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  • © 2016

Azokh Cave and the Transcaucasian Corridor

  • Enables readers to gain a thorough understanding of the paleontology of Azokh Caves
  • Contributions from internationally renowned experts from the field of geology, paleontology, archaeology, anthropology, and taphonomy
  • Authoritative chapters on excavations and the palaeontological and archaeological material recovered from this site
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology (VERT)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Introduction: Azokh Cave and the Transcaucasian Corridor

    • Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo, Tania King, Levon Yepiskoposyan, Peter Andrews
    Pages 1-26
  3. Stratigraphy and Sedimentology of Azokh Caves, South Caucasus

    • John Murray, Edward P. Lynch, Patricio Domínguez-Alonso, Milo Barham
    Pages 27-54
  4. Geology and Geomorphology of Azokh Caves

    • Patricio Domínguez-Alonso, Enrique Aracil, Jose Angel Porres, Peter Andrews, Edward P. Lynch, John Murray
    Pages 55-84
  5. Lithic Assemblages Recovered from Azokh 1

    • Lena Asryan, Norah Moloney, Andreu Ollé
    Pages 85-101
  6. Azokh Cave Hominin Remains

    • Tania King, Tim Compton, Antonio Rosas, Peter Andrews, Levon Yepiskoposyan, Lena Asryan
    Pages 103-116
  7. The New Material of Large Mammals from Azokh and Comments on the Older Collections

    • Jan Van der Made, Trinidad Torres, Jose Eugenio Ortiz, Laura Moreno-Pérez, Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo
    Pages 117-162
  8. Bats from Azokh Caves

    • Paloma Sevilla
    Pages 177-189
  9. Amphibians and Squamate Reptiles from Azokh 1

    • Hugues-Alexandre Blain
    Pages 191-210
  10. Taphonomy and Site Formation of Azokh 1

    • M. Dolores Marin-Monfort, Isabel Cáceres, Peter Andrews, Ana C. Pinto-Llona, Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo
    Pages 211-249
  11. Bone Diagenesis at Azokh Caves

    • Colin I. Smith, Marisol Faraldos, Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo
    Pages 251-269
  12. Coprolites, Paleogenomics and Bone Content Analysis

    • E. Andrew Bennett, Olivier Gorgé, Thierry Grange, Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo, Eva-Maria Geigl
    Pages 271-286
  13. Palaeoenvironmental Context of Coprolites and Plant Microfossils from Unit II. Azokh 1

    • Louis Scott, Lloyd Rossouw, Carlos Cordova, Jan Risberg
    Pages 287-295
  14. Paleoecology of Azokh 1

    • Peter Andrews, Sylvia Hixson Andrews, Tania King, Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo, Manuel Nieto-Díaz
    Pages 305-320
  15. Appendix: Dating Methods Applied to Azokh Cave Sites

    • Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo, Peter Ditchfield, Rainer Grün, Wendy Lees, Maxime Aubert, Trinidad Torres et al.
    Pages 321-339
  16. Back Matter

    Pages 341-349

About this book

This edited volume describes the geology, stratigraphy, anthropology, archaeology, dating, taphonomy, paleobotany, paleontology and paleoecology of Azokh caves (also known as Azykh or Azikh). The chapters review exhaustively the key recent research on this limestone karstic site, which is located near the village of the same name in the region of Nagorno Karabagh in the south-eastern end of the Lesser Caucasus. The site is significant due to its geographic location at an important migratory crossroad between Africa and Eurasia. These caves contain an almost complete sedimentary sequence of the transition between H.heidelbergensis and H. neanderthalensis continuing to later Pleistocene and Holocene stratified sediment. The site is also important due to the discovery of Neanderthal remains by the current research group in addition to the Middle Pleistocene hominin fossils during a previous phase of excavation work led by M. Huseinov. At the heart of this book is the matter of how this site relates to human evolution.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Dept of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain

    Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo

  • Blandford Town Museum, Yerevan, Armenia

    Tania King

  • Yerevan, Armenia

    Levon Yepiskoposyan

  • Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom

    Peter Andrews

About the editors

Dr. Yolanda Fernandez-Jalvo is a researcher at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Spain in the Department of Paleobiology. 

Dr. Tania King is co-Director with Dr. Fernández-Jalvo of the Azokh Project and afiliated to the Blandford Museum, UK.  


Dr. Peter Andrews is a research scientist in the Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, London. 


Dr. Levon Yepiskoposyan is Head of the Human Genetics Group at the Institute of Molecular Biology in the National Academy of Sciences, Armenia.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Azokh Cave and the Transcaucasian Corridor

  • Editors: Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo, Tania King, Levon Yepiskoposyan, Peter Andrews

  • Series Title: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24924-7

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-24922-3Published: 18 August 2016

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-79700-7Published: 22 April 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-24924-7Published: 06 August 2016

  • Series ISSN: 1877-9077

  • Series E-ISSN: 1877-9085

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVII, 349

  • Number of Illustrations: 107 b/w illustrations, 67 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Paleontology, Anthropology, Archaeology

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access