Archaeological discovery in Kvemo Kartli
The archaeological expedition of the National Museum has discovered a previously unknown Neolithic architecture dating back 8,000 years in the village of Khataveti, Bolnisi Municipality, at the Mashavera Hill.
At the monument of the 6th millennium BC, an entirely new construction tradition of circular houses characteristic of the Shulaveri-Shomutepe culture has been documented for the first time. The site features circular houses built with double and triple-row adobe brick masonry, small storage rooms, and walls situated between the structures.
Archaeological excavations revealed a diverse assemblage of materials characteristic of the Neolithic period: fragments of pottery, tools made of bone, deer antler, obsidian, massive stone, and beads made of carnelian.
The discovered artifacts will be added to the collections of the Bolnisi Museum located in the same region. The museum, which recently opened and serves as a scientific-research center for the region, will continue the study of the discovered artifacts within its laboratories.
The location of Mashavera Hill imparts special significance to it. The hill is situated near the confluence of the Mashavera and Khrami rivers, which border it to the north, while the other three sides are surrounded by an arc of agricultural lands, creating ideal conditions for the development of a Neolithic village 8,000 years ago. It is also noteworthy that the monument is located 15 km away from the Arukhlo and Imiri sites, where the world's oldest traces of wine have been discovered.
In the area studied by the expedition, no single-row masonry buildings or isolated walls have been recorded so far, allowing scientists to hypothesize that this represents a novelty whose construction tradition distinguishes this site from other monuments of the Shulaveri-Shomutepe culture.
The first archaeological works at Mashavera Hill were conducted in 1988. The expedition (led by D. Gogelia) revealed several circular structures and a small amount of archaeological material. Archaeological works were resumed by the National Museum team in 2020 with the support of the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia. The expedition is led by Joni Abuladze, a researcher at the Georgian National Museum.
