Mega-fortresses in the South Caucasus: new data from southern Georgia

2025/01/08 by Nathaniel L. Erb-Satullo, Nathaniel L. Erb‐Satullo, Dimitri Jachvliani +5 · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies

paper · pdf · doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.197

Abstract

Recent research on the organisation and growth of large settlements (both urban and non-urban) has prompted a reassessment of factors driving population aggregation. Systematic aerial and ground survey of the South Caucasus mega-fortress Dmanisis Gora, described here, contributes to the understanding of large fortress settlements in the South Caucasus ( c . 1500–500 BC) as part of this wider debate. Substantial defensive walls and stone architecture in the outer settlement contrast with low-intensity occupation, possibly by a seasonally mobile segment of the population. The exceptional size of Dmanisis Gora helps add new dimensions to population aggregation models in Eurasia and beyond.

Citations

• Highland fortress-polities and their settlement systems in the southern Caucasus
• Geophysical survey at Late Bronze Age fortresses: comparing methods in the diverse geological contexts of Armenia
• Divination and Sovereignty: The Late Bronze Age Shrines at Gegharot, Armenia
• Investigating the spatial organisation of Bronze and Iron Age fortress complexes in the South Caucasus

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