Le complexe Djruchula-Koudaro au sud Caucase (Géorgie). Remarques sur les assemblages lithiques pléistocènes de Koudaro I, Tsona et Djruchula

Georgia yielded numerous Middle Paleolithic sites dated of the end of Middle Pleistocene and Upper Pleistocene, located at the foot of the Great Caucasus barrier. Several cultural groups are based on local technical trends or on behaviours coming from other areas (Near-East, Zagros, Eastern Europe). One of these, named Djruchula-Koudaro, groups sites from the Imereti and southern Ossetie areas (north and north-west of Georgia). It yields lithic assemblages with common traits, such as the proportion of blades and the use of bifacial retouches, in particular to shape the tip of elongated artefacts. If the origin of these characters leads of think to a possible link with the Near-East, another hypothesis, developed in the 1960s–1970s by Georgian researchers, proposes a relationship between the Caucasian Acheulian and the Early Middle Paleolithic. In this way, the study of artefacts of reference sites of this complex (Koudaro, Tsona and Djruchula caves) has launched a discussion about the beginning of the Middle Paleolithic in southern Caucasus through the laminar flaking, trying to find the part of local technical behaviours and influences born from contacts or population movements from neighbouring areas.La Géorgie livre de nombreux gisements du Paléolithique moyen qui permettent d'appréhender les modesd'occupations humaines à la fin du Pléistocène moyen et début du Pléistocène supérieur au pied de la barrière montagneuse du Grand Caucase. Plusieurs complexes industriels sont basés sur des traits techniques originaux ou emprunts d'influences régionales (Proche-Orient, Zagros, Europe orientale). Un d'entre eux, le groupe Djruchula-Koudaro rassemble des sites de la région d'Imereti et d'Ossetie du Sud (Nord et Nord Ouest du pays) avec des assemblages lithiques présentant des caractéristiques morpho-techniques communes avec une tendance laminaire très marquée et l'emploi de retouchesbifaciales, notamment pour appointer les supports allongés. Si l'origine de ces traits permet indéniablement de penser à une influence probable du Proche-orient, l'hypothèse, développée dans les années 1960-1970 par des chercheurs géorgiens proposant également une filiation locale à partir du substrat acheuléen du Caucase, n'est pas à exclure. C'est dans ce cadre que l'examen ou le ré-examen de séries lithiques issues des sites éponymes de ce complexe (grotte de Koudaro, Djruchula et Tsona) permet de discuter de cette genèse laminaire au Paléolithique moyen dans le Sud-Caucase,en essayant de faire la part d'un "endémisme" techno-culturel et des influences nées de contacts ou de mouvements populationnels depuis les zones avoisinantes

Importancia del enfoque ecosistémico en las pesquerías de Georgia

The economic downturn in the 1990s and early 2000s associated with the break-up of the Soviet Union had a negative impact on Georgian fisheries. Both marine and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture suffered considerable decline. The Georgian fishing fleet deteriorated. The role of state institutions in fisheries management weakened and funding of scientific research diminished. Economic and institutional problems had a negative effect on the state of aquatic bio-resources. The excessive and relentless use of living resources, use of illegal fishing gear and degradation of coastal ecosystems led to a considerable reduction in fish stocks, while the number of vulnerable and endangered species increased. Starting from the new millennium the attitude has changed. In 2004-2005 the 15-year plan for the development of the ecosystem approach to fisheries in Georgia was initiated with support from the FAO. A Georgian law on fisheries and aquaculture has been introduced. Discussions on responsible fisheries and an aquaculture code have also started, but are still pending. On the other hand, the fisheries department of the Ministry of Agriculture was abolished and the single fisheries research institute met a similar fate. Fisheries regulation came under the authority of the ministry of environment. There is still a lot to be done in order to establish an ecosystem approach to fisheries in Georgia. First of all, the legislative base must be addressed, including the Georgian law on fisheries, which would consider such issues as long-term sustainable development of fisheries, a responsible code of conduct for fishermen, monitoring and management structures at the national level, allocation of resources and application of scientific approaches in development of fisheries, aquaculture and mariculture.La crisis económica del la década de 1990 y principios de 2000 asociada a la caída de la Unión Soviética tuvo un impacto negativo sobre las pesquerías de Georgia. Tanto la pesca de agua dulce como la acuicultura marina sufrieron un importante descenso. La flota pesquera de Georgia se deterioró. Se debilitó el papel de las instituciones estatales en las pesquerías y la financiación de la investigación científica disminuyó considerablemente. Los problemas económicos e institucionales tuvieron un efecto negativo en el estado de los recursos biológicos acuáticos. El uso excesivo de los recursos vivos, el uso de artes de pesca ilegal y la degradación de los ecosistemas costeros, provocó una considerable reducción de las poblaciones de peces, al tiempo que aumentó el número de especies vulnerables y en peligro de extinción. A partir del nuevo milenio la actitud ha cambiado. En el período 2004-2005, con el apoyo de la FAO, se inició el plan de 15 años de duración para el desarrollo del enfoque ecosistémico de la pesca en Georgia. Se introdujo una nueva ley sobre pesca y acuicultura. Sin embargo, las deliberaciones sobre el Código de Conducta para la pesca responsable siguen todavía pendientes. Por otro lado, se eliminó el departamento de pesca del Ministerio de Agricultura y algo similar le ocurrió al instituto de investigación de pesquerías. La regulación de la pesca pasó a manos del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente. Todavía hay mucho por hacer a fin de establecer un enfóque ecosistémico de la pesca en Georgia. En primer lugar, debe aplicarse una base legislativa, e incluir la ley de pesquerías de Georgia en ella. Debe considerar cuestiones, tales como el desarrollo sostenible a largo plazo de las pesquerías, el Código de Conducta para la Pesca Responsable para los pescadores, vigilancia y estructuras de gestión a nivel nacional, asignación de recursos y aplicación de criterios científicos en el desarrollo de la pesca, acuicultura

