Archaeological site of Vani (Region of Imereti)
Vani Old Settlement (Georgian ვანის ნაქალაქარი) – Archaeological site and museum of Vani (Georgian ვანის Situated on a natural hill on the outskirts of the modern city of Vani. In ancient times, one of the most important cities of ancient Colkheti (Colchis) (Georgian: კოლხეთი) was located here. The Vani settlement is a multi-layered archaeological monument, including cultural layers from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic era. The settlement is located on a hill divided into three terraces, protected on both sides by deep ravines. The settlement existed for eight centuries (VIII-I centuries BC). Archaeological finds indicate extensive ties between the city and the Greco-Hellenistic world. The abundance of temple and religious buildings indicates that it was a temple city, a pan-Colchian sanctuary.
The earliest stage of Vani’s history dates back to the 8th-7th centuries BC. The city became a cult and religious centre for the surrounding communities. The cult complex located on the central terrace is the best preserved. The second stage, which includes wooden buildings, a ritual square and luxurious tombs, dates back to the 6th-4th centuries BC. By this time, Vani was to become one of the political and administrative centres of the Colchis Kingdom. In the third stage of its history (4th-3rd centuries BC), in the context of the weakening of the Colchis Kingdom, the rulers of Vani achieved some political independence. Innovations in crafts and burial customs are observed. In the fourth stage (3rd-1st centuries BC), radical changes took place and it became a temple city. All the buildings of this period have an exclusively cult purpose. Vani was destroyed in the middle of the 1st century BC, although materials from late antiquity and the Middle Ages were also found.
City of Vani (Georg. ქალაქი ვანი), Vani Municipality (Georg. ვანის მუნიციპალიტეტი)
