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- Creator:
- Vani Archaeological Survey
- Description:
- Dapnisgora is the westernmost of three hills located just south of the modern village of Dapnari that formed the foci of excavations carried out from 1967 through 1973: Dapnisgora, Chaisgora (A005), and Tsqvetiligora (A007). Together they form a series of stepped hills oriented northwest-southeast that rise up to the south from the Phasis River plain. Excavations on Dapnisgora were conducted on the middle terrace of the northwest slope of the hill (A003, where pottery continues to be discovered), farther to the west, and on the south slope. Evidence of settlement from the 6th to 3rd centuries B.C. was found on all three hills. Mixed cultural materials, including a curved iron knife and an iron axe, Hellenistic pottery such as a black-glazed kylix fragment (4th-3rd century B.C.), and Colchian pottery possibly as early as the 6th-4th centuries B.C., were found on the northwest slope of Dapnis Gora (Trench 1). In addition to traces of occupation spread among all three hills, pithos graves covered almost the entire hill of Dapnisgora, interred singly or in clusters, and dating to the 4th-2nd centuries. Almost all of the pithos burials were placed vertically, usually with the mouth at the bottom. The grave goods usually included between one and four clay vessels, jewelry, and sometimes coins. Rather than forming a single large cemetery of a size otherwise undocumented, these burials were more likely associated with individual homesteads situated across the hill. More recent discoveries of a significant amount of pottery, including Hellenistic roof-tiles and amphora fragments, on the southwest slopes of Dapnisgora during informal surveys by S. Kharabadze and by the Vani Regional Survey project support this interpretation. Kighuradze pictured such wattle-and-daub houses scattered widely across the hillslopes, situated some distance from each other on artificial or natural terraces and surrounded by garden-plots, a situation she compared to the modern settlement pattern of the region.
- Keyword:
- Early Hellenistic, Late Hellenistic, and Settlement
- Citation to related publication:
- Archaeological research at Dapnari began with excavations by the Dapnari team of the Vani Expedition between 1967 and 1973 on all three hills. A short survey was conducted in 2008., Kighuradze, N. 1967. Dapnaris samarovani [The Dapnari necropolis]. Istoriis institutis aspirantta da akhalgazrda metsnier mushakta sametsniero konperentsia, tezisebi [Scientific conference of the young scholars and post-graduates of the Institute of History, Abstracts]. Tbilisi. pp. 24-26. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1969. Dapnaris samarovani, 1967-1968 tsts. kampaniis dziritadi shedegebi [The Dapnari necropolis, the main results of the 1967-1968 campaigns]. XVIII sametsniero sesia, midzghvnili Sakartveloshi 1968 tsels tsarmoebuli savelearkeologiuri kvleva-dziebis shedegebisadmi, mokle angarishebi [The 18th scientific sessions, dedicated to the results of the field-archaeological studies in Georgia in 1967-1968, Short reports]. Tbilisi. p. 21. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1970. Mdzivebi dapnaris samarovnidan [Beads from the Dapnari necropolis]. Istoriis institutes aspirantta da akhalgazrda metsnier mushakta sametsniero konperentsia, tezisebi [Scientific conference of the post-graduates and young scholars of the Institute of History, Abstracts]. Tbilisi. p. 15. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1970. Monetebi Dapnaris samarovnidan [Coins from the Dapnari necropolis]. Dzeglis megobari, N 23. Tbilisi. pp. 15-19. (In Georgian.), Lordkipanidze, G. A., and N. Sh. Kighuradze. 1970. Arkheologicheskiye otkrytiya 1969 goda [Archaeological discoveries in 1969]. Moscow. p. 365. (In Russian.), Jikia, L. 1971. Ant’ik’uri khanis masalebi kutaisis muzeumshi. Kiemm, II. pp. 22-28., Kighuradze, N. 1971a. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi Dapnarshi 1969 tsels [Archaeological excavations in Dapnari in 1969]. Arkeologiuri kvlevadzieba Sakartveloshi 1969 tsels [Archaeological investigations in Georgia in 1969]. Tbilisi. pp. 68-72. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1971b. Dapnarshi shemtkhvevit aghmochenili arkeologiuri dzeglebi [Archaeological relics discovered accidentally in Dapnari]. Saistorio moambe [Bulletin of History]. Tbilisi. pp. 347-369. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh. 1971c. Dapnarskii nekropol [The Dapnari necropolis]. Vsesoyuznaya nauchnaya sessia, posvyashchennaya itogam polevykh arkheologicheskikh i etnograficheskikh issledovanii v SSSR v 1970 godu [The All-Union scientific session devoted to the results of the archaeological and ethnographic studies in the USSR in 1970]. Tbilisi. p. 184. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. 1971d. Sopel dapnaris kvevrsamarkhi [The pithos burial in the village of Dapnari]. Dzeglis megobari, N 27-28. Tbilisi. pp. 57-61. (In Georgian.), Lordkipanidze, G. A., and N. Sh. Kighuradze. 1971. Raskopki Dapnarskogo selishcha [Excavations of the Dapnari settlement]. Arkheologicheskiye otkrytiya 1970 goda [Archaeological discoveries in 1970]. – Moscow. pp. 380-381. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh. 1972. K istorii naseleniya tsentralnoi Kolkhidy v antichnuyu epokhu. Avtoreferat dissertatsii na soiskaniye uchenoi stepeni kandidata istoricheskikh nauk [Towards the history of the population of central Colchis in the Classical period. Synopsis of thesis to defend the scientific degree of candidate of historical sciences]. Tbilisi. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh., and G. A. Lordkipanidze. 1972. Itogi issledovaniya Dapnarskogo selishcha [Results of the study of the Dapnari settlement site]. Arkheologicheskiye otkrytiya 1971 goda [Archaeological discoveries in 1971]. Moscow. p. 469. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. 1973. Dapnaris nasoplari da samarovani [Dapnari settlement and necropolis]. 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. 25-27. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1976. Dapnarskii mogilnik [The Dapnari necropolis]. Tbilisi. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh., and G. A. Lordkipanidze. 1977. Dapnarskoye selishche I mogilnik (K probleme selskikh poselenii Kolkhidy) [The Dapnari settlement site and necropolis (Towards the problem of village-type settlements in Colchis)]. Kratkiye soobshcheniya Instituta arkheologii, 151. Moscow. pp. 55-64. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. 1978a. Dapnari. Kartuli sabchota entsiklopedia [The Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia], vol. 3. Tbilisi. p. 401. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1978b. Kolkhuri sopeli antikur khanashi [Colchian village in the Classical times]. Sakartvelos arkeologiis sakitkhebi [Questions of the archaeology of Georgia], vol. I. Tbilisi. pp. 56, 58-59. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Kighuradze, N. Sh., 1980. Kolkhskoe selo v ellinisticheskuyu epokhu [Colchian village in the Hellenistic period]. Vsesoyuznyi simpozium po problemam ellimisticheskoi kultury na Vostoke. Mai, 1980 g. Tezisy dokladov [The All-Union symposium on problems of the Hellenistic culture in the East, May of 1980. Abstracts of papers]. Yerevan. pp. 38-39. (In Russian.), Tolordava, V. 1980. Dakrdzalvis tsesebi elinisturi khanis sakartveloshi [The burial rites in Georgia of the Hellenistic period.] Tbilisi. pp. 6-23, pls. II-XVIII. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Tolordava, V. 1983. Antikuri importi vansa da mis midamoebshi. Dapnari [Classical import in Vani and its environs. Dapnari]. Vani VII. Tbilisi. pp. 136-138, pls. 60-62. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), 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. p. 17-18. (In Georgian with an English summary.)
