Report on the Activities of the Fifth Field Season
of the Joint Shida Kartli Project (2013)
Mindia Jalabadze (Georgian National Museum), Elena Rova (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia)
Introduction
The fifth 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 16th to July 31st, 2013.
The Italian team arrived in Tbilisi on July 16th, and reached the town of Kareli on June 18th. Excavation activities started on June 21th and were completed on July 27th. On July 30th, the team returned to Tbilisi. The Italian team was composed by: prof. Elena Rova (co-director, chief of the Italian group), Angelo Di Michele and Katia Gavagnin, PhD, Lorenzo Crescioli, PhD candidate, Martina Babetto, Mirko Furlanetto and Veronica Scandellari, MA, Annapaola Passerini, Erica Scarpa, and Laura Tonetto, MA students at Ca' Foscari University (archaeologists), prof. Giovanni Boschian, geoarchaeologist, drs. Matteo Massironi, Giovanni Monegato and Stefano Furlani, geologists, dr. Elisabetta Boaretto (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel), C14 specialist, and Laura Mafizzoli (MA student in Anthropology at Ca' Foscari). Prof. Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati (University of Los Angeles) joined the team from 13/07/2013 until the end of the season.
The Georgian team included dr. Mindia Jalabadze (representative of the Georgian National Museum), Davit Darejanashvili MA (PhD candidate at Ca' Foscari University), and the following students in Archaeology at Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University: Mariam Eloshvili, Saba Jokhadze, Tamar Shanghelia, Ketevan Bulukhia, joined for shorter periods by Tamar Meladze, MA, and Zviad Sherazadishvili, PhD candidate. 10 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: dr. Zurab Makharadze (GNM) and prof. Marina Puturidze (Tbilisi State University), co-directors of the project; prof. Michael Vickers (Oxford University) and Mr. Davit Naskhidashvili, prof. Walter Kuntner (Innsbruck University) and his team, prof. Gregory Aresian (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA, Los Angeles) and dr. John Kitiashvili (Khashuri Museum), and, on 25/07/2013, of the following television teams: Pirveli, Rustavi 2, Imedi, Maestro, 9th Channel.
During 15 days in the course of the campaign, a team from the Ilia Chavchavadze State University headed by prof. Iulon Gagoshidze and dr. Mindia Jalabadze conducted independent excavations on the Eastern section of the Late Hellenistic/Early Imperial building at Aradetis Orgora.
This year's activities of the Georgian-Italian archaeological expedition were the following:
1) Excavations at Aradetis Orgora (Dedoplis Gora)
2) Geoarchaeological and soil micromorphology analyses
3) Archaeometric analyses and paleoenvironmental research, collection of samples for radiometric dating
4) Completion of the geological survey of the Kareli district
5) Acknowledgements
The Italian team arrived in Tbilisi on July 16th, and reached the town of Kareli on June 18th. Excavation activities started on June 21th and were completed on July 27th. On July 30th, the team returned to Tbilisi. The Italian team was composed by: prof. Elena Rova (co-director, chief of the Italian group), Angelo Di Michele and Katia Gavagnin, PhD, Lorenzo Crescioli, PhD candidate, Martina Babetto, Mirko Furlanetto and Veronica Scandellari, MA, Annapaola Passerini, Erica Scarpa, and Laura Tonetto, MA students at Ca' Foscari University (archaeologists), prof. Giovanni Boschian, geoarchaeologist, drs. Matteo Massironi, Giovanni Monegato and Stefano Furlani, geologists, dr. Elisabetta Boaretto (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel), C14 specialist, and Laura Mafizzoli (MA student in Anthropology at Ca' Foscari). Prof. Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati (University of Los Angeles) joined the team from 13/07/2013 until the end of the season.
The Georgian team included dr. Mindia Jalabadze (representative of the Georgian National Museum), Davit Darejanashvili MA (PhD candidate at Ca' Foscari University), and the following students in Archaeology at Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University: Mariam Eloshvili, Saba Jokhadze, Tamar Shanghelia, Ketevan Bulukhia, joined for shorter periods by Tamar Meladze, MA, and Zviad Sherazadishvili, PhD candidate. 10 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: dr. Zurab Makharadze (GNM) and prof. Marina Puturidze (Tbilisi State University), co-directors of the project; prof. Michael Vickers (Oxford University) and Mr. Davit Naskhidashvili, prof. Walter Kuntner (Innsbruck University) and his team, prof. Gregory Aresian (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA, Los Angeles) and dr. John Kitiashvili (Khashuri Museum), and, on 25/07/2013, of the following television teams: Pirveli, Rustavi 2, Imedi, Maestro, 9th Channel.
During 15 days in the course of the campaign, a team from the Ilia Chavchavadze State University headed by prof. Iulon Gagoshidze and dr. Mindia Jalabadze conducted independent excavations on the Eastern section of the Late Hellenistic/Early Imperial building at Aradetis Orgora.
This year's activities of the Georgian-Italian archaeological expedition were the following:
1) Excavations at Aradetis Orgora (Dedoplis Gora)
2) Geoarchaeological and soil micromorphology analyses
3) Archaeometric analyses and paleoenvironmental research, collection of samples for radiometric dating
4) Completion of the geological survey of the Kareli district
5) Acknowledgements