Drone mapping unlocks secrets of 3,000-year-old 'mega fortress' in the South Caucasus

By Free Republic | Created at 2025-01-18 22:58:47 | Updated at 2025-01-19 02:21:59 3 hours ago

Drone mapping unlocks secrets of 3,000-year-old 'mega fortress' in the South Caucasus
Archaeology News ^ | January 8, 2025 | Dario Radley

Posted on 01/18/2025 2:40:16 PM PST by SunkenCiv

A recent study using drone mapping has revealed that Dmanisis Gora, a 3,000-year-old mountainside fortress in the Caucasus Mountains, is far bigger than previously thought. The discoveries also prompted a reassessment of settlement dynamics during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages...

Their work, ongoing since 2018, has revealed that Dmanisis Gora is not only a major archaeological site in the South Caucasus but also a critical case study for understanding ancient urbanism and population dynamics...

Initial excavations took place near a fortified promontory between two deep gorges. However, the fall visit — when thick summer foliage had receded — revealed remains of fortifications and stone buildings stretching well beyond the known inner fortress, prompting the use of advanced drone technology to create aerial imagery...

The drone survey showed that the fort is expansive, with its outer settlement protected by a fortification wall that stretches a kilometer long. This makes Dmanisis Gora more than 40 times the size initially estimated.

(Excerpt) Read more at archaeologymag.com ...

TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: bronzeage; caucasus; dmanisisgora; godsgravesglyphs; ironage

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Map of Dmanisis Gora highlighting archaeological features. Red dotted line indicates extent of UAV photogrammetry. Background image is a Hexagon satellite image (mission: 1210-3, frame: 58, date: 31 August 1975) (figure by N. Erb-Satullo).Credit: N. L. Erb-Satullo et al., Antiquity (2025)

1 posted on 01/18/2025 2:40:16 PM PST by SunkenCiv

To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 01/18/2025 2:40:56 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)

To: SunkenCiv

3 posted on 01/18/2025 2:54:43 PM PST by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)

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