- Discipline:
- Social Sciences and Humanities
-
- Creator:
- Vani Archaeological Survey
- Description:
- The modern village of Dapnari lies 16 km west of Vani at the junction between the main east-west road south of the Phasis River and a branch road running north to a bridge across the Phasis and beyond that to the town Samtredia. The houses of the village extend southward from the valley floor to the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus. It is located in the Samtredia administrative district. Our survey focused on a hill oriented northwest-southeast and located to the southeast of the road junction. The hill rises 200 m above the river plain. An extensive necropolis and associated occupational layers of the 6th-4th centuries B.C. were excavated in this area in the 1960s-70s (Kiguradze 1976). We designated six areas on this hill as points of interest: a terrace on the west side of the hill known as Dapnisgora (”Laurel Hill”), together with the hillslope below it (A003); an open meadow near the top of the hill, where a number of pithos graves were excavated in the 1970s, and where local cowherds reported finding bronze and ivory figurines (A004); a terrace on the south side of the hill known as Chaisgora (”Tea Hill”) (A005); an area on the slopes below Chaisgora where a limestone terrace wall is visible (A006); another terrace in a saddle on the east side of the hill known as Tsqvetiligora (A007); and a limestone structure, possibly a church, in the valley west of the hill (A008). In addition, the owner of a house on the main road at the east edge of the village reported finding four pithos burials on his property, and showed us a number of remains from these graves (A013).
- Keyword:
- Modern Settlement
- Citation to related publication:
- Archaeological research at Dapnari began with excavations by the Dapnari team of the Vani Expedition between 1967 and 1973 on all three hills. A short survey was conducted in 2008., Kighuradze, N. 1967. Dapnaris samarovani [The Dapnari necropolis]. Istoriis institutis aspirantta da akhalgazrda metsnier mushakta sametsniero konperentsia, tezisebi [Scientific conference of the young scholars and post-graduates of the Institute of History, Abstracts]. Tbilisi. pp. 24-26. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1969. Dapnaris samarovani, 1967-1968 tsts. kampaniis dziritadi shedegebi [The Dapnari necropolis, the main results of the 1967-1968 campaigns]. XVIII sametsniero sesia, midzghvnili Sakartveloshi 1968 tsels tsarmoebuli savelearkeologiuri kvleva-dziebis shedegebisadmi, mokle angarishebi [The 18th scientific sessions, dedicated to the results of the field-archaeological studies in Georgia in 1967-1968, Short reports]. Tbilisi. p. 21. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1970. Mdzivebi dapnaris samarovnidan [Beads from the Dapnari necropolis]. Istoriis institutes aspirantta da akhalgazrda metsnier mushakta sametsniero konperentsia, tezisebi [Scientific conference of the post-graduates and young scholars of the Institute of History, Abstracts]. Tbilisi. p. 15. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1970. Monetebi Dapnaris samarovnidan [Coins from the Dapnari necropolis]. Dzeglis megobari, N 23. Tbilisi. pp. 15-19. (In Georgian.), Lordkipanidze, G. A., and N. Sh. Kighuradze. 1970. Arkheologicheskiye otkrytiya 1969 goda [Archaeological discoveries in 1969]. Moscow. p. 365. (In Russian.), Jikia, L. 1971. Ant’ik’uri khanis masalebi kutaisis muzeumshi. Kiemm, II. pp. 22-28., Kighuradze, N. 1971a. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi Dapnarshi 1969 tsels [Archaeological excavations in Dapnari in 1969]. Arkeologiuri kvlevadzieba Sakartveloshi 1969 tsels [Archaeological investigations in Georgia in 1969]. Tbilisi. pp. 68-72. