Kutaisi, which is Georgia’s third-biggest city and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, was until now thought to have been established in the 8th or 7th century BC.
But the latest discovery by an expedition of Polish and Georgian archaeologists may change the way the city’s history is understood and taught.
“Until now, a certain chronology has been established using traditional methods … Findings by our researchers using new methods indicate that the city is several hundred years older than previously believed,” the head of a Polish-Georgian research center, Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski, told state news agency PAP.
Jacek Hamburg, one of the archaeologists who made the discovery, said the expedition had found a fortification system that, according to radiocarbon research, dates back to either the 13th or 12th century BC.
“We're re-dating the site and moving the entire city of Kutaisi down into the Bronze Age,” he added.
There was also at least one metallurgical workshop near the fortifications.
“We found stone casting molds for making axes with an asymmetric blade—a relic characteristic of Colchian culture and the Bronze Age,” Hamburg said.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP