Report on the Activities of the Sixth Field Season of the Joint Shida Kartli Project (2014)
Iulon Gagoshidze (Georgian National Museum), Elena Rova (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia)
Introduction
The sixth field season of the Shida Kartli project of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy) in cooperation with the Georgian National Museum (Georgia) took place from June 15th to August 2nd, 2014.
The Italian team arrived in Tbilisi on July 15th, and reached the town of Kareli on June 17th. Excavation activities started on June 19th and were completed on July 31th. On August 2nd, the team returned to Tbilisi. The Italian team was composed by: prof. Elena Rova (co-director, chief of the Italian group), Katia Gavagnin and Elisa Girotto, PhD, Alessandro Armigliato, Davit Darejanashvili MA (PhD candidate at Ca' Foscari University), Livia Gervasi, Veronica Scandellari, Laura Tonetto, MA, Annapaola Passerini, Chiara Mariotto, MA students at Ca' Foscari University (archaeologists), joined for shorter periods by Lorenzo Crescioli, PhD candidate, archaeologist, Valentina Villa, PhD candidate at the University of Paris 1, geoarchaeologist, dr. Elisabetta Boaretto and Eugenia Mintz (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel), C14 specialists, and Laura Mafizzoli (MA student in Anthropology at Ca' Foscari) and prof. Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati (UCLA University of Los Angeles, USA).
The Georgian component of the team included prof. Iulon Gagoshidze (representative of the Georgian National Museum), Tinatin Chanishvili, Nana Gogiberidze, Tinatin Kutelia (GNM), and the following students in Archaeology at Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University: Davit Gagoshidze, Mariam Eloshvili, Saba Jokhadze, joined for shorter periods by Nikoloz Chaduneli MA (Mtskheta Museum), Zviad Sherazadishvili (PhD candidate at Tbilisi State University), Levan Losaberidze (student at Tbilisi State University), and Rezi Vadachoria, MA, archaeologists. 12 workmen from the villages of Doghlauri and from the town of Kareli were engaged in the excavation; Mr. Emzari Tzulukidze and Mr. Rolandi Taniashvili drove the mission's minibus and took care of logistics.
The expedition received the visit of the following colleagues: prof. Rolandi Isakadze with Students of Kutaisi University, dr. Zurab Makharadze, director of the Archeaological Centre of the GNM, dr. Guram Kvirkveli, GNM, prof. Marina Puturidze, Tbilisi State University (22/07/2014), prof. Vakhtang Japaridze, prof. Guram Lorkipanidze, prof. Guram Grigolia of the Archaeological commission of the Cultural Heritage Agency (24/07/2014), Mr. David Nagradze of the National Wine Agency of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia and Mrs. Tina Kezeli of the Georgian Wine Association (22/07/2014). It also received the visit of Colonel Mario Segreto (EUMM Georgia) with colleagues, and of the following television teams: Pirveli, Rustavi 2, Imedi (22/07/2014), Dea (23/07/2014), Gori television (25/07/2014).
This year's activities concentrated on excavations at the Aradetis Orgora (Dedoplis Gora) mound, an important multiperiod settlement located on the left bank of the Western Prone River, near the confluence of the latter with the Kura, in the Kareli district. The site has a roughly triangular shape with quite steep sides (Fig. 1), and is approximately 70-80 m long and 34 m high on the present level of the river. The archaeological levels at the site amount to a maximum thickness of 14 m, and include remains of the (Chalcolithic), Early Bronze, Late Bronze, Iron, Hellenistic, Roman Imperial and Early Medieval periods. The present top of the mound is occupied by a palatial building of the Late Hellenistic-Early Imperial age (I cent BC - I cent. AD), in course of investigation since 1985 under the responsibility of prof. Iulon Gagoshidze.
Excavation was carried out in three different areas: Field A, B, and C (Fig. 2). The latter represents the continuation of last year's excavation led by prof. Gagoshidze on behalf of the Ilia Chavchavadze State University, and was excavated by the Georgian team under the responsibility of the same prof. Gagoshidze. It is situated on top of the eastern side of the mound, and its aim is to unearth a section of the still unexcavated eastern wing of the Late Hellenistic/Early Imperial palatial building. Fields A and B represent the continuation of the two stratigraphic sounding initiated in 2013 by the expedition on the opposite (Western and Eastern) sides of the mound with the aims of verifying the settlement's pre-classical occupational sequence and of obtaining a corpus of stratigraphically secure artefacts and ecofacts from the different occupational phases: they were excavated by a mixed Georgian-Italian team under the responsibility of prof. Elena Rova.
Geoarchaeological and soil micromorphological research (responsible Valentina Villa), analysis of palaeofaunal finds (responsible Veronica Scandellari), and collection of samples for radiometric dating (responsible Elisabetta Boaretto), as well as for palinological analysis and for archaeometric analysis of pottery and obsidian were also carried out in the course of the season. Finally, during one week of work Laura Mafizzoli completed a short research on the perception of antiquities and archaeology by the local population, which she had started during the 2013 season.