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1971b. Dapnarshi shemtkhvevit aghmochenili arkeologiuri dzeglebi [Archaeological relics discovered accidentally in Dapnari]. Saistorio moambe [Bulletin of History]. Tbilisi. pp. 347-369. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh. 1971c. Dapnarskii nekropol [The Dapnari necropolis]. Vsesoyuznaya nauchnaya sessia, posvyashchennaya itogam polevykh arkheologicheskikh i etnograficheskikh issledovanii v SSSR v 1970 godu [The All-Union scientific session devoted to the results of the archaeological and ethnographic studies in the USSR in 1970]. Tbilisi. p. 184. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. 1971d. Sopel dapnaris kvevrsamarkhi [The pithos burial in the village of Dapnari]. Dzeglis megobari, N 27-28. Tbilisi. pp. 57-61. (In Georgian.), Lordkipanidze, G. A., and N. Sh. Kighuradze. 1971. Raskopki Dapnarskogo selishcha [Excavations of the Dapnari settlement]. Arkheologicheskiye otkrytiya 1970 goda [Archaeological discoveries in 1970]. – Moscow. pp. 380-381. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh. 1972. K istorii naseleniya tsentralnoi Kolkhidy v antichnuyu epokhu. Avtoreferat dissertatsii na soiskaniye uchenoi stepeni kandidata istoricheskikh nauk [Towards the history of the population of central Colchis in the Classical period. Synopsis of thesis to defend the scientific degree of candidate of historical sciences]. Tbilisi. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh., and G. A. Lordkipanidze. 1972. Itogi issledovaniya Dapnarskogo selishcha [Results of the study of the Dapnari settlement site]. Arkheologicheskiye otkrytiya 1971 goda [Archaeological discoveries in 1971]. Moscow. p. 469. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. 1973. Dapnaris nasoplari da samarovani [Dapnari settlement and necropolis]. 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. 25-27. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1976. Dapnarskii mogilnik [The Dapnari necropolis]. Tbilisi. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. Sh., and G. A. Lordkipanidze. 1977. Dapnarskoye selishche I mogilnik (K probleme selskikh poselenii Kolkhidy) [The Dapnari settlement site and necropolis (Towards the problem of village-type settlements in Colchis)]. Kratkiye soobshcheniya Instituta arkheologii, 151. Moscow. pp. 55-64. (In Russian.), Kighuradze, N. 1978a. Dapnari. Kartuli sabchota entsiklopedia [The Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia], vol. 3. Tbilisi. p. 401. (In Georgian.), Kighuradze, N. 1978b. Kolkhuri sopeli antikur khanashi [Colchian village in the Classical times]. Sakartvelos arkeologiis sakitkhebi [Questions of the archaeology of Georgia], vol. I. Tbilisi. pp. 56, 58-59. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Kighuradze, N. Sh., 1980. Kolkhskoe selo v ellinisticheskuyu epokhu [Colchian village in the Hellenistic period]. Vsesoyuznyi simpozium po problemam ellimisticheskoi kultury na Vostoke. Mai, 1980 g. Tezisy dokladov [The All-Union symposium on problems of the Hellenistic culture in the East, May of 1980. Abstracts of papers]. Yerevan. pp. 38-39. (In Russian.), Tolordava, V. 1980. Dakrdzalvis tsesebi elinisturi khanis sakartveloshi [The burial rites in Georgia of the Hellenistic period.] Tbilisi. pp. 6-23, pls. II-XVIII. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Tolordava, V. 1983. Antikuri importi vansa da mis midamoebshi. Dapnari [Classical import in Vani and its environs. Dapnari]. Vani VII. Tbilisi. pp. 136-138, pls. 60-62. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), 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’egmberi. p. 17-18. (In Georgian with an English summary.)
