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  • Isriti B007

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    On the west side of a hill located on the western outskirts of the modern village of Isriti is situated a modern cemetery below a lightly wooded area, where pithos burials have reportedly been found. In the wooded area, located at 250 masl, a number of pottery sherds were collected, all of which were locally made. Above the wooded area at approximately 350 masl is an open ridge, and running from a hollow to the top of the ridge, or just below it, and turning at an acute angle back down, is a wall built of limestone rubble. The stones are carefully chosen and unworked, but more or less equal in size and substantial; the wall is probably a modern fieldwall but is remarkable in a region where few such fieldwalls are made of stone. The explanation likely lies in the fact that the bedrock of the entire hill is easily accessible limestone visible just below the surface. At the very top of the ridge lies a cornfield at the summit of the hill, where a piece of burnt mud plaster and a pithos fragment were found. Below the ridge to the south is a grand modern farmhouse, and in the garden of the farmhouse is a sandstone column base (Mediaeval or modern) and a certain amount of Mediaeval pottery. Upstream from Isriti is a modern lime kiln. There are supposedly modern limestone quarries in the region. There are a number of large limestone outcroppings on the road that runs by Isriti along the Sulori River. These outcroppings were sampled by Giorgi Jaoshvili.
    Keyword:
    1st Millennium BCE, Settlement, and Burial
    Citation to related publication:
    No earlier archaeological research has been conducted at the site.
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Isriti B006

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    The modern settlement of Isriti is located approximately 7 km southeast of Vani and 1.7 km east of the Sulori River at 310 masl. The village is located in the Vani administrative district. Investigation focused on an area near a modern cemetery where pithos burials had reportedly been found (B007).
    Keyword:
    Modern Settlement
    Citation to related publication:
    No earlier archaeological research has been conducted at the site.
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Dikhashkho, Tsikhe on the plain B005

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    The remains of a masonry tower are located 3.5 km northeast of the modern village of Dikhashkho at 50 masl, just north of the main east-west road running south of the Phasis River. The standing remains of a small rectangular or possibly hexagonal tower are situated on a small mound just east of a dirt road running north-south, and surrounded by the level river plain, which is planted with corn. Only the eastern wall of the structure is well preserved. The overall exterior dimensions of the structure are 4.7 m (on the east side) by 6.8 m (on the south side). The maximum preserved height of the structure at the southeast corner is 1.55 m. The walls of the tower are built of limestone blocks set in hard white mortar, facing a core of mortared rubble. The facing blocks are preserved on the interior side of the east wall, but not on the exterior. The facing is approximately 0.2 m deep, making the total original thickness of the walls 1.6 m. The facing blocks are approximately 0.3 m in height, 0.5 m in length, and 0.2 m in depth; the stones of the rubble fill vary from 0.2-0.4 m in length. This structure has a sightline to nearby Isriti Tsikhe on top of the hill to the southwest (A044).
    Keyword:
    Fortification and Mediaeval
    Citation to related publication:
    A brief survey was conducted at the site by S. Kharabadze in 2008. and Kharabadze, S. 2008. “Vanis Qveq’nis” Arqeologiuri Ruk’a (dzv.ts. VIII – akh.ts. III ss.). (Archaeological Map of the Vani Land, 8th Century BC – 3rd Century AD). Tsardgenilia Doqt’oris Ak’ademiuri Khariskhis Mosap’oveblad. Saqartvelos T’eqnik’uri Universit’et’i. Tbilisi, 0175, Saqartvelo. Seqt’emberi, 2008.
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Zeda Tsikhesulori, Natsikharigora B004

