The Kura-Araxes Culture from the Caucasus to Iran, Anatolia and the Levant: Between unity and diversity. A synthesis

Paléorient. — 2014. — Vol. 40.2 — pp. 247-260.One of the aims of this thematic volume is to give space to a multiplicity of voices offering different perspectives on the diachronic developments of the Kura-Araxes culture as well as its unity and diversity on both geographic and chronological scales. We think that these twelve contributions, which will be followed by other articles dedicated to the Kura-Araxes culture in the next issue of Paléorient, have achieved this aim. The following overview attempts to correlate a selected part of the impressive amount of information contained in this volume and to add our small contribution of knowledge and information. It is organised according to a very traditional narrative structure—the birth, life and death of the Kura-Araxes culture. Although subject to criticism, we decided to adopt this approach to facilitate, hopefully, the reading of a phenomenon of bewildering complexity.