Archaeology in Georgia
Archaeology (in Greek arcaios means old and logos — word, doctrine) studies the history of mankind on the basis of the monuments of material culture.
The first attempts of archaeological studies took place in Georgia in the middle of the 19th century by T. Bagrationi, M. Baratashvili, P. Ioseliani, D. Bakradze and others. The activities of the Caucasian Department of the Russian Imperial Geographical Society (1850), the Museum of Caucasus (1852) and the Caucasian Archaeological Society (1873) are also related to this period. Archaeological research has intensified since the 1860s. In connection with the relocation and expansion of the Georgian military road, the so-called Vespasian's inscription of the year 75, Samtavro necropolis and others were discovered. But at that time, there were neither trained archaeologists in Georgia, nor special archaeological scientific institutions. So, scientists of a wide historical profile (D. Bakradze, E. Takaishvili, P. Ioseliani, M. Baratashvili and others) dedicated themselves to paleology.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, archaeological works have been led by the Museum of Georgia (until 1919, by the Museum of Caucasus) and the Historical and Ethnographic Society of Georgia. From the 1920s, the work for training qualified archaeologists started. For this purpose, G. Nioradze was sent first to Russia and then Germany. In 1925, G. Nioradze, Doctor of History, headed the archaeological research in the Museum of Georgia and at the same time took the lead in educating young archaeologists at Tbilisi State University (TSU). Later on, these works were carried out by the Georgian Institute of Archaeology and for the most part by the Institute of Language, History and Material Culture.
By the end of the 1980s, more than 300 scientists (including 100 doctors and candidates of Sciences) were involved in archaeological research in Georgia. The following scientific-research centers of archaeology were established: Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia, Archaeological Research Center of Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Department of Archaeology of TSU, Art Museum of Georgia, scientific-research institutes of Abkhazia, Batumi and Tskhinvali, as well as historical-ethnographic and local museums. Modern, scientific archaeological bases have been established in Mtskheta, Sighnaghi, Nastakisi, Tbilisi, Vani, Bichvinta, Kavtiskhevi and Mestia.
The success of Georgian archaeology was largely related to the new construction projects in Trialeti (Khrami-river hydroelectric plant), Enguri Valley (Enguri Dam), Dusheti Municipality (Zhinvali Dam), Alazani Valley (irrigation system), Colchis Lowland, Kartli Valley (irrigation systems), Kvemo Kartli (Marabda - Akhalkalaki railway) and others. Important archaeological findings have been discovered in Mtskheta, Zhinvali, Kakheti, Vani, the headwaters of Rioni, Abkhazia (Bichvinta), Adjara, Shida and Kvemo Kartli.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, approximately 2,000 archaeological works have been published in Georgian, Russian and foreign languages. Serial publications were also established. A group of authors (A. Apakidze, A. Kalandadze, N. Berdzenishvili, G. Gobejishvili, G. Lomtatidze, N. Khoshtaria, O. Japaridze) created the first university textbook — Georgian Archaeology (1959). Archaeological Dictionary (edited by A. Apakidze) was published in 1980. Paleolithic and Neolithic settlement ruins were monographically studied. The periodization of the Stone Age settlement ruins was worked out; The forms of productive farming and the Neolithic Revolution were characterized. The so-called Kura–Araxes culture of the early Bronze Age represented by classical monuments was studied. As a result of the discovery and study of classical monuments of the Middle and Late Bronze Age, the civilization of the Caucasus was revealed; Tumuli of the Middle Bronze Age were found in Trialeti, Kakheti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and in Colchis. The tumuli of Bedeni were found and excavated, the archaeological culture of Bedeni was identified. Unique monuments of the Caucasian civilization of the Late Bronze Age were excavated in the village of Tlia (in the area of Java).