- Discipline:
- Social Sciences and Humanities
-
- Creator:
- Vani Archaeological Survey
- Description:
- Saqanchia is a level area on the northeastern outskirts of Vani, at the edge of the Phasis River plain (ca. 2 km north of the archaeological site). A substantial settlement was discovered here in the 1970s. Excavations supervised by V. Licheli revealed cobblestone foundations marking the complete outlines of two small buildings and the partial outlines of several others, local and imported ceramics, and terracotta figurines, all of which date the occupation of the area to the Hellenistic period. Saqanchia is currently a mixed use area, combining pasture land, holding ponds, small agricultural plots, a cemetery, and a number of Soviet-era industrial buildings, now mostly derelict with the exception of one operating saw mill. The derelict industrial buildings include a factory used for the production of sewing-machine parts, abandoned playing fields, likely associated with the factory, and two large greenhouses. The greenhouses were once supplied with natural hot sulphuric water, which still flows out of one operating spout in the area. In 2009 the survey project investigated the area using two methods of geophysical prospection, electrical resistivity and magnetic survey. In 2010 excavations were carried out in three trenches to investigate anomalies detected by geophysical prospection and to test the stratigraphy in the area of the excavations conducted by Licheli. In all cases, extensive modern disturbance had removed any stratified remains of earlier occupation, but large quantities of unstratified Hellenistic pottery and tile fragments were recovered. One well-preserved building, excavated in 1975-1976 and identified by the excavator as a complex comprised of two “dwelling-houses” (165 sq. m.), a “service-house” (32.86 sq. m), and a yard (346.5 sq m), may be described in detail. This structure is oblong in outline and oriented roughly north-south. Its exterior dimensions are 16.5 m x 10 m; both the exterior and the interior walls are 0.8 m wide. The “dwelling-house” portion of the building is divided into four rooms, symmetrically disposed across a central north-south wall. On the basis of the cobblestone foundations and tile fall, the excavator reconstructed a wattle and daub structure with timber framework and double-pitched roof of terracotta tiles sloping down in two directions from the central north-south wall. An additional suite of three rooms was attached to the north end of the four-room structure; the excavator called this a “service-house.” These rooms included two similar rooms, 3.5 x 3.4 m, 2.7 x 3.4 m, and a narrow room. 6.2 x 1.8 m. Between the “dwelling-house” and “service house,” the team excavated a garbage pit, 2.5 x 3 x 1 m deep, completely filled during the time the building complex was in use, with 3rd to mid-2nd century materials at the bottom. A pithos was found in the yard of the “dwelling-house,” 1.3 m deep, and a ditch was discovered in same area (3.7 m long, 0.7 m wide, and 0.3 deep) running in an east-west direction, turning to the north for a distance of 1.8 m, then a hard turn to the west for a length of 2.4 m long, when it was 0.8 m wide and 0.2 m deep. Traces of an earlier building of the late 3rd or early 2nd century BC were found under the pressed clay floor of one of the rooms of the “dwelling-house.” These remains included a thin layer of tiles, found just under the pressed clay floor, and poorly preserved building foundations. A tile structure found among these remains was interpreted by the excavator as a family altar concurrent with the earlier structure, but it may in fact have been a storage bin.
- Keyword:
- Hellenistic and Settlement
- Citation to related publication:
- Archaeological work at Saqanchia started with a discovery of chance finds in 1972. Archaeological research began in 1974 with the excavation of a test trench and the collection of surface materials. Additional small scale survey took place in 2008., Dundua, G. 1973. Sakartveloshi gavrtselebuli alexandre makedonelisa da lisimakes sakhelit motchrili monetebi vanidan. [The coins known from Georgia struck by the names of Alexander the Macedonian and Lysimmachus in Vani.] Matsne [Herald] no. 1, 1973: 51-65., Licheli, V. 1977. Akhalaghmochenili nakalakari saqhanchias velze [The recently found ancient site of the Saqanchia valley]. Vani III. Tbilisi. pp. 52-57, pls. 21-24. