Ancient Tbilisi opens treasures

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The Georgian National Museum and Tbilisi City Council presented their joint project “Ancient Tbilisi – Crossroads of Eurasian Cultures,” at the Tbilisi History Museum in Karvasla earlier this week.

The territory of Tbilisi has been inhabited for over 6,000 years. Its favorable location on the crossroads of ancient Eurasian trade routes makes the city rich in archaeological sites.

To date more than 250 archaeological sites have been discovered in the capital and its outskirts, dating from the Chalcolithic period to the Middle Ages. Archaeological investigations show that the territory of Tbilisi was a meeting point of bronze and iron age cultures in the Caucasus, as well as a bridge for long distance trade relations between the East and the West.

As the city is rapidly developing, salvaging and preserving archaeological sites become a more vital problem than ever. Ancient Tbilisi is a cultural and academic program presenting archaeological monuments, establishing an informational database and improving museum-depository infrastructure.

“The project’s essence is to provide full information about the city’s archaeological potential and make sure all the works are performed on the highest professional level,” National Museum General Director Davit Lortkipanidze told Georgia Today.

Ancient Tbilisi expositions come from various sites in Tbilisi, including the Digomi, Didube and Kiketi suburbs, and the Delisi district.
Among the archaeological sites studied on the territory of Tbilisi, the Delisi Chalcolithic settlement is the oldest. The site was discovered during construction near the present-day Delisi underground station. The remains date back to the late 5th and early 4th millennium B.C.
Objects of invaluable historical significance were discovered while excavating the basement of the Rustavi-2 television station. Apart from ceramics and stone tools, the digs yielded a number of bronze artifacts.

Bronze is a man-made alloy of copper and tin, which began to spread in the ancient world only from the 3rd millennium B.C., marking the start of the Bronze Age when tools and weapons from the alloy became widely used. In this respect, the Delisi settlement testifies to the leading role of the local inhabitants in initiating bronze production.

The Royal Graves of the Treli Cemetery near Treligorebi also stand out for their richness. More than 100 ceramic objects were found in one of the cemetery’s biggest chambers. The Treli Cemetery near Treligorebi yielded extremely significant material about the everyday life, rites and traditions of the ancient people inhabiting the area of present-day Tbilisi. The pottery and burial rites of the Middle Bronze Age cemetery of Treli testify to the close links of Georgia with Asia Minor and the Aegean world in the first half of the 2nd millennium B.C.

“Science cannot develop without tradition, and the archeological tradition of Tbilisi has a long history,” Lortkipanidze added.
The Georgian National Museum’s long scientific experience and Tbilisi City Council’s policies will surely result in the project’s success. Most importantly they will help to preserve the treasures of the centuries-old city.

Precious archaeological findings including ceramic objects, bronze and iron artifacts and adorned vessels are on display at the Tbilisi History Museum until Dec. 12. The exhibition will be followed by an educational program for high school students.

Maria Savostyanova

20.11.2009