Archaeological monuments of Anatori
Archaeological monuments of Anatori are the remains of a fortified village of feudal-era. It is located on the slope near the confluence of the Arghun and Mutsostskali rivers, 3 km from Shatili (Dusheti Municipality). It has its own church and necropolis.
It was discovered in 1974 by I. Tsiklauri. Archaeological excavations were conducted in 1976 (led by R. Ramishvili). The following were identified: 1. Ruins of a village with remains. 2. Remains of the hall church of the Virgin Mary. It is located in the citadel of the village, in the highest and most inaccessible place. It provides the most valuable material for the history of the peoples of mountains and valleys. The significance of the church of Anatori is equal to that of the Tkhaba-Yerdy Church. It was built with slate stone. A baptismal font carved in stone, a frame for erecting a cross in front of the altar, archaeological material of the 12th–15th centuries: fragments of glazed and unglazed pottery, bracelets, coins and others were found; 3. Necropolis, which is located near the icon of Anatori. Family or ancestral crypts, built with cobblestone and covered with flat sandstone, were identified during the excavations. Typologically,they were similar to the 12th–14th century necropolis of Zhinvali; 4. 11th–15th century crypts. Two crypts were excavated where several dozen people were buried. Other archaeological material was found in small quantities (wooden vessels, bracelets, arrowheads, coins, etc.).
At the foot of the site of the village, on the lower edge of the cape, there are several above-ground crypts, where the residents of the Anatori village were buried. Ethnographers and travelers have studied these crypts (see the article Anatori's Cross); 5. Remains of a quadrangular building. The building was built with slate stone. There is a deep niche in the western wall. Horns of wild animals (deer, chamois), probably sacrificed to the deity of hunting, were discovered. Several fragments of metal jewelry were also found.
It should be noted that the area of the church was tabooed by the local population. It was declared a “sacred place” (inaccessible place).
Literature: ბარდაველიძე ვ., აღმოსავლეთ საქართველოს მთიანეთის ტრადიციული საზოგადოებრივ-საკულტო ძეგლები, ტ. 2 - ხევსურეთი, თბ., 1982; Рамишвили Р. М., Джорбенадзе В. А., Каландадзе З. А. И др., Археологические изыскания в Арагвском ущелье, კრ.: Полевые археологические исследования в 1974 году, Тб., 1976; მათივე, Работы Жинвальской комплексной экспедиции, კრ.: Полевые археологические исследования в 1976 году, Тб., 1979.
R. Ramishvili