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Licheli, V. 1981a. Dzveli tseltaghritskhvis III-I saukuneebis shida kolkhetis materialuri kulturis shestsavlisatvis (saqhanchias namosakhlari) [Towards the study of the material culture of Inner Colchis in the 3rd-1st cent. B.C. (Saqanchia settlement)]. Matsne (Istoriis, arkeologiis, etnograpiis da khelovnebis istoriis seria) [Herald of the Academy of Sciences, Series of history, archaeology, ethnography and history of art)], N 2. Tbilisi. pp. 41-51. (In Georgia with a Russian summary.), Licheli, V. T. 1981b. Materialnaya kultura vnutrennei Kolkhidy III-II vv. do n. e. [Material culture of Inner Colchis in the 3rd-2nd cent. B.C.]. Avtoreferat dissertatsii na soiskaniye uchenoi stepeni kandidata istoricheskikh nauk [Synopsis of thesis to defend the scientific degree of candidate of historical sciences]. Tbilisi. 25 pp. (In Russian.), Licheli, V. 1982a. Saqanchias nakalakaris 1976 tsis gatkhrebis shedegebi (Gvianelinisturi sakhlis rekonstruktsia) [Results of excavations of the city site of Saqanchia in 1976 (restoration of a Late Hellenistic building)]. Arkeologiuri dziebani. Akhalgazrda mkvlevarta II da III sametsniero sesiis masalebi [Archaeological investigations. Materials of the 2nd and 3rd scientific sessions of young researchers]. Tbilisi. pp. 31-41. (In Georgian.), Licheli, V. T. 1982b. Torgovo-remeslennoye poseleniye II-II vv. do n. e. vo vnutrennei Kolkhide [A trade and artisan settlement of the 3rd-2nd cent. B.C. in Inner Colchis]. Materialy III Vsesoyuznogo simpoziuma po drevnei istorii Prichernomorya na temu: Ellinizm i Prichernomorye. Tskhaltubo, 21-27. V. 1982 g. Tezisy dokladov i soobshchenii [Materials of the 3rd All-Union symposium on the ancient history of the Black Sea littoral on the theme: “Hellenism and the Black Sea littoral.” Tsqaltubo, 21-27. V. 1982. Abstracts of reports and communications]. Tbilisi. pp. 54-55. (In Russian.), Licheli, V. 1983. Antikuri importi vansa dam is midamoebshi. Saqanchias namosakhlari [Classical import in Vaniand its environs. The Saqanchia settlement]. Vani VII. Tbilisi. pp. 113-125, pls. 50-51. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Licheli, V. T. 1985. Torgovo-remeslennoye poseleniye III-I vv. do n. e. vo vnutrennei Kolkhide [A trade and artisan settlement of the 3rd-2nd cent. B.C. in Inner Colchis]. Prichernomorye v epokhu ellinizma. Materialy III Vsesoyuznogo simpoziuma po drevnei istorii Prichernomorya. Tskhaltubo, 1982 [The Black Sea littoral in the Hellenistic times. Materials of the 3rd All-Union symposium on the ancient history of the Black Sea littoral. Tsqaltubo, 1982]. Tbilisi. pp. 468-473. (In Russian with an English summary.) , Licheli, V. 1991. Dzveli Vani. Sameurneo ubani [Ancient Vani. Industrial district]. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with summaries in Russian and English.), 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. p. 20. (In Georgian with an English summary.)
- Discipline:
- Social Sciences and Humanities
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Realm 3: Tumulus Excavations
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, field notebooks, unit and profile drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and geophysical survey data related to the tumuli excavations have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 3., Total size of all files: approximately 2 gigabytes Chapter(s) linked to: Eight Abbreviations: “T” = tumulus, as in T099; “S” = site, as in S006, The excavation methods employed by PASH at tumuli replicate those employed at settlements. Natural stratigraphy was followed where possible, and arbitrary stratigraphic levels were defined when necessary. Arbitrary stratigraphic levels at tumuli often exceeded the 10 cm interval used at settlements, due to the large number of large rocks that needed to be removed. Due to the numerous rocks, not all mound fill was screened; rather, we screened every third bucket through quarter-inch mesh. By contrast, all soil from features was screened. Soil was sampled for flotation and water screening from every level and feature, but unlike samples from settlements, it has not been processed and analyzed. Each tumulus, being roughly circular, was divided into quadrants along the cardinal directions, and 1-m baulks between quadrants were defined. Quadrants were excavated separately by level. Sometimes quadrants were excavated concurrently. Tumulus unit/level/feature designations are therefore preceded by tumulus (T000) and quadrant (Q000) numbers. Artifact provenience was recorded down to levels and features, with important in situ artifacts sometimes being mapped into level/feature drawings along x-y-z axes. Strata and artifacts were measured cm below surface using a dumpy level. All levels and features were drawn and photographed, individually and by quadrant. , In each mound we followed natural stratigraphy whenever and wherever possible. However, given the steep downward curves of many strata, following the slopes of mound surfaces, this was not always possible. Thus, it is