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    The Mediaeval citadel at Zeda Tsikhesulori occupies the north end of the top of a hill called Natsikharigora just a few degrees south of due west of Vani, 0.75 km as the crow flies from the ancient site, and at an elevation of 207 masl. The fortress consists of a triangular enclosure wall, two sections of which survive, with a square tower attached at the southeast corner. Where measured, the wall is approximately 1.2 m thick and is built of irregular and roughly squared sand- or mudstone blocks with an occasional large cobble set in coarse lime mortar. The average height of the courses is 0.2 m. The slopes of the hill on which the fortification stands fall away steeply on all sides except on the east, where there is a gently sloping cornfield littered with pottery. In the area of the cornfield, one fragment of a large Colchian pithos was found. A large Mediaeval pithos was noted in situ at the north end of the fortification. Previous excavations in this area during the 1970s identified Hellenistic pottery and tiles, as well as material from the Mediaeval period.
    Keyword:
    Hellenistic, Fortification, Mediaeval, and Settlement
    Citation to related publication:
    The area was known as an archaeological location already in the 1950s, and excavations were carried out on Natsikharigora in 1968, 1970, and 1973. Chance finds were reported in 1952 and 2001, both were pithos burial., Khoshtaria, N. V. 1959. Arkheologicheskiye issledovaniya v Vani i Vanskom rayone v 1952 g. [Archaeological studies in Vani and Vani district in1952]. Masalebi sakartvelos da kavkasiis arkeologiisatvis [Materials for the archaeology of Georgia and the Caucasus], vol. II. Tbilisi. Table XIII2. (In Russian.), Mitsishvili, M. N. 1971. Arkheologicheskiye raskopki srednevekovoi kreposti Tsikhe Sulori [Archaeological excavations of the medieval fortress Tsikhe Sulori]. Tezisy dokladov, posvyashchennykh itogam polevykh arkheologicheskikh issledovanii v 1970 g. v SSSR [Abstracts of the papers devoted to the results of the field-archaeological studies in the USSR in 1970]. Tbilisi. p. 245-46. (In Russian.), Mitsishvili, M. 1973. Arkeologiuri getkhrebi Tsikhe Suloris natsikharze [Archaeological excavations on the Tsikhe Sulori Castle site]. Vanis arkeologiuri expeditsiis 25 tseli (1947-1972), sametsniero sesiis tezisebi da bibliograpia, 27-28 tebervali 1973 tseli [The 25th anniversary of the Vani archaeological expedition (1947-1972), Abstracts of the scientific session and bibliography, the 27-28th of February, 1973]. Tbilisi. pp. 21-22. (Parallel texts in Georgian and Russian.), Mitsishvili, M. 1976. Tsikhe-suloris natsikharze tsarmoebuli arkeologiuri tkhris shedegebi [Results of the archaeological excavations of the Tsikhe-Sulori castle site]. Vani II. Tbilisi. pp. 32-47. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Mitsishvili, M. 1977. 1973 tsels Tsikhesuloris natsikharis tkhris angarishi [Report on the excavation of Tsikhe Sulori castle site in 1973]. Vani II. Tbilisi. pp. 43-57, pls. 1-20. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Dundua, G., and G. Lordkipanidze. 1977. Monetebi vanidan. [Money from Vani.] Vani III. Tbilisi. p. 130., Dundua, G., and G. Lordkipanidze. 1983. Denezhnoe obrashchenie Tsentralnoi Kolkhidy [The circulation of coins in central Colchis]. Tbilisi. p. 44., Mitsishvili, M. 1983. Antikuri importi vansa dam is midamoebshi. TsikheSulori. [Classical imports from Vani and its surroundings. Tsikhe-Sulori.] Vani VII. Tbilisi. p. 126. (In Georgian.), and Kharabadze, S. 2008. “Vanis Qveqnis” Arqeologiuri Ruka (dzv.ts. VIII – akh.ts. III ss.) [Archaeological Map of the “Vani Region” (8th Century BC – 3rd Century AD)]. Tsardgenilia Doqtoris Akademiuri Khariskhis Mosapoveblad. Saqartvelos Teqnikuri Universiteti. Tbilisi, 0175, Saqartvelo. Seqtemberi. (In Georgian with an English summary.)  
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Zeda Tsikhesulori B003

