Archaeological site of Grakliani (Region of Shida Kartli)
Grakliani Hill (Georgian გრაკლიანი გორა) – A multi-layered archaeological complex. Archaeologists have proven that continuous development took place on its territory for 300,000 years, from the Stone Age to the Roman period. Archaeological excavations confirm that there was not a spontaneous settlement, but an organized society that observed traditions and created aesthetic objects. The unique construction of the 5th century BC, which was erected on Mount Grakliani in honor of the gods of fire and fertility, is the first fully preserved monument of this period. In the central part of the structure there is a large altar, in the back there is a furnace with vases used by the priests to carry the fire.
There is also a device with the help of which seeds of medicinal plants were ground. On the plinth of the altars of the pagan temple, an archaeological expedition discovered an unknown Georgian script. The writing samples are so important that they go beyond the boundaries of Georgian science and should become the object of international research. This is a very important discovery, bringing Georgia into the ranks of elite civilizations. The discovery will change ideas about a certain stage in the world history of writing. The American laboratory, having analyzed samples from Grakliani, confirmed that the inscriptions were made at the end of the XI centuries, or in X century B.C. and are believed to be 2,700 years old. It turns out that the ancient inhabitants of Grakliani began to write 200 years earlier than the Phoenicians.
Igoeti village (Georgian: სოფელი იგოეთი), Kaspi Municipality (Georgian: კასპის მუნიციპალიტეტი)