Ancient Pottery Vessels Dating Back 1,000 Years Uncovered in Tbilisi
Workers renovating Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, Georgia, discovered a cache of 1,000-year-old pottery vessels six meters underground during infrastructure upgrades.
Routine infrastructure works to upgrade one of the central avenues in Georgia's capital have led to an extraordinary encounter with the ancient past: workers renovating Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi unexpectedly discovered a cache of pottery vessels dating back about 1,000 years. The archaeological finds were uncovered at a depth of about six meters below the main street level, amid excavations intended to construct new pedestrian crossings, improve signage, and upgrade the urban space for pedestrians.
Archaeological Significance of the Discovery
The excavation site revealed pottery shards with complex decorations, alongside ancient clay jars and a variety of ceramic findings preserved over centuries. David Lordkipanidze, director of the Georgian National Museum, noted that the discovery is not entirely surprising given the city's rich past.
Tbilisi is very rich in archaeological materials, and therefore it is natural and logical to find workshops from various historical periods here, Lordkipanidze explained.
According to him, the city has always served as a multicultural crossroads and a prominent economic and commercial center in the entire Caucasus region. Preliminary estimates date the vessels to the 10th and 11th centuries CE—a period when Tbilisi was under Muslim-Arab rule and served as an important transit station along the historical Silk Road.
Scientific Analysis and Global Parallels
Researchers are currently conducting comprehensive scientific tests, including advanced 3D scans, to precisely determine the age of the vessels and understand the nature of the workshop where they were produced. The findings have already attracted significant interest among local leadership, with archaeologist Merab Dzeneladze presenting the excavated items to Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze and Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.
Tbilisi, established in the 4th century CE, is located in the heart of the Caucasus region connecting Europe and Asia. The current discovery in Georgia joins a series of instances worldwide where modern engineering projects have uncovered ancient treasures, such as recent highway construction in Italy revealing a 5th-century BCE temple, and workers in Peru laying underground gas pipelines unearthing ancient tombs from the Chancay culture that preceded the Inca Empire.
