Ancient Caucasian and Related Material in The British Museum

Abstract

• The Caucasus region, sandwiched between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east, traditionally marks the boundary between Europe to the north and Asia to the south. This catalogue gathers together ancient Caucasian and related material in the British Museum, most of which is now in the Department of the Ancient Near East. The objects include items of jewellery, weapons, pottery, figurines and other miscellaneous artefacts, but it does not include Greek and Roman objects, coins, or material of early Christian date. The catalogue has been divided into four parts, covering the Central Caucasus (and The Koban Culture), Transcaucasia, objects of general Caucasian type, and objects that may be loosely associated with the Scythians. An introduction offers a short overview of the geography and history of the region, from prehistory to the advent of the Christianity.