The Late Neolithic settlement of Khramis Didi Gora, the largest known hill settlement of the Shomu–Shulaveri cultural complex in the South Caucasus, offers important evidence for exploring symbolic practices and belief systems embedded within domestic and communal space. This paper examines how ritual behaviour and symbolic meanings were materially expressed at the site, drawing on a comprehensive reanalysis of legacy excavation data from nine successive building horizons.

Particular attention is devoted to architectural features and spatial arrangements that transcend purely functional interpretations. The repeated reconstruction of stable household complexes suggests the persistence of socially meaningful units closely tied to place, memory, and lineage identity. Within this framework, symbolic practices appear to have been deeply integrated into everyday domestic life rather than segregated into exclusively communal or monumental contexts.

A key focus of the paper is a distinctive structure interpreted as a possible ritual building, characterised by the incorporation of ox horns into its walls, an element widely recognised as symbolically charged in Neolithic societies. The spatial entanglement of this structure with adjacent household complexes suggests that ritual activities operated at an intermediate social level, likely serving related households or lineage groups rather than the entire community. This architectural configuration points to belief systems centred on shared ancestry, household continuity, and collective identity.

By situating the evidence from Khramis Didi Gora within broader discussions of Neolithic symbolism and ritual practice in the South Caucasus, this paper argues that belief systems were materially negotiated through domestic architecture, spatial continuity, and repetitive ritual acts. The site thus provides valuable insight into the ways symbolic meaning and social identity were constructed and maintained within Late Neolithic communities.

First Author: Mariam Eloshvili

Keywords:
Household
Caucasus
Architecture
Symbolism
Late Neolithic