likely that some levels combine artifacts from different mound strata. To control partially for this difficulty, quadrant levels were often subdivided into separate units on the interior or the exterior of mounds (designated “collections units” or CUs). Mound and grave architecture, when present, was left in place until fully defined and documented and then removed if necessary. Baulks were drawn in profile and photographed and removed en masse at the end of each excavation., and Prior to excavation, all mounds surveyed in Shtoj and Shkrel were mapped and fully documented. The state of preservation (present day and projected into the future) of each mound was recorded (from poor to excellent, and from fully safe to critically endangered). Given that so many mounds in both regions were already damaged or had been destroyed, or were actively threatened, we decided to excavate mounds that were (1) already completely removed (T-085), (2) damaged by agricultural activities (T-052), (3) going to be removed by a landowner (despite legal prohibitions) (T-088), and (4) previously looted or excavated (T-099). We did not want to excavate seemingly intact, undamaged mounds. Our tumulus excavations can therefore be aptly described as “rescue” excavations.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
5Works -
Realm 2: Settlement Excavations
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, field notebooks, unit and profile drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and geophysical survey data related to the settlement excavations have been made available in PASH Realm 2. and The excavations we conducted at Kodër Boks, Zagorë, and Gajtan were designed to gather as much data as possible, as quickly as possible. They were composed of test pits (“units,” i.e., sondages), primarily 1x1 m in size, occasionally larger, positioned based on the results of field surveys and systematic surface collections of artifacts, but also with reference to prior excavations (at Zagorë and Gajtan) and geophysical data (collected at Gajtan). Excavations followed natural stratigraphy where possible; when such strata were not present, we excavated in 10-cm arbitrary levels. Artifact provenience was recorded down to levels and features, with important in situ artifacts sometimes being mapped into level/feature drawings along x-y-z axes. When identified, archaeological features (e.g., pits, floors, walls, etc.) were excavated separately from levels. Excavators organized forms and accompanying journal entries by “level” and “feature” for each unit. Each level and feature was drawn and photographed. Artifacts were bagged together by level and type. Radiocarbon samples were wrapped in tin foil and bagged separately. Soil samples were taken from each level using the “pinch” method. Upon completion, a profile wall of each unit was photographed, and, in some cases, drawn. Artifacts (with the exception of metal) were washed in water, dried on racks in the sun, and sorted and labeled in the PASH field laboratory. They were analyzed in preliminary fashion first in the field by PASH staff and later by experts.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
3Sub-collections0Works -
Realm 4: Artifact Analysis
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, drawings, photographs, photo descriptions, radiocarbon dates, and analytical data related to artifacts, ecofacts, and human remains have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 4. Each artifact dataset will include all or some of the following: - Database files: CSV, Excel, PDF, Word; - Photos: Jpeg; - Drawings: PDF Total size of all files: approximately 10 gigabytes. See individual records or readme for linked chapters. and All artifacts found in the course of survey and excavation were brought to a museum facility in Shkodër (at the Hotel Meteor, on the Shkodër-Koplik road). They were cleaned, labeled, drawn, photographed, and described. Artifact descriptions were entered into one of three databases: pottery, chipped stone, and small finds. Each artifact was assigned a unique identifying number containing locational information. Pottery numbers typically begin with a tract or other collection unit (e.g., grid square in a site-surface collection) identifier, followed by a sequence number if more than one potsherd or ceramic was located in a tract or unit. Lithics and other small finds were assigned a GT number (GT-001, GT-002, etc.; GT being the Albanian acronym for Small Find). During a study season held in December 2014, artifacts were analyzed in more detail by specialists, each of whom produced a lengthier description of pottery, chipped stone, or small finds. A subset of ceramic and groundstone samples was retained for petrographic and chemical analysis. Finally, all seeds and wood charcoal recovered through flotation and all animal bones were analyzed. Human remains from Tumulus 99 were subjected to Strontium-isotope and aDNA analysis.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Humanities and Science
