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Early Bronze Age
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- Creator:
- Vani Archaeological Survey
- Description:
- Melashvilebisgora or Melashvilebis Ubani is located south of the modern settlement of Shuamta and is oriented roughly north south. Pottery was noted both during previous survey work and during the present investigation over all sides of the hill, suggesting that it was the site of an extensive settlement. In particular, ploughed agricultural fields on the west slope of the hill yielded a rich assemblage of pottery, including an Early Bronze Age tubular jug and miscellaneous sherds dating from the Iron Age through the Late Hellenistic period, burnt mud plaster, fragments of flint and obsidian, a bronze bracelet, and glass fragments, including one fragment of a glass bracelet. On the east slope of the hill, large fragments of burnt mud plaster were noted together with a Colchian pan tile fragment of the Hellenistic period. 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 to investigate anomalies detected by geophysical prospection. A series of four trenches revealed significant concentrations of pottery and burnt daub from wattle-and-daub structures, in three cases associated with pit features. One of these, a circular pit approximately 2 m wide and 60 cm deep is too small to have been used for habitation, and was perhaps a dugout storage feature or waste pit of some kind, partly subterranean, partly rising above grade on wattle and daub walls. Another, 1.5 m wide and at least 2.5 m long, may have belonged to a dugout house. Alternatively, these features may be quarry pits resulting from the collection of clay-rich soils appropriate for constructing the kind of wattle-and-daub structures that are found here and at sites throughout the region. These quarry pits would then have been filled with waste materials such as burnt mud plasters during the occupation of the site. With the exception of one trench that contained some debris that had apparently washed down from later habitation at a higher elevation, the small finds from these excavations were exclusively Iron Age in date, including three terracotta animal figurines.
- Keyword:
- Early Hellenistic, Iron Age, Classical, Late Hellenistic, Settlement, and Early Bronze Age
- Citation to related publication:
- Archaeological knowledge of Shuamta dates to the late 1970's. Formal archaeological work in the form of surveys took place in 1981 and 1986. No further work has been done in the area., Beradze, T. 1977. Vanis raionis istoriuli geograpiidan [From the historical geography of the Vani district]. Vani III. Tbilisi. pp. 238-40. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.) , Gamqrelidze, G. 1982. Tsentraluri kolkhetis dzveli namosakhlarebi [Ancient settlements of Central Colchis]. Tbilisi. (In Georgian with summaries in Russian and English.), Kacharava, D. 1983. Mokhatuli, shavlakiani da sada keramika. Vani VII. Tbilisi. pp. 26-51, p. 29. (In Georgian.) , Kvirkvelia, G. 1990. La Région de Vani aux VIIIème – Vème Siècles. In Le Pont-Euxin Vu Par les Grecs, Sources Écrites et Archéologique, Symposium de Vani (Colchide), Septembre-Octobre 1987, Otar Lordkipanidze et Pierre Lévêque, ed. Tea Khartchilava et Evelyne Geny, pp. 253-56. Centre de Recherches d’Histoire Ancienne, Vol. 100. Paris: Annales Littéraires de l’Université de Besançon. , Kvirkvelia, G. T. 1990. Vanskii region v VII-V vv. do n. e. [The Vani Region in the 7th-5th cent. B.C.] Prichernomorye v VII-V vv. do n. e. Pismennye istochniki i arkheologiya. Materialy V Mezhdunarodnogo simpoziuma po drevnei istorii Prichernomorya. Vani – 1987 [The Black Sea littoral in the 7th-5th centuries B.C. Literary sources and archaeology (Problem of authenticity). Materials of the 5th International symposium dedicated to the problems of the ancient history of the Black Sea littoral. Vani – 1987]. Tbilisi. p. 280. (In Russian.), 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. 42-43, Plate XXXII. (In Georgian with an English summary.)
