The Archaeology of the Caucasus

This conspectus brings together in an accessible and systematic manner a dizzy array of archaeological cultures situated between several worlds.

Students of antiquity often see the ancient Caucasus as a bewildering array of cultural complexes. This book coherently brings together a vast quantity of diverse and often fragmented evidence from both sides of the frontier, encompassing the period from the earliest arrivals to the end of the early Iron Age.In The Archaeology of the Caucasus, Antonio Sagona provides the first comprehensive survey of a key area in the Eurasian land mass, from the earliest settlement to the end of the early Iron Age. Examining the bewildering array of cultural complexes found in the region, he draws on both Soviet and post-Soviet investigations and synthesises the vast quantity of diverse and often fragmented evidence across the region's frontiers. Written in an engaging manner that balances material culture and theory, the volume focuses on the most significant sites and cultural traditions. Sagona also highlights the accomplishments of the Caucasian communities and situates them within the broader setting of their neighbours in Anatolia, Iran, and Russia. Sprinkled with new data, much of it published here for the first time, The Archaeology of the Caucasus contains many new photographs, drawings and plans, many of which have not been accessible to Western researchers.