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Dmanisi village & archaeological site The significance of the Dmanisi archaeological site is much greater than one might expect at first glance. Not only is it an important historical site, but it also contains the oldest fossils of the Hominini, the closest ancestors of humans, to be discovered outside of Africa, dating back 1.8 million years. The discovery of Dmanisi has revolutionised the entire history of mankind and has taken on global significance, and although the site is not very touristy, a visit to the excavation and ruins could be of interest to any visitor to the country, not just archaeologists or researchers. General information on the village of Dmanisi Population: 2,700 Historical overview A village was founded in Dmanisi as early as the 6th century, but only a basilica survives from that period. Dmanisi was not mentioned in writing until the 9th century, when the village came under Arab influence. In the 11th century, Dmanisi was conquered by the Turkish Seljuk Turks, but in the following century, King Dawit the Builder recaptured the village. Dawit expanded the village and turned it into a city with caravanserais and large markets. Dmanisi soon developed into a politically and economically important city, which for several centuries was a branch of the Silk Road linking Byzantium with Armenia and Persia. In the 13th century, the grandson of Queen Tamara, Dawit Narin, even had a mint established in Dmanisi; the currency was called "Felsi of Dmanisi". At the end of the 14th century, the troops of the Central Asian conqueror Timur Lenk invaded the city and devastated everything. After this invasion, Dmanisi was partially rebuilt, but was no longer mentioned as a city, only as a settlement. After Persian and Ottoman raids in the 18th century, Dmanisi was finally destroyed and has never been rebuilt since. Foundation of the new village In the 19th century, when Georgia was part of the Russian Tsarist Empire, a new settlement called "Bashki-chet" (mountain pass in Azerbaijani) was founded 15 kilometres west of historic Dmanisi. Nomadic families from Azerbaijan were the main inhabitants of the new village, but Georgians, Armenians, Russians and Greeks also lived there occasionally. The village was given its historical name in 1946, during the Soviet Union. At that time there were several dairies, cattle farms and a textile factory. In 1981 Dmanisi received the status of a small town. Historical town of Dmanisi The historical part of the town, where archaeologists, palaeologists and historians have been working for more than 140 years, is located about 15 kilometres from the modern town of Dmanisi, above the village of Patara Dmanisi. The historic city covers an area of about 13 hectares. It was protected from the north by the Mashavera valley, which was 90 metres deep in places, and the town was also surrounded by a high defensive wall. The entrance gate was on the south-west side, the town had no other entrance or exit. Basilica of Dmanisi A basilica from the 6th century, restored in later times, has been preserved in the historical part of the town. It was originally a three-nave basilica, but only the central nave survived the turbulent times, where fragments of 13th century frescoes can still be seen on the altar. The church acquired its present form, with southern and northern additions, between the 11th and 13th centuries. In the 13th century, during the reign of the King of Lasha-Giorgi, a very richly decorated entrance gate to the church from the west was built, which is very different from the main church in terms of architecture and style. The gate, with ornaments and various inscriptions, also dates from the 13th century and is still well preserved. To the east of the church is a square bell tower, which has been rebuilt several times and may have originally served as a defence tower. To the north-east of the church is a basilica dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch. The exact year of construction of the church is unknown, but according to an inscription it was rebuilt in 1702. Archaeological excavations in the historical part of Dmanisi Prince Orbeliani and the Russian colonel and numismatist Ivan Bartolomei explored the area of Dmanisi as early as 1853. It was a superficial exploration and the few finds from that period ended up mainly in the Hermitage in St Petersburg. A year later, the French orientalist Marie-Félicité Brosset published the results of the first exploration. The first extensive excavation was carried out in 1936 under the direction of Georgian researchers, Jafaridze, Muskhelishvili, etc., and brought to light the foundations of several buildings: an entrance gate, a secret tunnel to the river, pottery, a wine cellar, baths, a mosque with a minaret, a Koranic school of a mosque. An oil press, a large number of ceramics, tools, weapons, a large number of coins of both Georgian and Oriental origin and a lot of gold and silver jewellery were also found. Most of the valuable finds are kept in the National Museum of Georgia, but some 2,300 different artefacts are on display in the Dmanisi Archaeological Museum and in the exhibition room at the site. Sensational discovery of 1.8-million-year-old fossils During archaeological excavations in 1983-84, the remains of an animal unusual for the Caucasus region were discovered by chance. Palaeontologist Professor Vekua recognised an extinct species of rhinoceros, 'Dicerorhinus etruscus', and it was already suspected that there was much more to be discovered at Dmanisi. Soon after, the first stone tools were found and it was already certain that the remains of much earlier settlements lay beneath the city. In 1991, the Georgian team was joined by German colleagues from the Romano-Germanic Central Museum, and what began as a transnational project became an international one, a great example of Georgian, German, US, French and Spanish cooperation. Between 1991 and 2013, fossilised mammal bones and stone tools from the very early Oldovan culture (around 2.6 to 1.5 million years ago) were found, but the main find was fossils discovered in 1999 that were dated to between 1.8 and 2.0 million years ago using the potassium-argon method. What was fascinating was that numerous fossils, including at least seven individuals of different ages from the same period, were found in an area measuring just under 20 x 20 metres. After the historic discovery, several things were called into question, including the idea of the body structure and brain size of the first humans to migrate out of Africa, and the assumption that Homo erectus evolved from Homo habilis in Africa. Scientists now believe that Homo erectus first evolved north of the Levant and that parts of the population later migrated back to Africa, with the rest travelling in the opposite direction to Asia and Europe. Good to know Depending on your interests, you can spend several hours visiting the Dmanisi archaeological site and ruins, but as there are no cafes, restaurants or shops nearby, you should bring water and something to eat. You also need to be a good walker, as the site is on a hill and you can only drive to the lower or middle car park, depending on the size of your car, and have to walk the rest of the way. The archaeological site and museum are closed on Mondays, otherwise it is open every day from 10am to 5pm. In 2007, the historical site was included in the tentative list of UNESCO. |
