The Late Chalcolithic Leilatepe “phenomenon” in the Southern Caucasus has often been regarded as the product of Mesopotamian incursions into the region for the purpose of acquiring metals and semi-precious stones for trade.

The material evidence has shown clearly that these migrations resulted in the development of both hybridised and altogether new ways of engaging with the world, including novel architectural, metallurgical, ceramic, lithic, and ritual technologies and practices.

This paper approaches this period of intense cultural interaction from a practice theory lens, aiming to view the social dynamics and processes associated with the emergence of Leilatepe “culture”. In doing so, we draw from Richard White’s Middle Ground concept to illustrate how new social practices emerge when two cultural groups with distinct habitus come into close and sustained contact with each other. Our research indicates that, while trade was likely an important aspect of the Leilatepe phenomenon, a number of factors also point to a sustained migration or migrations by a broad swath of Mesopotamian society who arrived in the region due to a combination of push and pull factors, and did not just engage in extractive trade, but settled permanently, creating new social realities.

南高加索地区晚铜器时代的莱拉特佩“现象”通常被认为是美索不达米亚人入侵该地区以获取金属和半宝石进行贸易的产物。

物质证据清楚地表明，这些迁移导致了与世界接触的混合方式和全新方式的发展，包括新颖的建筑、冶金、陶瓷、石器和仪式技术和实践。

本文从实践理论的角度探讨了这一时期的激烈文化互动，旨在观察与雷拉特佩“文化”的出现相关的社会动态和过程。在此过程中，我们借鉴了理查德怀特的中间地带概念来说明当两个具有不同习惯的文化群体如何出现新的社会实践彼此保持密切和持续的联系。我们的研究表明，虽然贸易可能是莱拉特佩现象的一个重要方面，但许多因素也表明，由于推拉因素的结合，到达该地区的大量美索不达米亚社会持续迁移或迁移，不仅从事采掘贸易，而且永久定居，创造了新的社会现实。