Archaeological landscapes of central Transcaucasia: An investigation of the Tbilisi-Mtskheta region

The landscape of the Caucasus is striking in its composition and diversity. This paper introduces a project examining the complex archaeological landscapes of the Tbilisi-Mtskheta region in central Georgia, a region boasting a long human history and a substantial record of archaeological investigation. The study integrates legacy data from preceding archaeological investigations with GPS field survey and physical landscape features to create a comprehensive Geographic Information System for the region. Substantial archaeological sites and assemblages in central Transcaucasia have received detailed attention but diachronic studies addressing these sites in relation to each other are rare. Rarer still are efforts to address the human history of the region within the context of a dynamic landscape. Doing so offers a new perspective on the rich record of central Transcaucasia and highlights the value of landscape as an analytical framework Quantitative, distributional, and visibility analyses are applied to the archaeological record of the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age. Interpretation of the results within the context of the physical and social landscapes offers insight into the use and experience of the landscape. Investigations into the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age archaeological landscape showcase a new settlement and subsistence strategy established and developed within the Tbilisi-Mtskheta valleys.