The End of the Kura-Araxes Culture and the Beginning of the Early Kurgan Period: New Evidence from South-West Georgia

Tuesday 29th June 2021

The Caucasus Through Time Network is honoured to welcome Dr. Giorgi Bedianashvili and PhD researcher Gia Chilingarashvili to share their novel archaeological data and insights into the transition between the Kura Araxes Culture and the Early Kurgan Period in South-West Georgia. The settlement of Rabati, situated in Samtshke-Javakheti region, Georgia (1400 m.s.l.), has undergone recent archaeological investigations by the Georgian National Museum and the University of Melbourne (Georgian-Australian Investigations in Archaeology - GAIA). At the multilayer settlement of Irmis Rka, located near the Turkish border in the Meshkheti region, Georgia, excavations have been carried out in 2020 by the Georgian National Museum. Recent work at both sites have revealed Early Bronze Age deposits associated with the Kura-Araxes culture, followed by later deposits from the Bedeni culture. The event will be moderated by Dr. Sarit Paz, Tel Aviv University.

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