Archaeologists from the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) and the University of Edinburgh have discovered unique archaeological remains at Queen Tamar’s Castle in Dariali Gorge.
Professor Vakhtang Licheli, Director of the Institute of Archaeology at TSU Faculty of Humanities, said that mid-century remains, 300kg ceramic items, including glass products, adornments and ivory decorations were discovered as a result of diggings. He also said that all these items are now kept at a temporary base and will soon be sent to the University of Oxford for research.
Moreover, the Georgian-Scottish group has already sent the coal extracted during archaeological diggings abroad. As a result of five-month laboratory analysis of coal cinder, the archaeologists will get an answer to the main question of their expedition.
The key goal of the joint international project is to research the fortification system of the initial centuries AD as well as to confirm historical information that the last gate of the Sassanid Empire was just located in Dariali Gorge. According to historical sources, the Sassanid Empire encompassed Georgia during 226-651. The international expedition is now trying to confirm this written information archaeologically by researching the remains of the 3rd century AD at Queen Tamar’s Castle.
The joint archaeological project of the University of Edinburgh and TSU will last for four years.
