Mashaveras Gora: New investigation of Shulaveri-Shomutepe Culture Neolithic Settlement

Archaeological excavations at Mashaveras Gora (Bolnisi municipality, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia) were carried out in 2020-2021 archaeological season by a Georgian National Museum team. The Mashaveras Gora settlement belongs to the Shulaveri-Shomutepe Neolithic culture. With its location of confluence of two main river Khrami and Mashavera the mound appears to be one of the main settlements of South Caucasus Neolithic life. Discovery of Mashaveras Gora is related to the Soviet farm building. Short period excavation was carried out in 1988 by D. Gogelia. Since that the site was abandoned until now. The 2020-2021 excavation goal was to renew archaeological excavation on the Mashaveras Gora. The results of archaeological investigation gave us opportunity to shed a light on new architectural building tradition, which is quite different from typical Shulaveri-Shomutepe Neolithic architecture. Excavations focused on the north part of the settlement, where was excavated nine trenches, also in the west side of the mound with two new trenches for the stratigraphy of the mound. Neolithic rounded houses with its small storage buildings and several fragments of walls had been documented. Also, significant number of archaeological materials belonging to the neolithic activity. New investigated site provides material on Neolithic society practices in everyday life in the Southern Caucasus, as well as ritualistic concepts and perspectives.