Uplistsikhe 60: artefacts from Georgia’s ancient rock city

The Georgian National Museum's Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts has an exhibition called "Uplistsikhe 60" of artifacts from the archaeological excavations at Uplistsikhe, Georgia’s ancient rock city. Uplistsikhe, meaning "the lord's fortress", is a rock city in eastern Georgia, about 10 kilometers east of Gori in Shida Kartli province. I visited Uplistsikhe in 2010.

Built on a high rocky ledge on the left bank of the Mtkvari River, Uplistsikhe contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages, and is notable for its unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.

The exhibition in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, was originally from 16 January to 26 February 2017, but it has been extended due to demand to the end of March. The exhibition is dedicated to the 93^rd anniversary of the birth of the late Georgian archaeologist David Khakhutaishvili.

Sixty years have passed since the commencement of excavations at Uplistsikhe, one of the most important archaeological sites of Georgia. During this time, near Uplistsikhe and its surroundings (Katlanikhevi, Mukhebis Gora, Lashetkhevi, and Chanakhas), archaeological excavations have revealed valuable artifacts dating from the second half of the 4^th millennium BC to the 18^th century AD.

The anniversary exhibition showcases unique archaeological artifacts from Uplistsikhe and its surroundings. On display are jewels, coins, small statues, agricultural tools, household pots and utensils, and ritual objects made of clay, stone, bronze, glass, ceramics, and iron. The artefacts made of gold are exhibited in The Treasury of the National Georgian Museum.

Since 1957, valuable material from early antique to the feudal periods has been obtained from Uplistsikhe. Ancient artifacts, particularly Hellenistic period fabrics, are the most common. Ceramic vessels, though not as abundant as glass and metal works, are also present, while the Kura-Araxes period yields the oldest artifacts in the collection, excavated from the city of Uplistsikhe itself, as well as from the Katnalikhevi and Chanakha valleys.

Local ceramics of this period are divided into two groups, red and black products, and further categorized according to their function as either agricultural or cooking tools. Ceramics used for construction and building, primarily tiles, are also well-represented. These items have unique and diverse appearances: polished, mirror-surfaced pottery is painted and scratched with different stripes, forms, and figures. Together these objects provide a unique lens through which to view the history of Uplistsikhe.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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