Silver Coins of Queen Rusudan from Samshvilde

(Discovery of 2019)

Abstract

On July 24, 2019, a pit burial was discovered near the ruins of Samshvilde Sioni Cathedral on the territory of the former settlement of Samshvilde (Kvemo Kartli region, South Georgia). Even though it was damaged by the occupation of the later periods, the artifacts uncovered there have helped determine the burial's chronology and cultural context. Along with dis-articulated human remains, a completely corroded iron ring, pottery fragments, ten well-preserved silver coins were discovered in the grave. The present article is the first publication dedicated to this discovery. It provides information about preliminary results and brings the new numismatic finds into scientific circulation as new data for an understanding of the history of Samshvilde and medieval Georgia in general.1