Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 14 (2009) 237-315 www.brill.nl/acss

Recent Archaeological Finds on the Upper Terrace of the Vani Site

Darejan Kacharava, Guram Kvirkvelia

Abstract Th e site of Vani, in western , the ancient land of , is situated 30 km northeast of . Located near the confl uence of the and Rivers, the ancient town spread over three terraces on a 200 m high hill with a commanding view over the fertile valley below. Large- scale archaeological excavations are conducted at Vani since the 1940s. Th e site was occupied uninterruptedly from the 8th century to the mid-1st century BC. Archaeological excavations in recent years (2002-2006), carried out on the upper terrace of the Vani city-site, were marked with extremely interesting fi nds, among which stand out a series of rich graves and ritual burials of bronze fi gurines. Similar fi gurines, both bronze and iron, have already been found at the Vani site. Six of seven fi gurines were specifi cally made for a ritual, while only one, that of the Satyr, was re-employed in this ritual. In 2002-2005 seven graves were uncovered on the upper terrace, fi ve of which had already been robbed in antiquity. Th e two other were partially damaged by a later construction. All burials are four-sided pits, cut into the bedrock. Th e pits were, as a rule, fi lled with large-sized pebbles. Th e distribution of iron nails around the perimeter of the larger graves indicates the presence of wooden constructions. In some graves human and animal (horse) sacrifi ce was evidenced. Th ough only inhumation was practiced, no strict rites have been followed: grave No. 22 proved to be a collective burial containing at least four individuals of the same rank, while, by contrast, one main deceased is identifi ed in grave No. 24, accompanied by four servants; the small dimen- sions of grave No. 28 presuppose the existence of only one occupant. Th e orientation of the deceased varies too. Th ese features link recently discovered graves with those of both earlier (mid-5th and fi rst half of the 4th century BC) and contemporary times. Grave No. 22 might be dated to the second half of the 4th century BC. A coin of Panticapaeum dates grave No. 24 to the third quarter of the 4th century BC. In the recently excavated graves the coexistence of traditional and new funerary practices, char- acteristic of the , was evidenced. Among new elements is the placement of death-coins, as well as amphorae in graves. Recent fi nds allow us to speak about the appearance of a new custom in Early Hellenistic period Vani too. Th is is the arrangement of a special plat- form along the south wall of the pit for servants and pet animals. Among previously excavated synchronous graves only one (grave No. 9) featured this element. Th e use of coins in the cult of the dead seems not to have been limited in placing Charon’s obol in a grave; rather, the large number of silver coins in grave No. 22 might be interpreted as another manifestation of placing

Darejan Kacharava, Otar Lordkipanidze Centre for Archaeological Studies, , Uznadze 14, 0102, Georgia Guram Kvirkvelia, Otar Lordkipanidze Centre for Archaeological Studies, Georgian National Museum, Uznadze 14, Tbilisi 0102, Georgia, Email [email protected]

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009 DOI: 10.1163/157005709X403108 D. Kacharava, G. Kvirkvelia / 238 Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 14 (2009) 237-315 death-coins in burials; it is more likely that these coins were off ered for their intrinsic worth as a grave gift. Silver belts, found in graves Nos. 22 and 24, add new elements. Th e deceased in grave 22 were furnished with silver torques of the same type, which points to their relative status in relation to one another. Th e same seems to be true for the servants or slaves buried together with the principle occupant of grave 24, who were adorned with silver torques of the same type. Th e question arises whether these torques are indicatives of a defi nite social stratum. Th e quantity and quality, as well as the repertoire of grave furniture of the principal deceased in burial No. 24, give grounds to reckon the buried person a representative of the local elite.

Keywords Colchis, Vani, sanctuary, bronze fi gurine, iron fi gurine, ritual, grave, jewellery, beads, appliques, templar pendant, headdress, belt, fi nger-ring, phiale

Th e site of Vani, in western Georgia, the ancient land of Colchis, is situated 30 km northeast of Kutaisi, the country’s second largest city. Located near the confl uence of the Sulori and Rioni Rivers, the ancient town spread over three terraces on a 200 m high hill with a commanding view over the fertile valley below. Large-scale archaeological excavations conducted at Vani since the 1940s have revealed architectural structures and noteworthy objects that confi rm the long history of the site,1 which was occupied uninterruptedly from the eighth century to the mid-fi rst century BC. Archaeological excavations in recent years (2002-2006), carried out on the upper terrace of the Vani city-site (Fig. 1), yielded extremely interesting fi nds,2 among which a series of rich graves and ritual burials of metal fi gurines stand out. Let us proceed from the latter fi nds. One of the fi gurines was found in 2002 while excavating a sanctuary in the south-eastern part of the upper terrace of the site.3 Th e sanctuary was erected on a platform deliberately cut into the slope of the terrace. On three sides the platform is surrounded with rock-cut walls, while it is open to the south-east. Th e platform is levelled. Th e U-shaped structure, measuring 5 by 4 m, is built of rusticated sandstone ashlar blocks (Fig. 2). Its double-faced masonry is

1 On the excavations since 1947, see: Khoshtaria 1962, 65-79; Khoshtaria 1972, 81-95; Khoshtaria 1979, 115-134; Lordkipanidze, Mikeladze 1972, 96-110; Puturidze, Khoshtaria, Chqonia 1972, 111-136; Khoshtaria et alii 1972, 147-174; Khoshtaria, Lordkipanidze, Putu- ridze 1972, 175-185; Lordkipanidze, Puturidze 1972, 186-197; Lordkipanidze et alii 1972, 198-142; Lordkipanidze et alii 1976, 7-31; Kacharava et alii 1979, 7-37; Kacharava, Mzhavana- dze 1986, 9-33; Puturidze 1986, 34-41; Pirtskhalava, Kipiani 1986, 52-78; Tolordava 1986, 79-92; Chqonia 1986, 93-115; Kacharava 2005, 291-307. 2 Archaeological excavations of the site in 2002-2005 were grant-supported by the Gerda Henkel Foundation (Germany). 3 Kacharava 2004, 225-226; Kacharava, Kvirkvelia 2006, 179-182.