The Caucasus is a mountain region located at the edge of Europe and Asia, between the Black and Caspian seas. In spite of limited geography and mostly temperate climate, diversity of natural landscapes, plant and animal species, and cultivated plants is unusually high. For these reasons, the Caucasus has been included in the list of global biodiversity hotspots. Proportion of endemic species of higher plants and terrestrial vertebrates varies between 15-30% for individual groups according to different authors, with a vast majority of some taxonomic groups such as terrestrial snails exceeding 80%. There is a number of relict plants and animals, whose relatives are not found in the neighbouring parts of Eurasia, but in the distant regions throughout the northern Hemisphere. Simultaneously, the Caucasus is known as an area of early settlements of hominids and the area of ancient agriculture. High proportion of endemic and relict species is unusual for a continental, non-tropical region. The author describes the biodiversity of the Caucasus region, starting from the Mesozoic time and ending with the current situation, and tries to analyse the evolutionary factors that shaped this diversity.

In this work, the author presents an original analysis of palaeoecological and archaeological data from Southern Georgia, demonstrating how past societies and environments interacted in this region of high biodiversity and ancient culture. New pollen records, including the first fire histories for the Caucasus region, are analysed using novel statistical techniques, providing insights into the region's climatic and vegetation history that challenge preconceived notions about the evolution of Georgia's diverse landscapes. Readers with an interest in the region's archaeology will find the synthesis of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data in the chapter on human impact to be of great value, whereas those interested in Georgia's biogeography will find in the text and appendix a wealth of information, much of which has never before appeared in the English language. The text is thoroughly illustrated, including maps and descriptive notes on the present and past distribution of each of the major pollen types and vegetation units.

"Rich and illuminating." Literary Review A landscape of high mountains and narrow valleys stretching from the Black to the Caspian Seas, the Caucasus region has been home to human populations for nearly 2 million years. In this richly illustrated 2-volume series, historian and explorer Christoph Baumer tells the story of the region's history through to the present day. It is a story of encounters between many different peoples, from Scythians, Turkic and Mongol peoples of the East to Greeks and Romans from the West, from Indo-European tribes from the West as well as the East, and to Arabs and Iranians from the South. It is a story of rival claims by Empires and nations and of how the region has become home to more than 50 languages that can be heard within its borders to this very day. This first volume charts the period from the emergence of the earliest human populations in the region – the first known human populations outside Africa - to the Seljuk conquests of 1050CE. Along the way the book charts the development of Neolithic, Iron and Bronze Age cultures, the first recognizable Caucasian state and the arrival of a succession of the great transnational Empires, from the Greeks, the Romans and the Armenian to competing Christian and Muslim conquerors. The History of the Caucasus: Volume 1 also includes more than 200 full colour images and maps bringing the changing cultures of these lands vividly to life.

This book presents a comprehensive introduction to the Caucasus. It covers the geography and the historical development of the region, economics, politics and government, population, religion and society, culture and traditions, and conflicts and international relations. It is written throughout in an accessible style and requires no prior knowledge.