- Discipline:
- Social Sciences and Humanities
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- Creator:
- Vani Archaeological Survey
- Description:
- Natsikhvarigora is one of the three hills located just south of the modern village of Dablagomi that were the foci of large-scale excavations in 1936 and again from 1970-1974 that revealed a long history of ancient occupation at Dablagomi, extending from the Early Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period (3rd millennium to 2nd century B.C.). It is situated between two streams, the Tetri Ghele on the west and the Shavi Ghele on the east. The Tetri Ghele separate Natsikhvarigora from Nasakirevigora (A014) to the northwest. The excavations concentrated on the top and on the west, north, and east slopes of the hill. Early Bronze Age materials (Kuro-Arax pottery, burnt daub, stone implements) were found on the top of the hill only, in addition to pottery from the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age, and Early Hellenistic period. The excavations revealed a rich body of evidence for occupation across the hillslopes in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age (burnt daub, Colchian pottery, bronze tools) and in the Classical and Hellenistic period (pithos burials, burnt daub, Colchian and imported pottery). The pithos burials of the Classical period were found in groups apparently arranged on family plots near households rather than in distinct cemeteries. The the most prominent discovery was a rich grave of the beginning of the 3rd century B.C., set in a large wooden structure and covered with Sinopean tiles, found on the west slope of Natsikhvarigora. The grave was constructed of wooden planks joined by large iron nails lining a north-south oriented pit cut into the rocky ground. A roof made of six rows of flat, overlapping tiles with rounded cover tiles, three tiles per row, covered most of the grave: the grave itself was 3.5 x 1.6 m, while the tiles covered an area of only 3 x 1.6 m. The tiles were found 0.6-0.8 m below ground surface, and 4th-century pithos burials were discovered nearby. As is common for the region, human remains were not preserved. The burial goods, arranged around the body along the edges of the pit, included gold jewels, bronze and silver wares, iron weapons, imported and local pottery, glass paste and stone beads, and pendants. Our visit was limited to the east side of the hill, where we observed numerous Classical and early Hellenistic period pithos fragments (some with braided and grooved patterning), fragments of unidentified imported ware, lithics, and burnt mud plaster.
- Keyword:
- Early Hellenistic, Iron Age, Late Bronze Age, Late Hellenistic, Settlement, Early Bronze Age, Burial, and Classical
- Citation to related publication:
- Archaeological investigation at Dablagomi began after the chance discovery of rich burial goods in the garden of a village house in 1929. Small scale excavations and survey took place in the area in 1933. Natsikhvari Gora, Nasakirevi Gora, and Nasaqdrevi Gora were the foci of large-scale excavations in 1936 and again from 1970-1974., Makalatia, S. 1940. Arkheologicheskiye raskopki v sel. Dablagomi i Aghaiani [Archaeological excavations in Dablagomi and Aghaiani]. SA, 5. pp. 264-271. (In Russian.), Khoshtaria, N. 1941. Drevnee poselenie v Dablagomi [The ancient settlement in Dablagomi]. Manuscript of dissertation. Tbilisi. (In Russian.), Makalatia, S. 1941. Arkeologiuri aghmochenebi sakobinaoshi, dablagomshi da aghaianshi [Archaeological discoveries in Sakobinao, Dablagomi, and Aghaiani]. Sakartvelos sakhelmtsipo muzeumis moambe, XI-B [Bulletin of the Janashia State Museum of Georgia, vol. XI-B]. Tbilisi. pp. 84-86. (In Georgian.), Kuftin, B. A. 1950. Materialy k arkheologii Kolkhidy [Materials for the archaeology of Colchis], vol. II. Tbilisi. pp. 1-82. (In Russian.), Jikia, L. 1971. Antikuri khanis masalebi kutaisis muzeumshi. Kiemm, II. pp. 26-27. (In Georgian.), Tolordava, V. A. 1971. Arkheologicheskiye raskopki v Dablagomi v 1970 godu [Archaeological excavations in Dablagomi in 1970]. 