Unique Discovery in Georgia
25 August, 2015
A new artefact recently discovered on Grakliani Hill (Kaspi district), in the opinion of scientists, is likely to rewrite one of the key parts of not only Georgia’s but also of the world’s alphabetic history. Archaeologists of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) brought to light a piece of inscription in an absolutely unique and distinctly individual script bearing no resemblance whatsoever to any other script so far known in the world.
Archaeological excavations on Grakliani Hill have unearthed a temple dating back to the seventh century BC and featuring inscriptions in a yet unknown script on both pedestals of its altar. The new discovery reveals that written word was practiced in Georgia as early as 2700 years ago.
Head of the archeological expedition, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Professor Vakhtang Licheli places a particularly high value on the recent discovery: “the inscription discovered by the TSU expedition at Grakliani Hill is a uniquely important artefact bearing no analogy to any other inscription that has so far come down to us. It ushers Georgia into the elite of great civilizations known to have developed their own scripts many millennia back. The importance of this inscription is such that it goes beyond the scope of Georgian science and becomes the focus of international research. The new discovery will completely rewrite one of the sections of the world’s alphabetic history” - Professor Vakhtang Licheli said.
The Grakliani Hill archaeological excavations testify to the 300 000-year continuous cycle of development from the Stone Age to the Antiquity. Archeologists came face-to-face with a very interesting architectural picture: a settlement consisting of a row of terraced houses – a characteristic feature of the period in question; printing presses dating back to the fourth millennium BC, whose counterparts were found in Uruk, Southern Mesopotamia; gold disco tracing its history back to the fifth and fourth centuries BC, whose only counterpart was found in Suza, Iran.
Archaeological excavations on Grakliani Hill have unearthed a temple dating back to the seventh century BC and featuring inscriptions in a yet unknown script on both pedestals of its altar. The new discovery reveals that written word was practiced in Georgia as early as 2700 years ago.
Head of the archeological expedition, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, Professor Vakhtang Licheli places a particularly high value on the recent discovery: “the inscription discovered by the TSU expedition at Grakliani Hill is a uniquely important artefact bearing no analogy to any other inscription that has so far come down to us. It ushers Georgia into the elite of great civilizations known to have developed their own scripts many millennia back. The importance of this inscription is such that it goes beyond the scope of Georgian science and becomes the focus of international research. The new discovery will completely rewrite one of the sections of the world’s alphabetic history” - Professor Vakhtang Licheli said.
The Grakliani Hill archaeological excavations testify to the 300 000-year continuous cycle of development from the Stone Age to the Antiquity. Archeologists came face-to-face with a very interesting architectural picture: a settlement consisting of a row of terraced houses – a characteristic feature of the period in question; printing presses dating back to the fourth millennium BC, whose counterparts were found in Uruk, Southern Mesopotamia; gold disco tracing its history back to the fifth and fourth centuries BC, whose only counterpart was found in Suza, Iran.