This study examines patterns of human mobility at the Beshtasheni cemetery in the Tsalka region of southern Georgia. Excavations conducted between 2012 and 2016 documented 45 graves dating predominantly to the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age (second half of the 2nd millennium BCE to the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE), providing an important context for exploring population dynamics in the region.
The aim of the study is to assess whether individuals buried at Beshtasheni were local to the area or originated from geologically distinct regions. Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis was conducted on human dental enamel, which reflects environmental signatures during tooth formation time. The study integrates isotopic data with archaeological, osteological, and radiocarbon evidence.
A total of 17 human and 2 animal (sus scrofa) teeth were analysed and compared with a locally established bioavailable strontium baseline derived from modern plant samples. The results show that most individuals exhibit strontium isotope ratios consistent with the local baseline. Human values closely overlap with those obtained from pigs, assumed to reflect local feeding conditions, indicating predominantly local childhood origins. Although some isotopic variability is present, only four individuals fall outside the main human–faunal cluster. Three of them are still within the local bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr range, suggesting limited individual mobility rather than large-scale migration.
Overall, the strontium isotope evidence indicates a largely local population at the Beshtasheni cemetery, with minor variation reflecting movement within the broader local landscape or the presence of a small number of non-local individuals.

First Author: Ana Davitashvili

Co-Authors: Jacek Hamburg, Arkadiusz Sołtysiak

Keywords:
Bioarchaeology
Mobility
Strontium isotope analysis
South Caucasus
Late Bronze-Early Iron Age