Remarques sur les assemblages lithiques pléistocenes de Koudaro I, Tsona et Djruchula . Anthropologie • 45/1 • pp. 1-18 6. Tushabramishvili, D., 1984. Paleolit Gruzii. (Palaeolithic of Georgia). Newsletter of the Georgian State Museum 37B, 5e27
- Publication:
-
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016EGUGA..18.6096T