In the second half of the second millennium BC, many areas of Western
Eurasia witnessed the return to a settled lifestyle after a long epoch of
mobile life. Between the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and neighbouring mountains,
a new type of settlements arose. Particular in the Caucasian mountains an
architectural tradition emerged that involved the permanent building material
stone for the construction of very sophisticated multifunctional build- ings.
Stone architecture probably was not invented in the Caucasus, but the
innovation once adopted fell on fruitful ground. Over nearly one thousand
years of recurring leaps of innovations can be followed. This article
discusses the dialectics of these innovative leaps as well as between the
development of new technical solutions and new social demands in building as
well as dwelling