6Works -
Realm 1: Field Survey and Site Collections
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All databases, field notebooks, paper maps, GIS files, photographs, and photo descriptions related to the intensive survey, of tracts and tumuli, and the collection of sites have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 1 (this sub-collection)., Over the course of five years, 11 field teams (Teams A–K) surveyed 2530 tracts in Shkrel and Shtoj, covering 16.1 km2. Survey data were eventually collapsed into six geographic zones (1–6). All tracts were surveyed using standard Mediterranean survey methods. For each tract (recorded consecutively by team letter and a number, e.g. A-001, A-002, etc.), surveyors walked at 15-m intervals and counted all tile/brick, ceramic fragments, and small finds. We conducted a full-coverage survey, meaning that all land forms—including fields, hills, and terraces—in each survey zone were surveyed, unless the landowner objected or the vegetation was so dense as to render survey impossible. Each tract was photographed and a GPS point at the center of the tract was obtained. Photos and photo descriptions were maintained in separate databases by each team. Information about tracts was recorded by hand in notebooks by team leaders. This included data about a tract’s soil, geology, ground cover (plants growing in the tract, crops planted in the field), associated structures, associated archaeological features (including tumuli), informant testimony, visibility, and, most critically, artifact counts. , and Realm 1 is divided into two sub-collections: Survey Data and Site Data. Both sub-collections are organized by data type. Survey data includes Tract photos and Photologs, Survey maps, Spatial data files, and a Collection Unit (CU) survey database. Site Data includes the Site database, Site documentation, Site photos and Photologs, and Spatial data files.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
2Sub-collections0Works -
Realm 5: Geological Data
User Collection- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- The PASH Data Collection is comprised of Five data “realms”: 1) Survey and site data, 2) Settlement excavations, 3) Tumulus (burial mound) survey and excavations, 4) Artifact analysis, and 5) Geological data. All of the geological data from cores and auger holes have been made available in PASH Deep Blue Data Realm 5. , Much of the work conducted by PASH took place on a geomorphic feature we call the Shtoj alluvial fan. Geological research was done along the distal margins of the Shtoj alluvial fan in the fringing freshwater wetlands of Shkodër Lake. Field reconnaissance in 2010 consisted of drilling twelve 5-cm diameter auger holes across the fan to a maximum depth of 4.8 m. A composite sediment sample was collected every 0.3 m during drilling. Between 2012 and 2014, sediment cores were taken at four wetland locations on the southeastern shore of Shkodër Lake. North-south trending core locations were selected following results of samples collected during the 2010 reconnaissance and are 1 km east of the Shkodër Lake shoreline. Twenty-two cores, ranging in length from 0.24 m to 0.87 m, were taken from four sites using a 6.3-cm diameter polycarbonate piston corer. , and (See readme in Geological Data record for full documentation; Chapter linked to: Chapter Two).
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities
1Works -
- Creator:
- Cuyler, Antonio, Carruthers, Matthew, and Imbesi, Jason
- Description:
- Building on previous research (Cuyler, A., Carruthers, M., Imbesi, J. 2023. “Cultural Policy of the Oppressed” [Data set], University of Michigan - Deep Blue Data. https://doi.org/10.7302/9e20-zg88), we performed a qualitative textual analysis of three related areas of oppression, colonialism, expansionism, and imperialism, and how they have been discussed within cultural policy research. The analysis focused on three major cultural policy journals, Cultural Trends, the Journal of Arts Management, Society, and Law, and the International Journal of Cultural Policy.
- Keyword:
- content analysis, cultural policy, oppression, colonialism, expansionism, and imperialism
- Discipline:
- Arts and Humanities
-
- Creator:
- Galaty, Michael
- Description:
- PDFs of scans of miscellaneous documents related to a particular excavation, including, e.g., excavation forms, maps of units, and drawings of units and unit profiles.
- Keyword:
- archaeology
- Discipline:
- Science and Humanities