Dmanisi Archaeological Site
Dmanisi Archaeological Site — the remains of one of the cities of feudal Georgia in the historical territory of Kvemo Kartli, is located 85 km southwest of Tbilisi (Dmanisi Municipality).
Dmanisi was a small settlement in the 8th century. There was Dmanisi Episcopal Cathedral there, which is mentioned since the 6th century. Its territory included Dmaniskhevi (that is where the name of the Episcopal Cathedral comes from), Tashir and part of the Khrami (Ktsia) Gorge.
Dmanisi is first mentioned in Georgian sources in the 9th century. It was likely formed as a city in the 10th century. At that time, the Arabs ruled Georgia. From the 1080s, Dmanisi was in the hands of the Seljuks.
In 1123, King David IV the Builder liberated it. After that, it was a royal city. For a short period of time, it was captured by the foreign invaders again. In 1125, King Demetrius I took it back. In the 12th–13th centuries, Dmanisi was particularly prosperous, trade and crafts were greatly developed; It was involved in international trade through the caravan routes.
At the end of the 14th century, Dmanisi was raided by Tamerlane, and in 1486 by Turkomans. In the 16th century, the Ottomans briefly captured it.
At the beginning of the 17th century, it was in the hands of the Persians. In the mid-18th century, the Dmanisi Episcopal Cathedral was destroyed and the area was completely deserted.
Scientists have been interested in Dmanisi and its historical monuments since the 19th century. It was first visited in 1853 by M. Bartolomei and D. Orbeliani. They briefly described the settlement and copied a few of the inscriptions, some of which were later published by M. Brosset.
Archaeological study of Dmanisi began in 1936 on the initiative and under the leadership of Academician I. Javakhishvili. The expedition deciphered the Georgian inscriptions of Dmanisi. The city gate, paved streets, bathhouses, a tunnel leading to the river, settlements, barns, wine cellars, a mosque and a madrasa were discovered.
A large number of local ceramics of the 9th-10th centuries, and especially the 11th-13th centuries, coins of the 11th-13th centuries (mostly Georgian), weapons of labor and warfare, gold and silver jewelry of the 12th-13th centuries were discovered. It was confirmed that the territory of Dmanisi archaeological site had been inhabited since the Early Bronze Age.
In 1984, the first stone tools were found in the layers containing fossil bones, and in 1991, the first remains of an ancient man — a lower jaw — were discovered.
At the current stage of research, the paleoanthropological finds of Dmanisi are one of the richest and most complete collections in the world. The ancient people of Eurasia lived in Dmanisi during the Stone Age and their age is 1 760 000 years.
Dmanisi is a unique monument in terms of the abundance, preservation, age and stratigraphy of Hominidae and the remains of prehistoric animals. The international scientific community has recognized Dmanisi as the place of residence of the first Eurasian. The Dmanisi archaeological site consists of two parts: the city itself (area — 13 hectares), which is situated on a promontory elevated about 100 m above the confluence of the Mashavera and Pinezauri rivers, and the suburbs (area — 12 hectares) spread out along the banks of the Pinezauri river.
Dmanisi had economic relations with the Middle Eastern countries and China. This is confirmed by numerous discovered coins (more than 800 have been discovered to date), most of which are foreign, and imported ceramics.
Dmanisi had its own ceramic and glass production. Various bone, stone and iron objects and weapons, gold and silver jewelry, gemstone and glass beads were made here. It is important to note that early Christian monuments — stone steles, decorated with archaic carvings, reliefs and ancient Georgian Asomtavruli inscriptions, were discovered in the vicinity of Dmanisi.
Source: ვახუშტი, აღწერა სამეფოსა საქართველოსა (საქართველოს გეოგრაფია), თ. ლომოურის და ნ. ბერძენიშვილის რედ., თბ., 1941; მატიანე ქართლისა, წგ.: ქართლის ცხოვრება, ს. ყაუხჩიშვილის გამოც., ტ. 1, თბ., 1955.
Literature: ბ ე რ ძ ე ნ ი შ ვ ი ლ ი დ., ნარკვევები საქართველოს ისტორიული გეოგრაფიიდან (ქვემო ქართლი), ნაკვ. 1, თბ., 1979; მ ი ს ი ვ ე, დმანელი ამირას უცნობი წარწერა ფინეზაურის ხეობიდან, «საქართვ. მეცნ. აკადემიის მოამბე», 1964, ტ. 33, №3; კ ო პ ა ლ ი ა ნ ი ჯ., დმანისის ციხე, თბ., 1996; ლ ო მ თ ა თ ი ძ ე გ., შუაფეოდალური ხანის ძეგლები, წგ.: საქართველოს არქეოლოგია, თბ., 1959; მ უ ს ხ ე ლ ი შ ვ ი ლ ი ლ., დმანისი (ქალაქის ისტორია და ნაქალაქარის აღწერა), კრ.: შოთა რუსთაველის ეპოქის მატერიალური კულტურა, თბ., 1938; საქართველო – „პირველი ევროპელის სამშობლო", თბ., 2000; ჯ ა ვ ა ხ ი შ ვ ი ლ ი ივ., ქართველი ერის ისტორია, წგ. 1–2, თბ., 1960–65; ჯ ა ფ ა რ ი ძ ე ვ., შოთა რუსთაველის ეპოქის ნაქალაქარი დმანისი და მისი არქეოლოგიური შესწავლა, «ძეგლის მეგობარი», 1966, №8; М е с х и я Ш. А., Города и городской строй феодальной Грузии, Тб., 1959; L o r d k i p a n i d z e D., V e k u a A., R i g h t m i r e G. P. and M a r g v e l a s h v i l i A., Hominid fossils from Dmanisi and their place among the Early Hominids. In: «Bulletin of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences», 175 (1), Tb., 2007.
D. Berdzenishvili
J. Kopaliani
D. Lortkipanidze
V. Japaridze