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. pp. 183-184. (In Russian.), Tolordava, V. 1973. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi dablagomshi [Archaeological excavations in Dablagomi]. Savele arkeologiuri kvlevedzieba sakartveloshi 1972 tsels [Field-archaeological studies in Georgia in 1972]. Tbilisi. pp. 69-73. (In Georgian.), Tolordava, V. 1973. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi Dablagomshi [Archaeological excavations in Dablagomi]. 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. 23-25. (Parallel texts in Georgian and Russian.), Tolordava, V. 1976a. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi Dablagomshi 1970-1971 tsts. [Archaeological excavations in Dablagomi in 1970-1971]. Vani II. Tbilisi. pp. 48-67. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Tolordava, V. 1976b. Mdidruli samarkhi Dablagomidan [The rich grave from Dablagomi]. Vani II. Tbilisi. pp. 68-78. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Tolordava, V. 1977a. Arkeologiuri gatkhrebi Dablagomshi [Archaeological excavations in Dablagomi]. Vani III. Tbilisi. pp. 71-81, figs. 45-64. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Tolordava, V. 1977b. Pogrebeniye s cherepichnym perekrytiyem iz Dablagomi [Burial with a tile roofing from Dabalgomi]. Kratkiye soobshcheniya Instituta arkheologii, 151. Moscow. pp. 48-54. (In Russian.), Tolordava, V. 1977c. Sépulture au toit de tuile de Dablagomi. Ouvrages de I’Institut d’archéologie 151: 48. (In French.), Tolordava, V., and G. Pkhakadze. 1978. Dablagomi. Kartuli sabchota entsiklopedia [The Georgian Soviet Encyclopaedia], vol. 3. Tbilisi. pp. 325-326. (In Georgian.), Pkhakadze, G. 1978. Mtkvar-araksis da dasavlet sakartvelos adrebrinjaos khanis kulturebis zogierti shekhvedra dasavlet sakartvelos teritoriaze [Some contacts of Kura-Araxes culture with the West-Georgian culture of the Early Bronze Age on the territory of western Georgia]. Sakartvelos arkeologiis sakitkhebi [Questions of the archaeology of Georgia], vol. I. Tbilisi. pp. 3-12, 57. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Tolordava, V. A. 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. A. 1982. Innovatsii v pogrebalnykh obryadakh Kolkhidy elinisticheskogo vremeni [Innovations in the burial customs of Colchis in the Hellenistic period]. Materialy III Vsesoyuznogo simpoziuma po drevnei istorii Prichernomorya na temy: 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. 126-127. (In Russian.), Tolordava, V. 1983. Antikuri importi vansa da mis midamoebshi. Dablagomi [Classical import in Vani and its environs. Dablagomi]. Vani VII. Tbilisi. pp. 129-135, pls. 53-59. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Licheli, V. 1987. Dablagomuri asonishnebi [The Dablagomi letter-signs]. Matsne (Istoriis, arkeologiis, etnograpiis da khelovnebis istoriis seria) [Herald of the Academy of Sciences (Series of history, archaeology, ethnography and history of art)], N 4. Tbilisi. pp. 30-44. (In Georgian with a Russian summary.), Kvirkvelia, G. 1990. La Région de Vani aux VIIIème – Vème Siècles. In Le Pont-Euxin Vu Par les Grecs, Sources Écrites et Archéologique, Symposium de Vani (Colchide), Septembre-Octobre 1987, Otar Lordkipanidze et Pierre Lévêque, ed. Tea Khartchilava et Evelyne Geny, pp. 253-56. Centre de Recherches d’Histoire Ancienne, Vol. 100. Paris: Annales Littéraires de l’Université de Besançon., Pkhakadze, G. 1993. Dasavleti amierkavkasia dzveli tseltaghritskhvis III atastsleulshi. Tbilisi. pp. 53-59. (In Georgian.), 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. 14-17. (In Georgian with an English summary.), and Golenko, K. V., and D. G. Kapanadze. 1966. “Four Hoards of Colchian Coins.” Numismatica and Epigraphica 6: 31-73, p. 35. (In Russian)
- Discipline:
- Social Sciences and Humanities