Caucasica Antiqua et Christiana

The hypothesis of the relationship between the Basque and Paleo-Caucasian languages has long been a subject of scholarly interest. Therefore, it is natural that the research of Basque and Caucasian languages and a critical analysis of the results which were previously obtained within the framework of the Basque-Caucasian hypothesis are of great importance. Polish Sumerologist and sholar of Kartvelology Jan Braun believed that the Kartvelian languages, which form part of the Paleo-Caucasian language family, have the most in common with the Basque language. This is confirmed not only by numerous typological parallels between these languages, such as the ergative construction of sentences, polypersonality of the verb, vigesimal (based on 20) numeral system, etc., but also by the common origin of most of the words of the basic lexical fund. Numerous linguistic, anthropological and archeological materials allow us to assume that the area of the original settlement of the Kartvelian tribes was the Lesser Caucasus. The formation of their common language must have taken place in the Caucasus in the 5th–4th centuries BC. If the posited genetic relation between the Basque and Ibero-Caucasian (Kartvelian) languages is confirmed, then it should be assumed that this original tribal-ethnic unity was using a common language. Scientists presume that the speakers of these languages separated from each other a very long time ago; their similarities are difficult to trace and require special research. The present volume contains valuable materials, which deepen and specify some issues or present them in a different way, based on the research conducted recently. It is extremely necessary and timely to achieve deeper understanding of the Basque and Caucasian problems, to revise the theories about their origin and development. The research into the issues of the ancient history of the Caucasus made it necessary to expand the existent postulates of the research and share the findings with the academic world.