Armazi Settlement (Region of Mtskheta – Mtianeti)
Armazi Settlement , Armaztsikhe (Georgian: არმაზის ნაქალაქარი, არმაზციხე)– Archaeological and architectural monument. The fortified town was located on the right bank of the River of Mtkvari (Georgian: მტკვარი), at the end of the Kartli Range (Georgian: ქართლის ქედი), on the northeastern slope of a terraced rocky mountain. Three successive cultural layers have been traced: the lower layer, the so-called Armaztsikhe I (IV-III centuries BC), the middle layer, Armaztsikhe II (III-I centuries BC), the upper layer, Armaztsikhe III (I-III centuries AD). According to their purpose they are distinguished: fortification (fence wall, towers, piers, stone doors), palace or temple type (columned hall and remains of its modern building), agricultural (cellar), sanitary (bath, aqueduct) buildings, tombs (sarcophagus) and cult monuments.
The name of the city and its acropolis are usually considered to be derived from Armazi, the name of the main deity of the pagan pantheon of Iberia (Georgian: იბერია). Armaztsikhe consists of two parts: the ruins of the city (area of 30 hectares), located on the terraced slopes between the Karsni gorge (Georgian: კარსნის ხეობა) and Mount Armazi and the inner castle standing on top of the mountain. Two main periods of construction have been identified. In the first period (IV-III centuries BC) the main building material is stone and brick. The brick walls are built on a stone foundation. The stones themselves are inserted into sockets carved in the rock and connected to each other by the so-called “solid pile”. The second period of construction (from the 3rd century BC) used mortar – a mixture of lime and gypsum with water and sand. Armazi is now part of the National Archaeological Museum-Reserve of Greater Mtskheta (Georgian: დიდი მცხეთა).
City of Mtskheta (Georgian: ქალაქი მცხეთა), Municipality of Mtskheta (Georgian: მცხეთის მუნიციპალიტეტი)
