On the eastern edge of the modern town of Vani, just across the Sulori river from the town’s central traffic circle, lies a hill called Mshvidobisgora, the northeastern edge of which is crowned by a Mediaeval fortress. Mshvidobisgora comprises a long chain of hills rising to an elevation of 175 masl and oriented northwest-southeast, separating the right (east) bank of the Sulori from the Phasis river. The fortress is situated at the northeast edge of the westernmost hill in this chain.
The fortress forms the focal point of a modern recreational park. It is roughly square in plan, oriented north-south, east-west, and is constructed of lime mortared rubble masonry, consisting mainly of smoothed cobblestones. All four of the walls are preserved to a height of about 1 m. The wall thickness is about 0.4 m. The length of the east wall is 3.25 m, while that of the south wall is 3.40 m. It is unclear whether a break approximately 1 m wide piercing the south wall near the southeast corner was once a doorway. The hill on which the fortress stands is visible due almost directly east from the “Stepped Altar” on the Middle Terrace at the site of Vani.
Hughes, R. C. 2015. The Archaeology of a Colchian Landscape: Results of the Eastern Vani Survey. Ph.D. Dissertation. The University of Michigan. p. 144-145.
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).
Dutskhuni is a small modern settlement above the left bank of the Qumuri River. According to Raphiel Kartvelishvili, the pithos burial of a child had been found on the steep slopes rising above the modern village of Dutskhuni (A071). Pottery, possibly modern, was also reported in the area.
The modern settlement of Zeda Bzvani lies in the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus east of Vani, approximately 4 km south of the main east-west road on the south side of the Phasis River plain, and approximately 1 km west of Inashauri (A054). The village is located in the Vani administrative district. We identified six points of interest.
On the eastern edge of the village is a hill called Meskhebisgora, which is crowned by the remains of a fortress built of mortared rubble masonry (A052), and has pottery scattered across the agricultural fields on its southwestern slopes (A053). Local informants in Inashauri said that there was a tunnel from the fortress on Meskhebisgora to Inashauri (A054, A055, A056). Pottery noted on a hill to the northwest with a church and modern cemetery (A050) is technically part of Zeda Bzvani, but because it is so close to the sites in Kveda Bzvani mentioned above, the hill has been grouped with the latter.
Surveys were carried out here in 1936, 1978, 1984, ans 2008. Stray finds were reported here in 1925, 1936, and 1977., 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. pp. 150-51, pl. II, 2. (In Russian.), Lordkipanidze, O. D., R. V. Puturidze, D. D. Kacharava, V. A Tolordava, M. S. Pirtskhalava, A. M. Chqonia, N. N. Matiashvili, D. V. Akhvlediani, G. Sh. Naridze, and G. A. Inauri. 1987. Raboty Vanskoi ekspeditsii [Work of the Vani archaeological expedition]. Polevye arkheologicheskiye issledovaniya v 1984-85 godakh [Field archaeological investigations in 1984-85]. Tbilisi. p. 55. (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. 21-23. (In Georgian with an English summary.)
The modern settlement of Dikhashkho is located southeast of Vani, approximately 4 km up the Sulori River. The village is located in the Vani administrative district. We investigated a hill topped by a Mediaeval fortress knows as the Isriti Tsikhe (A044) about 2 km northeast of the village center and just south of the main east-west road running south of the Phasis River. In a ploughed field at the base of the hill, extending to the northeast toward the main road, we recorded a scatter of sherds and fragments of burnt mud plaster (A045). A second Mediaeval tower is located north of the main east-west road running south of the Phasis River (B005).
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.