Georgian on the crossroad. Cultural exchanges and evidences for different distance contacts in the Middle and Upper Paleolithic

In our article we deal with three Upper Paleolithic cave sites, which are located in Upper Imereti region just in few km from each other (2–6 km). These are already well-known sites - Ortvala Klde, Dzudzuana Cave and newly discovered Bondi Cave. The landscapes, where these caves are situated, are the similar. All of them are located in parallel gorges. The distance between the gorges is 4–8 km. According to pollen analysis and obtained dating, the environment around these caves was the similar. The inhabitants of Dzudzuana and Bondi caves were hunting mostly on bisons and equses. At the same time the Neanderthals and the Modern humans of Ortvala Klde traditionally were extracting the Capra caucasuica (95 %). The industry of Bondi and Dzudzuana caves is more or less similar but there are differences as well-the microliths are dominated in the material of Dzudzuana. The blade and bladelet oriented technology are represented in both sites. The blade technology is represented in Ortvala Klde as well, but there are some Aurignacian features which are better represented in this cave than in other above-mentioned sites. Co-existence of Aurignacian and Gravettian features is one of the characters of Upper Paleolithic of Western Georgia. In Bondi and Dzudzuana caves there were discovered the most ancient flax and colored fibers dated from 35000–34000. Perhaps the differences between those contemporary sites can be explained by different economical activities of different groups, or by distribution of the habitat areas between them.