Archaeological studies shed new light on the early stages of iron metallurgy and the Caucasian roots of this greatest achievement of human civilization, its connection with local bronze metallurgy. Special attention was paid to the research of ancient and feudal cities like Mtskheta, Phasis, Vani, Pitsunda, Nokalakevi, Dioskuria, Urbnisi, Dmanisi, Rustavi, Tbilisi and others. The remains of a palace, a temple, a bathhouse and a pool of the Late Antiquity, decorated in Greco-Roman style, as well as mosaic pictures with Greek inscriptions depicting complex religious stories were discovered in the village of Dzalisi, early Iron Age settlement ruins were found in Mtskheta (Samtavro, Ghartiskari, Narekvavi and others).
Temples of the 2nd–1st centuries BC and the palace complex of the 1st century BC-1st century AD were excavated at Dedoplis Mindori (Kareli Municipality) — in the village Orgora and signs of the close relation of the local components of the city formation with the Greco-Hellenistic and Roman world were also revealed. In the material culture of ancient Georgia (goldsmithing, urban arts and crafts), two powerful directions were defined: the culture of the low class of the local population and the culture of the upper class, which was essentially foreign, imported or created locally on the basis of foreign influence, i.e., was of ancient Greco-Georgian, Hellenistic-Georgian, Roman-Georgian origin. The further development of the local culture of the early Iron Age was delayed for some time, which coincided with the influx of western and eastern products into the Caucasus, including Iberia and Colchis.
The most important epigraphic monuments have been discovered in Mtskheta, Bolnisi, Vani, Davati, etc. The decoding, interpreting and dating of these monuments played an important role in clarifying the history of Georgian culture, namely Georgian writing, in a new way.
The ruins of the pre-antique fortified city in the Gareja desert and the palace of King Vakhtang Gorgasli and monastery complex in Cheremi were discovered as a result of extensive excavations; Archaeological research of “Kutaisi Country” started. Many publications and monographs were dedicated to the problems of ancient cities. Vast research was carried out in the fields of numismatics, glyptics, paleoanthropology, speleology and archaeological technology.
A modern laboratory has been established at TSU, where the age of organic remains is determined using radiocarbon dating; The foundation was laid for the use of archaeomagnetism in the dating of ceramic products and the electrometric method in archaeological research. Progress was made in the study of metal technology and problems of its protection, research of ancient Georgian metallurgical origins and mining research in the headwaters of the Rioni River, the Colchis Lowland and Abkhazia, Shida and Kvemo Kartli.
Electronic computing techniques have been widely introduced in archaeology; Aerial photo-planning materials and cosmo-photography data are now used more often to enhance the effectiveness of archaeological reconnaissance and search.
Various archaeological exhibitions and international conferences have been organized by the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia, museums of Telavi, Akhaltsikhe, Zugdidi, Nokalakevi, Vani, Mtskheta, etc. Archaeological exhibitions were organized in Bichvinta, Mtskheta, Cheremi, and others (A. Apakidze, G. Lortkipanidze, K. Pitskhelauri). Georgian archaeologists participate in the work of international conferences, symposia, and congresses.
Literature: აბდუშელიშვილი მ., კავკასიის ანთროპოლოგია ბრინჯაოს ხანაში, თბ., 1982; აფაქიძე ა., ქართული საბჭოთა არქეოლოგიის განვითარების ნახევარსაუკუნოვანი გზა, თბ., 1972; გობეჯიშვილი გ., არქეოლოგიური გათხრები საბჭოთა საქართველოში, თბ., 1952; გოგაძე ე., კოლხეთის ბრინჯაოს და ადრეული რკინის ხანის ნამოსახლართა კულტურა, თბ., 1982; ინაძე მ., აღმოსავლეთ შავიზღვისპირეთის ბერძნული კოლონიზაცია, თბ., 1982; მაჩაბელი კ., ძველი საქართველოს ვერცხლი, , თბ., 1983; საქართველოს არქეოლოგია, თბ., 1959; საქართველოს არქეოლოგია, ტ. 1 - 2, თბ., 1990-92; ქავთარაძე გ., საქართველოს ენეოლით-ბრინჯაოს ხანის არქეოლოგიური კულტურების ქრონოლოგია ახალი მონაცემების შუქზე, თბ., 1981.
A. Apakidze
