Agricultural Practices at Mentesh Tepe (Kura Valley, Azerbaijan) during the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age: An Overview from Sickle Elements and Botanical Remains

International audienceThe Neolithic process took place in the South Caucasus between the very end of the 7th and the early 6th millennium BCE, at least two millennia after it had already taken place in neighboring Anatolia and Iran. Agriculture appeared at that time, and was the main basis of the economy,together with herding. Cereals, mainly barley and different kinds of wheats, were the dominant cultivar. Mentesh Tepe, one of the rare multi-period settlements of the region, allows us to witness the development of ancient agricultural practices, since Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age occupations have been identified there. The site is located in Azerbaijan in the vicinity of the Zeyem Cay, a tributary of the Kura River, some 10 km from the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus. We present here data originating from the analyses of botanical remains and techno-functional lithic tools studies. We have thus been able to identify trends and changes through time affecting cultivation and harvesting techniques. These are the result of economic and socio-cultural changes and reflect both the organization of communities and the technical skills of local inhabitant