The Italian team arrived in Tbilisi on July 15th, and reached the town of Kareli on June 17th. Excavation activities started on June 19th and were completed on July 31th. On August 2nd, the team returned to Tbilisi. The Italian team was composed by: prof. Elena Rova (co-director, chief of the Italian group), Katia Gavagnin and Elisa Girotto, PhD, Alessandro Armigliato, Davit Darejanashvili MA (PhD candidate at Ca' Foscari University), Livia Gervasi, Veronica Scandellari, Laura Tonetto, MA, Annapaola Passerini, Chiara Mariotto, MA students at Ca' Foscari University (archaeologists), joined for shorter periods by Lorenzo Crescioli, PhD candidate, archaeologist, Valentina Villa, PhD candidate at the University of Paris 1, geoarchaeologist, dr. Elisabetta Boaretto and Eugenia Mintz (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel), C14 specialists, and Laura Mafizzoli (MA student in Anthropology at Ca' Foscari) and prof. Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati (UCLA University of Los Angeles, USA).
The Georgian component of the team included prof. Iulon Gagoshidze (representative of the Georgian National Museum), Tinatin Chanishvili, Nana Gogiberidze, Tinatin Kutelia (GNM), and the following students in Archaeology at Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University: Davit Gagoshidze, Mariam Eloshvili, Saba Jokhadze, joined for shorter periods by Nikoloz Chaduneli MA (Mtskheta Museum), Zviad Sherazadishvili (PhD candidate at Tbilisi State University), Levan Losaberidze (student at Tbilisi State University), and Rezi Vadachoria, MA, archaeologists. 12 workmen from the villages of Doghlauri and from the town of Kareli were engaged in the excavation; Mr. Emzari Tzulukidze and Mr. Rolandi Taniashvili drove the mission's minibus and took care of logistics.
The expedition received the visit of the following colleagues: prof. Rolandi Isakadze with Students of Kutaisi University, dr. Zurab Makharadze, director of the Archeaological Centre of the GNM, dr. Guram Kvirkveli, GNM, prof. Marina Puturidze, Tbilisi State University (22/07/2014), prof. Vakhtang Japaridze, prof. Guram Lorkipanidze, prof. Guram Grigolia of the Archaeological commission of the Cultural Heritage Agency (24/07/2014), Mr. David Nagradze of the National Wine Agency of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia and Mrs. Tina Kezeli of the Georgian Wine Association (22/07/2014). It also received the visit of Colonel Mario Segreto (EUMM Georgia) with colleagues, and of the following television teams: Pirveli, Rustavi 2, Imedi (22/07/2014), Dea (23/07/2014), Gori television (25/07/2014).
This year's activities concentrated on excavations at the Aradetis Orgora (Dedoplis Gora) mound, an important multiperiod settlement located on the left bank of the Western Prone River, near the confluence of the latter with the Kura, in the Kareli district. The site has a roughly triangular shape with quite steep sides (Fig. 1), and is approximately 70-80 m long and 34 m high on the present level of the river. The archaeological levels at the site amount to a maximum thickness of 14 m, and include remains of the (Chalcolithic), Early Bronze, Late Bronze, Iron, Hellenistic, Roman Imperial and Early Medieval periods. The present top of the mound is occupied by a palatial building of the Late Hellenistic-Early Imperial age (I cent BC - I cent. AD), in course of investigation since 1985 under the responsibility of prof. Iulon Gagoshidze.
Excavation was carried out in three different areas: Field A, B, and C (Fig. 2). The latter represents the continuation of last year's excavation led by prof. Gagoshidze on behalf of the Ilia Chavchavadze State University, and was excavated by the Georgian team under the responsibility of the same prof. Gagoshidze. It is situated on top of the eastern side of the mound, and its aim is to unearth a section of the still unexcavated eastern wing of the Late Hellenistic/Early Imperial palatial building. Fields A and B represent the continuation of the two stratigraphic sounding initiated in 2013 by the expedition on the opposite (Western and Eastern) sides of the mound with the aims of verifying the settlement's pre-classical occupational sequence and of obtaining a corpus of stratigraphically secure artefacts and ecofacts from the different occupational phases: they were excavated by a mixed Georgian-Italian team under the responsibility of prof. Elena Rova.
Geoarchaeological and soil micromorphological research (responsible Valentina Villa), analysis of palaeofaunal finds (responsible Veronica Scandellari), and collection of samples for radiometric dating (responsible Elisabetta Boaretto), as well as for palinological analysis and for archaeometric analysis of pottery and obsidian were also carried out in the course of the season. Finally, during one week of work Laura Mafizzoli completed a short research on the perception of antiquities and archaeology by the local population, which she had started during the 2013 season.