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<abstract xmlns="http://eprints.org/ep2/data/2.0">The territory o f Georgia (South Caucasus ) is a crossroads between Europe and Asia, which is surrounded by &#13;
the Great and Lesser Caucasian Ranges and the Black and the Caspian Seas. The most of the territories of &#13;
Georgia were intensively occupied by the humans during the Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene. The &#13;
region was a geographic “deadlock” during the Paleolithic, where due to small area, different cultures were &#13;
obliged to contact each other against the background of these cultures being one another’s competitors in &#13;
mastering and using living resources More than 480 Paleolithic sites discovered on this small area (about &#13;
70000sq.km). Teterritory of Georgia is divided into 6regions by the dispersal of Paleolithic sites. More than &#13;
200 sites are represented In the Rioni-Kvirila basin (South Osetia,Western Georgia).Some Late Acheulean &#13;
and Mousterian assemblages characterized by Levallois, proportion of blades and the use of bifacial &#13;
retouches. In general the industry from artifacts caves and open sites from Rioni-Kvirila Basin resemble the &#13;
“TabunD-type” and Hummalian entities in the Levant. If the origin of these characters leads of think to a &#13;
possible link with the Near-East, another hypothesis, developed in the 1960s–1970s by Georgian researchers, &#13;
proposes a relationship between the Caucasian Acheulian and the Early Middle Paleolithic.The aim of our &#13;
work is to determine and of the beginning of the Middle Paleolithic in southern Caucasus trying to find the &#13;
part of local technical behaviors and influences born from contacts or population movements from &#13;
neighboring areas. The most of the Acheulean materials are represented on the surface by the complexes or &#13;
isolated finds. Unfortunately, we have stratigraphy only in several Lower Paleolithic sites: most of the mare &#13;
un-stratified. Only in several Paleolithic sites: 1.Dmanisi (1,8MA); 2.Akhalkalaki I (1MA); 3.KudaroI,III &#13;
(Middle Pleistocene): Kudaro I and III (360-350000; 252000; 560000) A series of new TL dates from &#13;
Djruchula Cave indicate at least two distinct humanoccupation phases. The dates from Middle Paleolithic &#13;
Layers of Djruchula Cave are close to the dates of Acheulean layers from Kudaro Caves. All of these sites are &#13;
located in the same, Rioni-Kvirila Basin. We suppose that some kind of cultural Influences from the Near &#13;
East have been started in Lower Paleolithic (Acheulean). Later, a local evolution of Paleolithic culture, &#13;
cultural influences from the Near East (Zagros) and Northern Caucasus, the merging of these different &#13;
features and a local development of the culture took a place in Middle Paleolithic. Some kind of continuation &#13;
of several traditions, some links between Middle and Upper Paleolithic, merging of different culture features &#13;
also have been observed in Upper Paleolithic of Georgia &#13;
Acknowledgements: Theauthors wish to thank their colleagues O.Bar Yosef (HarvardUniversity, Department &#13;
of Anthropology, Peabody Museum), D. Adler (Universityof Connecticut, Department of Anthropology), L. &#13;
Meignen (Centre d’ Etudes, Préhis toire, Antiquité), N.Mercier (Institut de recherché sur les &#13;
Archéomatériaux), H.Valladas (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, Domaine du &#13;
CNRS), Marie-Hélène Moncel (CNRS et Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d’Histoire &#13;
Naturelle, Paris, France), David Pleurdeau (CNRS et Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National &#13;
d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France) for many years of fruitful collaboration. The works were carried out in the &#13;
framework of a research program conducted by O.Bar-Yosef and supported by the American School of &#13;
Prehistoric Research( Peabody Museum, Harvard University).The dating program was supported by CNRS &#13;
and CEA(France). The works were possible through research projects supported bythe French Ministry of &#13;
Foreign Affairs, “Qartu”Foundation (Georgia) and Ilia State University (Tbilisi, Georgia) &#13;
 </abstract>