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    The modern village of Zeda Tsikhesulori lies approximately 0.75 km as the crow flies west of the ancient site of Vani at 200 masl, and approximately twice that distance by road. It is located in the Vani administrative district. At the east edge of the modern settlement lies a hill called Natsikharigora, which is crowned by a masonry fortress; the east slope of the hill is covered by a cornfield containing ancient pottery (B004).
    Keyword:
    Modern Settlement
    Citation to related publication:
    The area was known as an archaeological location already in the 1950s, and excavations were carried out on Natsikharigora in 1968, 1970, and 1973. Chance finds were reported in 1952 and 2001, both were pithos burial., Khoshtaria, N. V. 1959. Arkheologicheskiye issledovaniya v Vani i Vanskom rayone v 1952 g. [Archaeological studies in Vani and Vani district in1952]. Masalebi sakartvelos da kavkasiis arkeologiisatvis [Materials for the archaeology of Georgia and the Caucasus], vol. II. Tbilisi. Table XIII2. (In Russian.), Mitsishvili, M. N. 1971. Arkheologicheskiye raskopki srednevekovoi kreposti Tsikhe Sulori [Archaeological excavations of the medieval fortress Tsikhe Sulori]. Tezisy dokladov, posvyashchennykh itogam polevykh arkheologicheskikh issledovanii v 1970 g. v SSSR [Abstracts of the papers devoted to the results of the field-archaeological studies in the USSR in 1970]. Tbilisi. p. 245-46. (In Russian.), Mitsishvili, M. 1973. Arkeologiuri getkhrebi Tsikhe Suloris natsikharze [Archaeological excavations on the Tsikhe Sulori Castle site]. Vanis arkeologiuri expeditsiis 25 tseli (1947-1972), sametsniero sesiis tezisebi da bibliograpia, 27-28 tebervali 1973 tseli [The 25th anniversary of the Vani archaeological expedition (1947-1972), Abstracts of the scientific session and bibliography, the 27-28th of February, 1973]. Tbilisi. pp. 21-22. (Parallel texts in Georgian and Russian.), Mitsishvili, M. 1976. Tsikhe-suloris natsikharze tsarmoebuli arkeologiuri tkhris shedegebi [Results of the archaeological excavations of the Tsikhe-Sulori castle site]. Vani II. Tbilisi. pp. 32-47. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Mitsishvili, M. 1977. 1973 tsels Tsikhesuloris natsikharis tkhris angarishi [Report on the excavation of Tsikhe Sulori castle site in 1973]. Vani II. Tbilisi. pp. 43-57, pls. 1-20. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Dundua, G., and G. Lordkipanidze. 1977. Monetebi vanidan. [Money from Vani.] Vani III. Tbilisi. p. 130., Dundua, G., and G. Lordkipanidze. 1983. Denezhnoe obrashchenie Tsentralnoi Kolkhidy [The circulation of coins in central Colchis]. Tbilisi. p. 44., Mitsishvili, M. 1983. Antikuri importi vansa dam is midamoebshi. TsikheSulori. [Classical imports from Vani and its surroundings. Tsikhe-Sulori.] Vani VII. Tbilisi. p. 126. (In Georgian.), and Kharabadze, S. 2008. “Vanis Qveqnis” Arqeologiuri Ruka (dzv.ts. VIII – akh.ts. III ss.) [Archaeological Map of the “Vani Region” (8th Century BC – 3rd Century AD)]. Tsardgenilia Doqtoris Akademiuri Khariskhis Mosapoveblad. Saqartvelos Teqnikuri Universiteti. Tbilisi, 0175, Saqartvelo. Seqtemberi. (In Georgian with an English summary.)
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Dzulukhi, Aptarauli Hill B002

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    Aptarauli hill lies on the northeast edge of the modern settlement of Dzulukhi, which is located approximately 11 km southeast of Vani at 322 masl, on the banks of a tributary of the Sulori River, called the Dzulukhura (or, locally, the Dzlukhura). A scatter of pottery extends a couple of hundred meters along the edge of a series of cornfields and a hazelnut grove covering the northeast slope of a hill that rises above the left (west) bank of the Dzulukhura. Identifiable pottery includes Classical pithos fragments, as well as burnt mud plasters.
    Keyword:
    1st Millennium BCE and Settlement
    Citation to related publication:
    Chance finds were reported in 1950 and 1951. A brief survey was conducted at the location in 2008., Khoshtaria, N. V. 1959. “Arkheologicheskiye issledovaniya v Vani i Vanskom rayone v 1952 g. [Archaeologicalstudies in Vani and Vani district in 1952].” Masalebi sakartvelos da kavkasiis arkeologiisatvis [Materials for the Archaeology of Georgia and the Caucasus], vol. II. Tbilisi. p. 150. (In Russian.), and Kharabadze, S. 2008. “Vanis Qveqnis” Arqeologiuri Ruka (dzv.ts. VIII – akh.ts. III ss.) [Archaeological Map of the “Vani Region” (8th Century BC – 3rd Century AD)]. Tsardgenilia Doqtoris Akademiuri Khariskhis Mosapoveblad. Saqartvelos Teqnikuri Universiteti. Tbilisi, 0175, Saqartvelo. Seqtemberi. p. 43-44. (In Georgian with an English summary.)
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Vani, Area B B001

