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Palynology of the Paravani burial mound (Early Bronze Age, Georgia)

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Abstract

Information from pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs was used to reconstruct ritual burial traditions in the first half of the third millennium b.c. The floor of the burial chamber of the Paravani barrow and a ceremonial wagon were covered with flax textiles (Linum), as evidenced by the abundance of flax microfibres. The wagon was made of pine (Pinus), oak (Quercus) and juniper (Juniperus) wood. This is demonstrated by parenchyma cells of wood which were linked to the destroyed remains of the wagon. The presence of an animal skin could be established. The presence of the skin is evidenced by large amounts of pollen, ascospores of coprophilous fungi, hairs of dermestid beetle larvae and the bristle of a moth grub. According to the taxonomic composition of the flowers used for decoration of the ceremonial wagon and numerous mite remains, the burial occurred during the first half of the summer.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the students from the Tbilisi State University for their assistance with fieldwork. We express our deep gratitude to A. Miola and M. Uliana for their invaluable help with the identification of the zoological material.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. L. Davitashvili Institute of Palaeobiology of Georgian National Museum, 4 Potochnay-Niagvris Str., Tbilisi 8, 0108, Georgia

    Eliso Kvavadze

  2. O. Lordkipanidze Institute of Archaeology of Georgian National Museum, 14 Uznadze Str., Tbilisi 2, 0102, Georgia

    Kakha Kakhiani

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  1. Eliso Kvavadze
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  2. Kakha Kakhiani
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Correspondence to Eliso Kvavadze.

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Communicated by J.N. Haas.

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Kvavadze, E., Kakhiani, K. Palynology of the Paravani burial mound (Early Bronze Age, Georgia). Veget Hist Archaeobot 19, 469–478 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-010-0259-x

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