The lost fortress of Onoguris? Newly discovered sixth-century AD fortifications at Khuntsistsikhe, western Georgia

The village of Khuntsi is located in the Martvili municipality of Samegrelo, western Georgia, on the west bank of the Tskhenistskali River, on the road that links Martvili, Khoni and Kutaisi. A few short sections of wall on Kukiti Hill (known locally as ‘Najikhu’, translating roughly from Mingrelian as ‘ruins (remains) of a castle’) indicate the presence of a fortress. Six years ago, the installation of a mobile phone mast and associated infrastructure without consultation with the appropriate archaeological agencies revealed and damaged archaeological structures. Animal bone and fragments of pottery were retrieved, and are currently stored in the school in Khuntsi. It was information from a local school teacher, Zoya Gadelia, that led the Anglo-Georgian Expedition to Nokalakevi to investigate the site in 2015.</jats:p

The recent contribution of scientific techniques to the study of Nokalakevi in Samegrelo, Georgia

The site of Nokalakevi, in western Georgia, has seen significant excavation since 1973, including, since 2001, a collaborative Anglo-Georgian project. However, the interpretation of the site has largely rested on architectural analysis of standing remains and the relative dating of deposits based on the study of ceramics. Since 2013, the Anglo-Georgian Expedition to Nokalakevi has collected a diverse dataset derived from multiple scientific techniques including optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of ceramics, radiocarbon dating, δ13C and δ15N analysis and 87Sr/86Sr analysis. The full results of these analyses are reported here for the first time along with implications for the interpretation of the archaeology, which include greater detail in the site chronology but also indicators of diet and migration. Batı Gürcistan’daki Nokalakevi yerleşim yerinde, 2001’de başlamiş olan bir İngiliz-Gürcü ortak projesi de dahil olmak üzere, 1973’ten beri önemli kazılar yapılmıştır. Bununla birlikte, yerleşimin yorumlanması büyük ölçüde ayakta kalmış olan kalıntıların mimari analizine ve seramik çalışmalarına dayanarak yapılmış olan, tabakaların göreceli tarihlendirmesine dayanmaktadir. Nokalakevi’de yapılan İngiliz-Gürcü ortak kazıları 2013’ten bu yana seramikleri, optik uyarmalı lüminesans (OSL) tarihlemesi, radyokarbon tarihlemesi, δ13C ve δ15N analizi ve 87Sr/86Sr analizleri dahil olmak üzere birçok bilimsel teknikten yararlanarak incelemiş ve çeşitli verilere ulaşmıştir. Bu analizlerin tam sonuçları, arkeolojinin yorumlanmasına yönelik çıkarımlarla birlikte ilk kez burada rapor edilmektedir. Bu rapor, yerleşimin kronolojisiyle ilgili daha fazla ayrıntıya ve aynı zamanda beslenme ve göç göstergelerini de içeren bazı çıkarımlara sahiptir