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    Area B occupies a northeast-southwest oriented, peninsula-like area south of the ancient site of Vani at an elevation of 100 masl. It is bordered on its northwest and southeast sides by gorges through which run perennial streams. Following the initial recommendation of Sulkhan Kharabadze, the area was deemed appropriate for geophysical survey because it was a large plot of accessible, open pasture; it was close to the ancient site of Vani; and ancient features had been reported in the vicinity, including a wall of large blocks of dressed sandstone on the southeast side of the peninsula and pithoi on the northwest side. In 2009 geophysical survey of an area of approximately 3000 sq m (three complete 30 x 30 m survey units, and two partial units) was completed; the entire area was covered with the gradiometer and two of the 30 x 30 m units with the resistivity meter. In the northeast survey unit, the gradiometer revealed a U-shaped rectangular feature, oriented southeast-northwest, and approximately 15 m long and 10 m wide. Centered within this feature was a smaller rectangular feature. Resistivity survey revealed the outlines of this feature as low-resistivity anomalies, suggesting that they were not built out of stone but of some other material such as wood or mudbrick. In 2010 two trenches in Area B (B2010.1 and B2010.2) were opened. The purpose of excavation was to investigate the anomalies revealed by the geophysical survey of 2009. Both anomalies turned out to be natural, and neither trench revealed ancient features of any kind, although the topsoil in both trenches contained a scatter of sherds and tiles. The stone wall and attested pithoi are probably late (Mediaeval or modern), but pottery and tiles provide evidence for activity of the 1st millennium B.C. in Area B.
    Keyword:
    1st Millennium BCE
    Citation to related publication:
    No archaeological work has previously been conducted in this particular area of the site.
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Vani A075

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    The archaeological site of Vani lies in the northern foothills of the lower Caucasus at the edge of the Phasis River plain, approximately 35 km southwest of Kutaisi and 4 km due south of the present-day course of the river. The site as excavated occupies a steep-sided hillock overlooking the left (west) bank of the Sulori River, a tributary of the Phasis. The hillock rises at its highest point to an elevation of 167 m asl, about 120 m above the plain below. As defined by its late Hellenistic fortification walls, the site occupies an area of approximately 6 ha, spread over three terraces (known as the Lower, Middle, and Upper Terraces). The site has been very extensively explored, but approximately 4 ha or two-thirds of the fortified area is still occupied by modern house plots and remains to be investigated. Vani is one of the most intensively studied archaeological sites in Colchis. Research at the site is ongoing and includes excavation and palaeoethnobotanical studies. Excavations have revealed a continuous occupation sequence extending from the 8th to the 1st centuries B.C. There is also some limited evidence for habitation in the Roman and Mediaeval periods. Especially notable are the rich and unusual graves of the Classical period (6th to 4th centuries), the monumental stone architecture of the Hellenistic period (3rd to 1st centuries), and the extensive evidence for interaction with the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds, including not only commercial and luxury imports (Greek transport amphorae, fine bronze and silver utensils from both the Greek world and Persia), but also local production of bronze sculpture and one long Greek bronze inscription. Half a century of scientific excavation has produced a detailed model of the history of the site, and generated a rich series of hypotheses about its purpose and function in different periods. One of the more enigmatic features of Vani as currently understood is the very limited evidence for residential occupation at any time. Subjects of special interest include the regional significance of Vani in the Classical and Hellenistic periods, the nature of relations between this area and the Greek world, and the history of the region in Roman times. While it is clear that Vani was an unusually large and complex site in the 1st millennium B.C., it is less certain that it exercised the kinds of administrative control over local settlement and economic control over local commerce that have sometimes been attributed to it on the model of a Greek town. The purpose of the regional survey project begun in 2009 is to address these subjects by integrating existing knowledge about Vani and its environs into the kind of technological and conceptual framework characteristic of contemporary American survey archaeology. Of particular importance is the use of Geographic information Systems (GIS) as an organizational and analytical tool, and geophysical prospection both in the immediate environs of Vani and at regional sites. In 2009 the survey project investigated an area just outside the archaeological site of Vani to the south using two methods of geophysical prospection, electrical resistivity and magnetic survey. In 2010 excavations were carried out in one of these areas, Area B (B001).
    Keyword:
    Early Hellenistic, Iron Age, Classical, Late Hellenistic, Hoard, Settlement, Sanctuary, Roman, Burial, Fortification, and Mediaeval
    Citation to related publication:
    Archaeological remains at Vani were known as early as the 1850s, and the first report on assemblages found at the site was produced in 1880. First formal excavations began in 1896, but lasted only a few years. Stray finds of gold jewellery were reported in 1929 and 1940. A new intensive program of survey and excavation was carried intermittently from 1936 to 1946. In 1947, the Vani Archaeological Expedition was established. It was first led by Nino Khostaria (until 1963). Otar Lordkipanidze directed the activities from 1966 until 2002, and was succeeded by Darejan Kacharava after his death in 2002. Active excavations at the site concluded in 2007. Bibliography below is not exhaustive; rather, it lists major volumes on the archaeology of Vani. For a complete list of works published until 1995, see Vani IX volume (1996)., Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1972. Vani I. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi (1947-1969) [Vani I. Archaeological excavations (1947-1969)], vol. I. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with summaries in Russian and English.), Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1976. Vani II. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani II. Archaeological excavations], vol. II. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1977. Vani III. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani III. Archaeological excavations], vol. III. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with Russian summaries.), Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1979. Vani IV. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani IV. Archaeological excavations], vol. IV. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with Russian and English summaries)., Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1981. Vani V. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani V. Archaeological excavations], vol. VI. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with Russian and English summaries)., Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1981. Vani VI. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani VI. Archaeological excavations], vol. VI. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with Russian and English summaries)., Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1983. Vani VII. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani VII. Archaeological excavations], vol. VII. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with Russian summaries)., Lordkipanidze, Otar, ed. 1986. Vani VIII. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani VIII. Archaeological excavations], vol. VIII. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with Russian summaries)., Lordkipanidze, Otar, Darejan Kacharava, and Arrian Chanturia. 1996. Vani IX. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi [Vani IX. (Archaeological excavations: Analytical bibliography: 1850-1995)]. Tbilisi. (Parallel texts in Georgian and English.), Lordkipanidze, Otar and Pierre Lévêque. Eds. 1996. Sur les traces des Argonautes. Actes du 6e symposium de Vani (Colchide) 22-29 septembre 1990, edited and translated by A. Fraysse, E. Geny and T. Khartchilava. Paris : Diffusé par les belles letters., Lordkipanidze, Otar and Pierre Lévêque. Eds.1999. La mer Noire, zone de contacts : actes du VIIe Symposium de Vani (Colchide), 26-30 IX 1994. Besançon: Presses universitaires franc-comtoises. , Lordkipanidze, Otar and Pierre Lévêque. Eds.1999. Religions du Pont-Euxin : actes du VIIIe Symposium de Vani, Colchide, 1997. Translated and edited by Arlette Fraysse et Évelyne Geny. Paris : Diffusé par Les Belles letters., Lordkipanidze, Otar. 2000. Phasis. The River and City in Colchis. Geographica Historica 15. Stuttgart: Steiner., Faudot, M., Fraysse, A. and É. Geny, eds. 2002. Pont-Euxin et commerce : la genèse de la Route de la soie : actes du IXe Symposium de Vani, Colchide, 1999. Besançon: Presses universitaires franc-comtoises., Kacharava,Darejan, Faudot, M. and E. Geny, eds. 2002. Autour de la Mer Noire: Hommage á Otar Lordkipanidze. Besançon : Presses universitaires franc-comtoises., Kacharava,Darejan, Faudot, M. and E. Geny. Eds. 2005. Pont-Euxin et Polis. Polis Hellenis et Polis Barbaron. Actes du Xe Symposium de Vani 23-26 septembre 2002: hommage à Otar Lordkipanidzé et Pierre Lévêque. Besançon: Presses universitaires Franc- Comtoises., and Kacharava, Darejan, Guram Kvirkvelia, and Jennifer Chi. 2008. Wine, Worship, and Sacrifice: the Golden Graves of Ancient Vani. Princeton: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, in association with Princeton University Press.
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Vani A074

