Ilia State University
PhD Candidate
Cultural Studies, Art History
Master’s Degree
Tbilisi, Georgia
pataridze.ni@gmail.com
Abstract
The presented work presents the results of the fieldwork carried out by the Paravani Archaeological Expedition in September–October 2025 in the vicinity of Lake Paravani (the village of Vladimirovka), Ninotsminda Municipality. The research encompassed two primary sites: a terraced settlement (Sector FAE 04) and a megalithic fortress (Sector FAE 05). Modern methods, including GIS software, aerial photography, and 3D modeling, were utilized during the fieldwork. A total of 6 test trenches were excavated (4 at the settlement and 2 at the fortress). Within the settlement area, rammed clay floors, wooden roofing beams, a pit, a thone (clay oven), and a rich assemblage of artifacts were uncovered. The archaeological material is dominated by late medieval (14th–15th centuries or 15th–17th centuries) coarse kitchenware and tableware; obsidian flakes, a glass bead, and various metal objects were also discovered. At the cyclopean fortress (PAE 05), fragments of relatively well-levigated pottery with linear ornamentation were documented. The construction techniques and layout of the abandoned village display significant similarities to those of other sites previously studied by the Paravani Expedition (PAE 02 and PAE 03). The palynological analysis of the soil within the settlement layers revealed a wide spectrum of cultivated cereals and their associated weeds, confirming the existence of developed agriculture and animal husbandry in this area.