Bibliography of the study of ethnocultural ties of the peoples of the South Caucasus in the era of antiquity (IV century BC - V century AD)

Abstract

The article is devoted to a bibliographic description of one of the complex problems in the system of historical and anthropological sciences - research in the field of intercultural ethnic ties of the peoples of the South Caucasus in the era of antiquity. Prolegomena from the field of social anthropology, associated with ethnocultural relationships, contain such initial aspects as external contacts of peoples, trade and communication, political connections, as well as marriage (exogamous), dynastic unions. Thematically, the purpose of the study is a comprehensive study of intraregional ethnocultural processes on the basis of ancient written sources, artifacts and ethnographic material.
The conditional border of the Eurasian continent runs along the Caucasian Isthmus, that is, between two large water basins - the Black and Caspian seas. According to Strabo, in ancient times it was the river Tanais (Don) 1. (Str., XI, I,1). The subject of study is the civilizations created by its aboriginal ethnic groups (Albanians - Azerbaijan, b.c. Dagestan, the coast of the Alazan River (Georgia); Iberians, Colchians (Georgia), as well as allochthons and their trade, economic and cultural ties (Scythians, etc. related tribes settled in the Caspian region).
A retrospective analysis of the research, aimed at developing a literary review on the problem of ethnocultural ties of the peoples of the South Caucasus in the era of antiquity, allows us to formulate and argue the main ideas and trends of the study, and substantiate its theoretical basis. The topic involves consideration of numerous archaeological monuments of Azerbaijan, Dagestan and Georgia in the ancient period of history with the use of written sources in the context of the vector of one’s own research. The list of literature used on the topic under study is extensive and requires scrupulous analysis, detail in determining the systematization of sources and bibliography. Of course, modern research involves a critical analysis of some texts from sources, and, in general, from the field of historiographical literature.