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    The modern settlement of Vani. For a complete description of archaeological work carried out at the ancient site see entry A075.
    Keyword:
    Modern Settlement
    Citation to related publication:
    Archaeological remains at Vani were known as early as the 1850s, and the first report on assemblages found at the site was produced in 1880. First formal excavations began in 1896, but lasted only a few years. Stray finds of gold jewellery were reported in 1929 and 1940. A new intensive program of survey and excavation was carried intermittently from 1936 to 1946. In 1947, the Vani Archaeological Expedition was established. It was first led by Nino Khostaria (until 1963). Otar Lordkipanidze directed the activities from 1966 until 2002, and was succeeded by Darejan Kacharava after his death in 2002. Active excavations at the site concluded in 2007. Bibliography below is not exhaustive; rather, it lists major volumes on the archaeology of Vani. For a complete list of works published until 1995, see Vani IX volume (1996). See entry for site A075.
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Maisauri A072

    work
    Creator:
    Vani Archaeological Survey
    Description:
    Maisauri is a modern settlement on the west side of the valley of the Qumuri River. According to Raphiel Kartvelishvili, Classical pottery and the remains of a structure built out of ashlar masonry, possibly a church, were found to the west of the settlement on a ridge called Nadarbazevi, which offers a view both northeastward to the Phasis River valley and southwestward to the valley of the Supsa and beyond it to the Black Sea (A073).
    Keyword:
    Modern Settlement
    Citation to related publication:
    No archaeological research has previously been conducted at the site.
    Discipline:
    Social Sciences and Humanities