History

Locale

Occupation chronology

Excavation history

Maps

Extract from Procopius of Caesarea “History of the Wars”

Site Map

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Nokalakevi's locale
The site consists of a lower town and a citadel, set in a loop of the river Tekhuri where it emerges from a gorge in the mountains onto the Colchian plain (to which Jason and the Argonauts are said to have travelled). The lower town borders the river to the south and west and a steep slope to the north. Perched on the crest of this ridge sits the citadel with fine views across the plain to the south and east. Walls connect the two parts of the city. On the east side of the lower town, unprotected by nature, successive rulers built three parallel defensive walls with towers and a strongly fortified gate.

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Occupation Chronology

1850 onwards Modern occupation of the lower town and agricultural activity

17th - 19th Site occupied by a branch of the princely Dadiani family, who repaired/rebuilt some of the standing remains and conducted small scale amateur archaeology.

10th – 11th Period indicated by glazed green pottery. 40 Martyrs Church reconstructed. Mid 8th Nokalakevi destroyed by the invading Arab general Murvan Ibn-Muhammad (later caliph).

Beginning of 8th The Byzantines besiege Archaeopolis unsuccessfully, attempting to recover Lazika from the Arabs; coincides with the first iconoclastic period.

Beginning of 4th to end of 6th Renovation and additional construction of Archaeopolis to include bath houses, water cisterns, kilns for workshops and churches. Archaeopolis is the stage for the battle between the Persians, led by Mermeroes and the Byzantines, led by Odonachus and Babas in 551 AD, during the war of 540-562. Coins found on second level marked with Flavius Mauricius Tiberius who ruled 582 – 602 AD. Human, possibly Christian burials found in the lower town near the 7 Martyrs Church.

Beginning 1st BC to end of 3rd AD Sparse evidence for occupation by the Roman Empire, unconfined to a specific stratigraphical event. A piece of Sinopian pottery has been found and some coins marked with Constantine I who ruled 306 – 337 AD.

last ¼ of 2nd BC to Beginning 1st BC Archaeopolis currently thought to have been abandoned yet continued in use as a necropolis.

4th to last ¼ of 2nd BC Georgian Chronicles describe the foundation of Tsikhegoij by the Eristavi (ruler) Kuji. Late Hellenistic pottery, metalwork and glassware; Richly furnished human burials and structural foundations.

6th to end of 5th Antique archaeology 7th to 6th As yet no definitive material from this date.

8th to 7th Zoomorphic figurines (double headed) found along with workshop activity.

12th to 8th Eagle stamped black pottery found but no cultural layers.

1200 BC: Jason and the Argonauts’ mythical journey to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece

Excavation History

Overview
The ruins at the village of Nokalakevi were recognised as historically important as early as 1834 when the Swiss philologist Frederic Dubois du Monpéreux identified them as the Colchian Archaeopolis mentioned by the Late Roman historians Procopius of Caesarea and Agathias of Myrina.
Archaeological work was first undertaken in 1930 by the German archaeologist A.M. Schneider who in excavating a tower and gateway, discovered a hoard of Byzantine coins from the reign of the Emperor Maurice (584 -602). The site then languished for 42 years until 1973 when the Janashia State Museum of History initiated large-scale archaeological and conservation work at the site and in the surrounding region up to 1991.
In 2001 excavations were resumed under the new Anglo-Georgian expedition and continues to the present day.

The beginning
Financed by Not Gemeinschaf, Alphonse Maria Schneider from Freiburg’s University, went to Georgia in December 1930 and sampled the settlement by excavating 30 small trenches in different areas throughout the site. Unfortunately, due to the political conflict between Russia and Germany at the time, his work was stopped short after 2 months never to return.
In the intervening 42 years, the territory became densely wooded and the archaeopolis became occupied by 6 houses and a cemetery. A silk manufacture was also working there.

The Georgian Expedition to Nokalakevi
In 1973, the National Museum formed the Nokalakevi expedition under the leadership of Parmen Zakaraia. In the first 7 years, extensive work was undertaken to prepare the Archaeopolis for excavation, clearing it of vegetation and occupation.
Between 1980 and 1990, the Georgian Expedition excavated 6 churches, (one from 4th century, 1 from the 5th Century and 4 from 6th century), 2 bath houses from the 4-6th century and 2 royal palaces from the 4-6th century AD.
In addition, a well preserved tunnel, a water system, a number of watch towers and very strong fortification system, (which doesn't have any analogy in the Caucasus) were also discovered.
With the latter structures being of the 4-6 centuries, a main research priority was to concentrate on the architecture and archaeology of those periods. With literature (Juansheri, Leonti Mroveli, Zime Vakhushti) also describing the area as a Hellenistic necropole during the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, excavations also took place to confirm these accounts.

Some of the most illuminating results of the excavations and research during this 10 year period shows a bead workshop, a small metallurgy workshop and an area of likely ritual significance with the discovery of 100 pieces of ceramic zoomorphological figurines. Some of the most important information to come out of this period of excavation is the stratigraphical matrix of the site, which is the only example from the area.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and subsequent domestic turmoil in Georgia brought a shortfall in funding with the consequent effect of halting scientific work at the site.
During the civil war of 1993 the site of Nokalakevi was intensively fought over, changing hands at least four times and being twice briefly occupied by the forces of Zviad Gamsakhurdia (incidentally illustrating the continuing strategic importance of its location). Regrettably the expedition’s material infrastructure suffered major damage at this time, including the destruction of part of the expedition base, serious damage to the rest, the theft of most of its movable equipment and the looting of the Nokalakevi museum. Despite these setbacks and a desperate shortage of funds, limited work continued to be undertaken during the 1990’s by Dr. Lomitashvili and Dr. Lortkipanidze.

The Anglo-Georgian Expedition to Nokalakevi
The idea of the present collaboration was first raised in private discussions between Mr Colvin and Dr. Lomitashvili in 1999. In 2000 the British and Georgian leaders of the expedition traveled to the site to explore possible research agendas and work out details of strategy for archaeological excavation and post-excavation work. It became clear at an early stage that there was still a phenomenal amount of information to be gleaned from the site and that in general it would be beneficial to link up all existing records of survey and excavation results with an ongoing programme of archaeological works.
So, from 2001, excavation at Nokalakevi formally resumed under the The Anglo-Georgian Expedition and is growing from strength to strength with committed research agendas.

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