The main goal for these analyses is the characterisation of the technological and functional traces found on the surfaces of the tools. The surfaces of the objects were analysed with a Veho VMS 004-Delux microscope with 400x magnification in order to verify the possibility of making casts of their surfaces with a plastic material (Provil Fast Light). This procedure facilitates obtaining perfect reproductions of the traces visible on the objects surfaces, which will be studied, once back to Italy, with a high magnification metallographic microscope and compared with a personal comparison collection of experimentally produced traces in order to define their origin (either technological or functional).
The objects from Tsiteli Gorebi 5 were analysed at the expedition house in Lagodekhi (Kakheti province). They are all awls (11 in number), obtained from the long bones of animals like Ovis/Capra. Their surfaces are well preserved and some technological traces are visible on them already with a lower magnification microscope like Veho (Fig. 15). In particular, on active part surfaces it is possible to see some abrasion traces probably aimed at giving a more pointed shape to the active part. On the proximal part of these objects, instead, it is possible to see scraping traces made with a flint blade. These were made before the abrasion, probably in order to clean the bone from organic material. For functional traces, the analysis will be done on casts with a high magnification metallographic microscope at the LTFAPA laboratory of Sapienza. University of Rome.
The objects from the Kura-Araxes cemetery of Doghlauri, consisting of spindle-whorls and beads, were analysed at the Dedoplis Mindori Fund of the Georgian National Museum of Tbilisi, where they are presently stored, on July 8th and 9th, 2019. Unfortunately, the surfaces of all these objects were very damaged by post-depositional agents (soil acidity etc.) that had exfoliated them considerably. In fact, they were so damaged that the photos with the microscope could reveal no useful traces; as a consequence, it was considered unnecessary to make casts of the objects at the risk of causing further damage to them. However, new photos of all the items were taken with a normal camera, and data for a dedicated database of bone objects on FileMaker platform were collected by means of standard autoptic analysis, focusing on the presence of macroscopic traces.
The analysis provided the following results. All spindle whorls were produced with the femoral head of cattle. Probably the Kura-Araxes people cut the proximal epiphysis of the cattle femoral with a blade in order to create the support. Then, they used a burin to produce the hole in the centre of the support by means of circular movements. As it was impossible to locate any technological traces, it is not possible to say if they used flint or metal instruments to work the bone. The tubular beads for necklaces or bracelets were also made of bone. These objects have a white colour because they are burnt. They were produced from the long bones of small wild animals such as jackrabbits. It can be hypothesised that the Kura-Araxes people cut the diaphyses of the long bones of these animals with a flint or metal blade and then treated the supports with abrasion to clean them and give them a cylindrical shape.
The hard animal material objects from Aradetis Orgora were analysed on July 10th-13th at the local museum of Kareli (Shida Kartli region), where they are preserved. Due to limited available time, it was not possible to take microscope photos of all of them, but new photos of the items were taken with a normal camera, and data for a dedicated database of bone objects on FileMaker platform were collected by means of standard autoptic analysis. Casts were made of specific points of the surfaces of those objects that had better preserved surfaces.
The collection from Aradetis Orgora comprises many different objects of various periods. It includes ornaments made from cattle or Sus Scrofa phalanges, needles and awls made from long bones of animals like Ovis/Capra, spindle-whorls made from cattle or Sus Scrofa head femoral, and objects made from deer antler. Some of them show a geometrical decoration. For a precise definition of the traces of these object it is necessary to wait for the results of the analyses that will be made on the casts at the LTFAPA laboratory of “Sapienza”, University of Rome, after the end of the field campaign.
