Revising the Absolute Chronology of the 4th and 3rd Millennium BCE in the Southern Caucasus

The absolute chronology of the 4th and 3rd millennium BCE in the Southern Caucasus constitutes a controversial issue within current archaeological research, with special regards to the Kura-Araxes (KA) culture. Up-to-date, no secure regional chronological system based on reliable absolute dates could be achieved, due to the poor status of the radiocarbon record in the region and disagreements on relative chronology. A first integrative revision of this absolute chronology from the Late Chalcolithic (LC) to the end of the Early Bronze Age (EBA) was undertaken in this study, with the collection of available 14C dates referring to the KA culture, which were framed between pre-KA and post-KA horizons and assessed using modern 14C analytical tools based on Bayesian principles. Preliminary observations on data and results reveal the occurrence of sub-regional offsets and a fragmentation of the KA chronological record in local patterns. Considerations about the conception of the KA culture are brought forward in the conclusion, with reflections upon the complexity of defining material assemblages and chrono-cultural phases in relation to the KA periodisation