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The chalcolithic of the Near East and south-eastern Europe: discoveries and new perspectives from the cave complex Areni-1, Armenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Gregory E. Areshian ,
Boris Gasparyan ,
Pavel S. Avetisyan ,
Ron Pinhasi ,
Keith Wilkinson ,
Alexia Smith ,
Roman Hovsepyan  and
Diana Zardaryan
Gregory E. Areshian
Affiliation:
1Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California Los Angeles, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, A210 Fowler Building/Box 951510, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1510, USA (Author for correspondence, email: khwareno@gmail.com; gareshia@ucla.edu)
Boris Gasparyan
Affiliation:
2Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, 15 Charents Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia
Pavel S. Avetisyan
Affiliation:
2Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, 15 Charents Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia
Ron Pinhasi
Affiliation:
3Department of Archaeology, University College Cork, Connolly Building, Cork, Ireland
Keith Wilkinson
Affiliation:
4Department of Archaeology, University of Winchester, Winchester SO22 4NR, UK
Alexia Smith
Affiliation:
5Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269-2176, USA
Roman Hovsepyan
Affiliation:
2Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, 15 Charents Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia
Diana Zardaryan
Affiliation:
2Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, 15 Charents Str., Yerevan 0025, Armenia
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Extract

The 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.

Keywords

CaucasusArmeniaChalcolithicfourth millennium BCMaikopUrukcavestoragewine-makingpreserved shoe
Type
Research article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 86 , Issue 331 , March 2012 , pp. 115 - 130
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2012

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