Kélainai – Apamée Kibôtos : Développement urbain dans le contexte anatolien

KELAINAI - APAMEIA KIBOTOS

Prof. Vachtang LICHELI

Tbilisi State University

vakhlich@hotmail.com



Urban development in the Central Transcaucasia in Anatolian context: new data


Grakliani settlement is located in the Central part of Transcaucasia, in Georgia, on the territory of the village Igoeti, on the hill situated on the right bank of the river Lekhura near the Tbilisi- Senaki-Leselidze highway.

In 2008 several cultural layers have been discovered during the excavations conducted on the south slope of the hill


Stratigraphy of settlement.

There are several cultural strata on the hill:

    neolitical-Early Farming Period,

    late Bronze -Early Iron age,

    mid of 1st mill. BC,

    4th – 3rd cent. BC,

    3rd – 2nd centuries BC,

    1st century BC.


It should be mentioned that the upper part of the second layer had been damaged as a result of the construction activities. Despite this fact the remains of the buildings located on the central terrace, in distance from each other have survived on certain places. The construction of the buildings is simple: walls are built on the basement made from clay and stone, the walls are supported by vertical ropes and are decorated with clay. The buildings are cut in the soil that means that the building is half in the ground. There are full interior attributions in the building (baking oven, alters of different type, hearth, reservoir ). The fact of the existence of cultural layers of 10th – 7th centuries BC below the layers of 4th -3rd centuries BC have been confirmed in each of the sector. It should be noted that the construction plans of the houses are the same for both 10th – 7th centuries BC period and 4th – 3rd centuries BC period. This fact is of significant scientific importance as this shows the hereditary character of architectural norms. And this fact itself confirms that ethnic group of similar traditions and culture have been residing on this territory for over 4-5 centuries. Altars, discovered on the central terrace, are different in shape ( four main types). Most important among them is rectangular monumental oven – altar with sacrificed pottery and Mesopotamian (?) seal in it. Special interest is small altar with double - protoma representation of ram. The variety of ceramic forms is very impressive. Among the local made pottery there are also some fragments of Colchian and Eastern Anatolian pottery, as well as Achaemenid type and vessels. There have not been found metal artefacts, accept the two small iron hoes and fragments of the iron knife. But there are bronze spear heads, daggers and pins in the graves of 2nd mill. BC-beginning of 1st mill. BC. I have to notice that in the 4th section (layer of 8th – 7th cent. BC) was found remain of bronze workshop and smelting vessel with bronze slag in it.


Preliminary interpretations:

1. The excavated area represents the small part of the city that was located on the terrace. The part of the materials discovered there belong to the upper settlement ( located on the top of hill) and appears to have been washed down to the lover layer because of the bent surface. The fact of the discovery of Eneolithical stone hand axe is also significant for establishment of the existence of settlement on Grakliani hill. The another proof of the existence of settlement in the given period is the fragment of Eneolithic vessel, found in the third sector.

2. Hence as a preliminary conclusion it can be suggested that there have been 10 living houses of the same construction plan and according to the diversity of altars, several holly places in the vicinity of the houses on this small area ( 1 600 sq.m. ) during the period of 10th -5th centuries BC.

3. Existence of Eastern Anatolian pottery in Central Transcaucasia is indication of near relation between this two regions in the beginning of 1st mill. BC.