Current state and long-term changes in the mesozooplankton community of the Ukrainian and Georgian parts of the Black Sea as indicators of its ecological status

Water quality assessment is a key task of any measures in the field of water use, environmental management and protection. Thus, it is necessary to conduct systematic monitoring to assess the ecological state in the marine waters and to develop a strategy for its recovery. Anthropogenic impacts of various types leading to eutrophication and pollution of the Black Sea are changing the main characteristics of all components of the aquatic ecosystem. Zooplankton plays a key role in the pelagic food web. This article presents the results of the research on the state of zooplankton which was conducted during the Ukrainian-Georgian expedition in the framework of the international project “Emblas-plus” during 2016, 2017 and 2019. The ecological quality class of the investigated Black Sea waters was determined by the zooplankton integrated index (IZI). In Ukrainian waters in total, 49 taxa of zooplankton were registered. In 2017 taxonomic composition of zooplankton was more diverse (36 taxa in 2016, 35 in 2019). In Georgian waters in 2019, 40 taxa of mesozooplankton were registered, most of them are widespread forms in the Black Sea. The most diverse group is Crustacea (Cladocera and Copepoda).The most prevalent crustaceans were the eurythermic species, an important representative of forage zooplankton – Acartia (Acartiura) clausi Giesbrecht, 1889 and two thermophilic species of Calanoida – Acartia (Acanthacartia) tonsa Dana, 1849 and Centropages ponticus Karavaev, 1895. In Ukrainian waters average abundance and biomass of zooplankton in 2019 was similar to those in 2016 and much higher than in 2017. Dominant taxa and spatial distribution of zooplankton in 2019 were similar to those in 2016 and 2017. Average biomass of forage zooplankton in 2019 was approximately 10 times higher than in 2016 and 2017. In the Georgian coastal waters annual average abundance and biomass of mesozooplankton decreased, due to a sharp decline in the abundance of Noctiluca scintillans (Macartney) Kofoid & Swezy, 1921. It was found that at most of the stations the dominant role in the formation of zooplankton biomass was played by the organisms of forage zooplankton. By the IZI index, the subdivision Northwestern Black Sea Bays had “Good”, “Poor” and “Moderate” water quality in spring, summer and autumn respectively. The subdivision’s deepwater shelf and shallow shelf had “Bad” water quality. The subdivision Danube-Dnieper interfluve coastal waters had “High” water quality. The Danube Avandelta area had “High”, “Good” and “High” water quality in spring, summer and autumn respectively. The best ecological class status was in 2019 and the worst – in 2016. The main tendencies in changes in the mesozooplankton community in the Black Sea are decrease in the percentage of N. scintillans in the total zooplankton biomass and increase in the percentage of Copepoda. Those tendencies indicate decrease in the pressure of the negative eutrophication factor and show positive changes in the forage base of commercial planktophagous fish and the ecological status of the Black Sea waters

Marine fishes in the Black Sea: recent conservation status

A revised checklist of the fish fauna of the Black Sea is reported. This paper is the first attempt to present an actual Check List of the fishes in the Black Sea according to the data available in the Black Sea countries, as well as their current conservation status, enlisted in IUCN. The total number of the Black Sea fish species is 189. Concerning the conservation status only two species (1.06 %) are extinct (Acipenser nudiventris and A. sturio), 3.70 % are critically endangered, 16.40 % are vulnerable, 1.06% are endangered, for 10.58 % there is a lack of data, 26.46% has been classified in the category “Least concern”, 2.65 % are “Near threatened” and 38. 10% are “Not evaluated”

Age and date for early arrival of the Acheulian in Europe (Barranc de la Boella, la Canonja, Spain)

