Colchian settlement mounds, characteristic of western Georgia during the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, are traditionally grouped into three major zones: the Black Sea coastal area, the extensive lowlands between the Inguri and Ghubistskali rivers, and the Kutaisi zone, which has been investigated by a Polish–Georgian team since 2021 as part of the Kutaisi Archaeological Landscape Project (KALP). These surveys have identified settlement sites to the west, south, and south-east of the city, as well as within Kutaisi itself.

Sites across all three zones are classified into three principal types: (A) artificial hilltop settlements fortified with moats and embankments; (B) settlements situated on natural rock hills; and (C) unfortified dune settlements located near rivers or along the seashore. Preliminary dating indicates a chronological range from the Middle Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. A nucleated pattern of settlement expansion, along with a hierarchical system of larger settlements surrounded by smaller ones, has been observed, reflecting the development of this settlement system.

The research team has documented archaeological and interdisciplinary evidence within Kutaisi (e.g., Dateshidze Hill, Gabashvili Hill, and the immediate environs of the Bagrati Cathedral) as well as in areas around the city (e.g., Sakulia, Patriketi, Meskheti, Maghlaki, etc.). The data confirm the presence of a vibrant Colchian settlement during the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age period within the city of Kutaisi.

Excavations conducted within the city have uncovered remains of an extraordinary canal system, as well as houses constructed using the wattle-and-daub technique, some of which employed river stones as foundations. While no excavations have yet been carried out at sites outside the city, surface surveys, pottery analysis, geoarchaeological drilling, core sampling, and radiocarbon dating of materials recovered during coring have provided valuable insights into local settlement patterns and a preliminary chronology.

First Author: Jacek Hamburg

Co-Authors: Roland Isakadze, Shalva Buadze, Teona Bubuteishvili

Keywords:
South Caucasus
Colchian culture
Bronze Age
Early Iron Age
Settlement system
Fortified hills