They also date its emergence to the first half of the sixth-millennium b.c. (Nishiaki, Guliyev, and Kadowaki 0000). Drawing on the foundations established by a newly constructed chronological framework, current research interests focus on investigating the origin and development of Shomutepe-Shulaveri culture. This research would greatly benefit from efforts to search for earlier “aceramic Neolithic” settlements (Kiguradze 0000; Arimura et al. 0000; Meshveliani 0000). At the same time, the project seeks to document the diachronic developments of this culture and determine its earliest stage. The latter aims have been a major research target of a joint Azerbaijan-Japanese mission, and its latest results are presented in this article.