Grakliani Hill – 2008 Archaeological Excavations

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Greeks ("Hellenism") in the Hinterland of Georgia (4th-1st Cent. B.C.)

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Ancient Colchis and Intercultural Relations

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New Discoveries in Colchis and an Interpretative Version

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The place of millet in food globalization during Late Prehistory as evidenced by new bioarchaeological data from the Caucasus

Two millets, Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica, were domesticated in northern China, around 6000 BC. Although its oldest evidence is in Asia, possible independent domestication of these species in the Caucasus has often been proposed. To verify this hypothesis, a multiproxy research program (Orimil) was designed to detect the first evidence of millet in this region. It included a critical review of the occurrence of archaeological millet in the Caucasus, up to Antiquity; isotopic analyses of human and animal bones and charred grains; and radiocarbon dating of millet grains from archaeological contexts dated from the Early Bronze Age (3500–2500 BC) to the 1st Century BC. The results show that these two cereals were cultivated during the Middle Bronze Age (MBA), around 2000–1800 BC, especially Setaria italica which is the most ancient millet found in Georgia. Isotopic analyses also show a significant enrichment in 13C in human and animal tissues, indicating an increasing C4 plants consumption at the same period. More broadly, our results assert that millet was not present in the Caucasus in the Neolithic period. Its arrival in the region, based on existing data in Eurasia, was from the south, without excluding a possible local domestication of Setaria italica

Geoarchaeology of Phasis (Georgia)

The City of Phasis is located on the East coast of the Black Sea (Georgia). The location of the biggest and most successful of the colonies established by Ionian Greeks is still not known, a subject that has attracted interest from scholars for almost two hundred years. Based on written sources, geomorphological and archeological data, it is assumed that, due to tectonic and geomorphological changes, part of the ancient settlement/cultural layers dating back to the 1st mill. BC are below current sea level. These two changes mean that the present landscape is completely different to the 1st mill. BC situation. This observation is significant in resolving Phasis’s location. We report that: 1. The Greeks did not establish the city of Phasis adjacent to a lake. 2. The early city was located north of the river. 3. Early Phasis (6th-4th c. BC) is consistent with the settlement of Sagvichio or east of it.La cité de Phasis était disposée sur le littoral oriental de la mer Noire (Géorgie). Cette colonie, la plus importante et la plus prospère parmi celles fondées par les Grecs ioniens, n’a toujours pas été mise au jour en dépit de deux siècles d’efforts infructueux. En se basant sur les sources anciennes, ainsi que sur les données géomorphologiques et archéologiques, on peut présumer que l’ancien établissement se trouve désormais en partie sous l’actuel niveau marin suite aux nombreux changements tectoniques et géomorphologiques qui sont survenus. Ces deux derniers phénomènes ont influencé l’actuel réseau hydrographique qui a été totalement modifié et ne correspond plus à celui du premier millénaire avant J.-C. Cette observation permet de résoudre de façon significative le problème de la localisation de Phasis. On peut dès lors supposer que : 1. les Grecs n’ont pas établi Phasis à proximité d’un lac et que ce dernier n’est pas déterminant pour la localisation de la cité initiale ; 2. celle-ci était située au nord du fleuve ; 3. la première Phasis (6e-4e s. av. J.-C.) doit être identifiée avec l’établissement de Sagvichio ou de ses alentours

Achaemenid Culture and Local Traditions in Anatolia, Southern Caucasus and Iran. New Discoveris

International audienc

Household Archaeology and the Agricultural Economy of an Iron Age Village: The 10th-3rd centuries BC at Grakliani Gora, Shida Kartli, Georgia

This chapter describes earthen buildings excavated at Grakliani Gora, Shida Kartli which date from the end of the 2nd millennium to the 4th–3rd century BC. Archaeological excavations at the site found residential structures, with the artefacts and features inside showing that they were used for domestic purposes such as the storage and preparation of food, alongside other activities ranging from ritual practice to specialised craft working. Archaeobotanical remains recovered from buildings dating to both the earlier and later phase of occupation at Grakliani were collected, processed and studied. Initial analysis of the archaeobotanical data shows that various grain crops were cultivated around Grakliani including broomcorn millet, wheat, barley and rye. Insights into food preparation were provided by remnants of charred bread and porridge found in ovens, and it is possible some of the millet was being malted for brewing although further work is required for clarification. Both the architectural remains and agricultural assemblage remained remarkably similar through the first millennium BC, with no notable major developments or shifts, and it seems that domestic life changed little in Grakliani between the end of the 2nd millennium and the 3rd century BC. This contrasts with historical evidence of political changes over the period, when imperial powers clashed over the region, and archaeological research indicating that elite architecture, burial and lifestyles were transformed (Barnett, 1982; Braund, 1994; D. D. Kacharava & Kvirkveliia, 2008; Tsetskhaladze, 2003). This small excavation at Grakliani therefore underlines the importance of studying rural settlements and suggests that domestic life for much of the population may not have changed significantly during the 1st millennium BC