The First Evidence of Burials from Samshvilde A Preliminary Archaeological and Bioarchaeological Study

Abstract

Samshvilde is one of the most remarkable archaeological complexes
in southern Georgia and in Caucasia in general. Its convenient
geographical position has attracted populations since the Stone
Age, but the city gained its major political and economic power
in the medieval period, when it became the center of the whole
region. Its location in the historic Kvemo Kartli province, near the
southern branch of the Silk Road, contributed to its rapid development,
and the promontory on which it was built allowed for its
easy defense. From 2014 to 2019 two archaeological sections were
studied on the site: the citadel, or main fortification system, and
the area near the Sioni cathedral that is dated to the 8th century.
Excavations inside the citadel walls aimed to clarify the stratigraphy
of this area, and in the Sioni section the focus was on finding
the city cemetery.
During the summers of 2016 and 2017 human remains were exhumed
from the Sioni section at Samshvilde. A bioarchaeological
and brief mortuary analysis of graves no. 2 and 4 is presented here.
Fieldwork is still under way in the cemetery, therefore it is too soon
to have a global image of its features, such as typical burial practices,
or a demographic profile of the population, but we hope to
pursue this analysis in upcoming years.