Two Cemeteries at Takhtidziri (Georgia)

Two Cemeteries at Takhtidziri (Georgia): Late Achaemenid-Early Hellenistic and Late Hellenistic-Early Roman publishes excavations at two cemeteries located near to the village of Takhtidziri in Shida Kartli, the central region of Georgia. The first features Late Achaemenid-Early Hellenistic graves belonging to the representatives of the ruling family of a minor territorial-administrative unit, part of the only state that the Persians (Achaemenids) encountered in the Caucasus and which was referred to as Kolkhida by the Greeks. The other cemetery dates to the 1st century BC-1st century AD and was used by non-elite members of the community. The grave goods recovered through excavation are diverse and point to the fact that the kingdom of Kartli (Caucasian Iberia) was involved in international trade and economic relations in the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman period.