The first arrivals of hominin populations into Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene are currently considered to have occurred as short and poorly dated biological dispersions. Questions as to the tempo and mode of these early prehistoric settlements have given rise to debates concerning the taxonomic significance of the lithic assemblages, as trace fossils, and the geographical distribution of the technological traditions found in the Lower Palaeolithic record. Here, we report on the Barranc de la Boella site which has yielded a lithic assemblage dating to ,1 million years ago that includes large cutting tools (LCT). We argue that distinct technological traditions coexisted in the Iberian archaeological repertoires of the late Early Pleistocene age in a similar way to the earliest sub-Saharan African artefact assemblages. These differences between stone tool assemblages may be attributed to the different chronologies of hominin dispersal events. The archaeological record of Barranc de la Boella completes the geographical distribution of LCT assemblages across southern Eurasia during the EMPT (Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition, circa 942 to 641 kyr). Up to now, chronology of the earliest European LCT assemblages is based on the abundant Palaeolithic record found in terrace river sequences which have been dated to the end of the EMPT and later. However, the findings at Barranc de la Boella suggest that early LCT lithic assemblages appeared in the SW of Europe during earlier hominin dispersal episodes before the definitive colonization of temperate Eurasia took place.The research at Barranc de la Boella has been carried out with the financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economı´a y Competitividad (CGL2012- 36682; CGL2012-38358, CGL2012-38434-C03-03 and CGL2010-15326; MICINN project HAR2009-7223/HIST), Generalitat de Catalunya, AGAUR agence (projects 2014SGR-901; 2014SGR-899; 2009SGR-324, 2009PBR-0033 and 2009SGR-188) and Junta de Castilla y Leo´n BU1004A09. Financial support for Barranc de la Boella field work and archaeological excavations is provided by the Ajuntament de la Canonja and Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Paleontologia) de la Generalitat de Catalunya. A. Carrancho’s research was funded by the International Excellence Programme, Reinforcement subprogramme of the Spanish Ministry of Education. I. Lozano-Ferna´ndez acknowledges the pre-doctoral grant from the Fundacio´n Atapuerca. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Chronological variations in handaxes: patterns detected from fluvial archives in north-west Europe

The use of handaxe morphology as a cultural and temporal marker within the Quaternary Lower–Middle Palaeolithic record has had a very chequered history, and abuses in the past have led recent generations of archaeologist to reject it out of hand. In Britain, however, advances in dating Pleistocene sediments, setting their ages within a framework of ∼11 glacial–interglacial cycles over the past 1 Ma, has revealed several patterns in technology and morphology that must be related to changing practices and cultural preferences over time. These are not predictable, nor are they linear, but nevertheless they may aid understanding of the movements of different peoples in and out of Britain over the past 500 000 years. It is also clear that such patterns are to be expected over a much wider region of the nearby continent, although they might not be identical, or even similar, to those established for southern Britain. This paper extends from explanation of the British patterns to an exploration of the extent to which something comparable can be recognized in neighbouring areas of continental Europe: a baseline for a planned collaborative survey of data from the Acheulean of north-west European river systems

Isolationism in IR

This thesis focuses on analyzing the phenomenon of isolationism by testing the IR theories. The research examines the four historical cases of Ming and Qing Imperial China, Tokugawa's Japan, Great Britain under the Gladstone and Disraeli's stewardship, and finally, the U.S. behavior throughout the 1930s. The study distinguishes between the whole and limited isolationism, arguing that it is impossible to pursue complete isolationism due to globalization, interdependence, domestic constraints, and other factors. Furthermore, by explaining the phenomenon, neoclassical realism appears to best grasp the full image. Finally, by comparing the cases of American state behavior in the 1930s and under Donald Trump's presidency, the paper argues that the latter's policy should not be considered isolationist

Izolacionismus v mezinárodních vztazích

This thesis focuses on analyzing the phenomenon of isolationism by testing the IR theories. The research examines the four historical cases of Ming and Qing Imperial China, Tokugawa's Japan, Great Britain under the Gladstone and Disraeli's stewardship, and finally, the U.S. behavior throughout the 1930s. The study distinguishes between the whole and limited isolationism, arguing that it is impossible to pursue complete isolationism due to globalization, interdependence, domestic constraints, and other factors. Furthermore, by explaining the phenomenon, neoclassical realism appears to best grasp the full image. Finally, by comparing the cases of American state behavior in the 1930s and under Donald Trump's presidency, the paper argues that the latter's policy should not be considered isolationist.Tato práce se zaměřuje na analýzu fenoménu izolacionismu testováním IR teorií. Výzkum zkoumá čtyři historické případy císařské Číny Ming a Qing, Japonsko Tokugawa, Velká Británie pod vedením Gladstone a Disraeli a nakonec chování USA během třicátých let. Studie rozlišuje mezi celkovým a omezeným izolacionismem a tvrdí, že je nemožné usilovat o úplný izolacionismus kvůli globalizaci, vzájemné závislosti, domácím omezením a dalším faktorům. Navíc vysvětlením tohoto jevu se zdá, že neoklasický realismus nejlépe uchopí celý obraz. Nakonec srovnáním případů chování amerického státu ve 30. letech a za prezidentství Donalda Trumpa tvrdí, že jeho politika by neměla být považována za izolacionistickou.Katedra politologieDepartment of Political ScienceFaculty of Social SciencesFakulta sociálních vě

The Acheulean in the South Caucasus (Georgia): Koudaro I and Tsona lithic assemblages

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