გოხნარის წმ. გიორგის ეკლესიის ტერიტორიაზე არსებული სამარხების არქეოლოგიური კვლევის შედეგები

Abstract

The archaeological study of the cemetery located in the courtyard of St. George’s Church in Gokhnari holds particular significance. This monument has repeatedly become the subject of discussion in scientific circles due to the relief compositions present on the tombstones. Until 2018, the main purpose of research was to explain the carving technology and determine their memorial attribution through observation of the subjects. As for archaeological excavations, no work had been conducted in this direction.
The article presents the results of archaeological investigations conducted by “Khvamlis Amqari” in 2018-2020. In the first season, the expedition conducted field surveys, small-scale cleaning work, and studied one of the burials existing in the church courtyard. It should be noted that the precise boundaries of the grave could not be determined during this phase. Consequently, it was hypothesised that the relief-carved tombstones might have marked a single, large collective burial. Accordingly, the purpose of the work planned for the second field season was to verify the expressed assumptions and many other hypotheses based on additional archaeological excavations and analysis of osteological material.
In 2020, archaeological excavations were conducted on two burials adjacent to the south-west of the grave uncovered during the first season. Excavation revealed that the burials had been reused multiple times for interments across different periods, which was confirmed by bone remains revealed at three distinct levels and the presence of stone-built burial constructions.
To assess the revealed archaeological picture, bone samples were submitted for radiocarbon dating at the Tandem Laboratory of Uppsala University and Ancient DNA analysis at Sweden’s national SciLifeLab.
The radiocarbon results indicated that the earliest burial layer (lowest level) dates from the turn of the 10^th-11^th centuries, while the late (upper level) corresponds to the 12^th-13^th centuries. Notably, it was established that the disarticulated skeletal remains in the upper level predate the anatomically intact individual interred in an orderly manner in the so-called middle level. These findings further support scholarly claims regarding the contemporaneity of St. George’s Church and the Gokhnari cemetery, dating to the transition from the 10^th to 11^th centuries.
Regarding ancient DNA research, 13 samples were submitted for analysis to Sweden’s national SciLifeLab. For most of them, Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups were deciphered, enabling us to determine the sex of the individuals and to infer aspects of their ethnic or regional background.
The scale of the archaeological field work and the results of laboratory data of osteological material at our disposal are, of course, insufficient for constructing a comprehensive understanding or drawing definitive conclusions. Accordingly, continued multidisciplinary research is essential for the full investigation and interpretation of the cemetery.