Comparisons
In his Mission scientifique au Caucase, Morgan discusses the similarities between the objects he found in Armenian burials and grave goods from other regions. Daggers presented "striking analogies with those used by the Assyrians in the 8thcentury” and "glass beads are of the same kind than those found in Chaldea and Assyria". Other regions were more remote and certain pins from the Caucasus resemble those found in Troy. On the subject of buttons, Morgan points out that "similar objects have been found [...] in France".
Outside influences?
Not all comparisons are proof of contact. Some similarities, especially with very remote regions, may be coincidental. Morgan took a close interest in the links between the Caucasus and the Near East, however. He mentions the influence of Assyria or Iran, and points to trade links confirmed by texts from the 12th century BCE. In so doing, he demonstrates the importance of not considering regions in isolation, and the need to place them in a broader context.
Metal production as a spur for trade?
Morgan had understood that Armenia stood at a crossroads between regions important to metal production, including Northern Anatolia, Mesopotamia and the Northern Caucasus. This has been confirmed by recent studies which suggest this was the case well before the Iron Age, the period studied by Morgan. Copper metal production, which developed in the Caucasus, appears to have encouraged the Mesopotamians to trade with their Caucasian neighbours, as early as circa 3800 BCE.