Kurgans of Zurtaketi (Region of Kvemo Kartli)
Kurgans of Zurtaketi (Trialeti) (Georg. ზურტაკეთის სამარხები) belong to the Trialeti culture of the Middle Bronze Age of Transcaucasia. It existed in the period from the 3rd millennium BC. until the middle of the II millennium BC. An important part of the Golden Fund of Georgia was found in the Kurgans of Trialeti. Luxurious and well-built tombs belonged to the leaders of the tribes and tribal aristocracy, smaller and poorer tombs belonged to the general population. During the excavation of one of the Kurgans in Zurtaketi, it was found that the wooden columns of the hall were covered with gold. The body or ashes of the deceased were placed in the center of the structure on a wooden bed or, sometimes, on a four-wheeled cart.
The construction of these tombs was possible only by the combined strength of families and tribes. In Zurtaketi, a burial was discovered, the stone mound of which had a diameter of 100 meters, a height of 8 meters, and the area of the funeral hall was more than 150 m2. In the burials of this period, bones of sacrificial animals, items of earthenware and metal utensils, weapons and equipment made of copper, bronze, silver and obsidian, gold, silver and stone jewelry were found. Many of these objects are recognized as examples of art. Today, the Kurgans of Zurtaketi are covered with earth, and petroglyphs can only be found during repeated excavations. Kurgans of Zurtaketi is included in the list of historical and cultural monuments of national importance of Georgia.
Comments