### Unearthing the Past: The 3,500-Year-Old Bronze Age Fortress at Dmanisis Gora
Archaeologists have recently charted an extensive 3,500-year-old stronghold in the Caucasus Mountains of southern Georgia, illuminating an intriguing ancient culture that once flourished in the area. This Bronze Age megafortress, referred to as Dmanisis Gora, is among the hundreds of comparable walled settlements dispersed throughout the southern Caucasus—a territory that includes contemporary Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. Utilizing cutting-edge drone technology, researchers have uncovered compelling information about the site, providing glimpses into the lives of its creators while prompting new inquiries into their society and its robustness.
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### **A Monumental Discovery**
Situated on a breezy cliffside, the remnants of Dmanisis Gora are tactically positioned next to steep gorges that offer natural fortifications. The fortress, constructed between 1500 and 1000 BCE, is characterized by double-layered walls made from stacked stones, some ascending to 4 meters in height and 2.5 meters in width. Inside these barriers, archaeologists have detected traces of stone dwellings, animal enclosures, and other buildings, indicating a well-coordinated and heavily defended community.
Recent drone explorations carried out by Nathaniel Erb-Satullo and his team from Cranfield University have unveiled the true magnitude of the site. Utilizing a DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, the group took over 11,000 aerial photographs, which were subsequently combined to produce intricate orthographic images and digital elevation designs. These visuals demonstrate that the fortress is significantly larger than previously estimated, with the innermost walls enclosing 1.5 hectares and the outer walls surrounding an astonishing 56 hectares. A partially built third wall implies that the fortified zone could have expanded to 80 hectares.
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### **A Fortress Among Many**
Although Dmanisis Gora stands out in size, it is not one of a kind. The southern Caucasus region is replete with hundreds of similar strongholds, many of which are still unexamined. These fortifications were generally erected on hilltops or adjacent to gorges, utilizing natural defenses. Their walls, constructed without mortar, encompassed communities adept at producing bronze tools, polished pottery, and intricate beads crafted from materials such as carnelian and faience.
The inhabitants of this period interred their dead in a variety of grave types, including kurgans (mounds), cromlechs (stone tombs), and cists (stone-lined graves). At Dmanisis Gora, a cist grave near the main entrance of the inner fortress contained beads, copper-alloy arrowheads, and pottery, underscoring the significance of burial customs in their way of life.
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### **A Settlement for Nomads?**
One of the most captivating features of Dmanisis Gora is its possible function as a seasonal base for nomadic herders. The fortress is situated along ancient migration pathways utilized by herders moving between upland pastures in the summer and lowland grazing zones in the winter. The outer walls of the fortress encircle a less densely populated section, which might have served as temporary accommodations for these herders and their animals.
Archaeologists have observed a shortage of artifacts in the outer settlement compared to the inner fortress, implying that the outer region wasn’t permanently inhabited. Instead, it may have been utilized seasonally, with stone constructions providing shelter during transitional times in the spring and autumn. This duality of permanent and seasonal habitation emphasizes the intricate relationship between nomadic and settled lifestyles within the region.
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### **Resilience Amid Collapse**
The Bronze Age collapse, a time of extensive turmoil around 1200 BCE, wreaked havoc on many civilizations in the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, and the Nile Valley. However, findings from Dmanisis Gora indicate that life in the southern Caucasus persisted relatively unscathed during this period. The combination of fortified settlements and mobile herding practices may have endowed a degree of resilience against external challenges.
Radiocarbon dating and pottery assessments suggest that the site remained active well into the Iron Age. This continuity prompts inquiries about how the people of Dmanisis Gora adapted to the difficulties of their era and whether their approaches can provide insights into resilience amidst societal decline.
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### **Modern Impacts on Ancient Ruins**
The narrative of Dmanisis Gora is not solely one of ancient endurance but also of contemporary transformation. Aerial photographs depict the extent to which plowing and agriculture during the Soviet era in the 20th century compromised some of the site’s historical structures. An abandoned barn, constructed atop the ruins in the 18th or 19th century, serves as a testament to how layers of history frequently overlap and influence each other.
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### **The Road Ahead**
The mapping of Dmanisis Gora is merely the commencement. Erb-Satullo and his team intend to pursue further investigations to gain deeper insights into the site’s population density,
