Conference in English.
The Early Bronze Age in the South Caucasus is dated between the second half of the 4th and the 3rd millennium BC. It is linked to the Kuro-Arax culture. This culture of ancient farmers extended as far as eastern Anatolia, northwestern Iran and Syria-Palestine.
During the second half of the 3rd millennium, in the central part of the South Caucasus, i.e. in eastern Georgia, rich burials appeared under large kurgans. Two groups have been identified: Martkopi and Bedeni. The appearance of burials under kurgans is linked to the activity of nomadic groups from the Eurasian steppes. In the 3rd millennium, elements from the northern steppes began to infiltrate the farming cultures of Central Asia, the South Caucasus and the Balkans, with varying degrees of intensity.
In the South Caucasus, the appearance of these new elements led to major transformations in local culture, although we can't speak of mass migration. The most likely model is that small groups took control of the warrior and political spheres, while local traditions of material culture were preserved.
This period of Early Bronze Age kurgans has as yet been little studied. In Georgia, these remains were excavated in the 1960s-80s and are still the subject of various interpretations. The discovery of new kurgans is therefore important.
