The dolmens of Abkhazia are found in several locations in Abkhazia A dolmen is a type of pre-historic single-chamber megalithic tomb. These structures are located in the north of Abkhazia, best studied being those at Eshera. Similar structures are found in the neighboring territory of Northwestern Caucasus.
The dolmens in Abkhazia seem to have been family burials, earliest of which were constructed in the 3rd millennium BC and the largest of which date to the Middle Bronze Age, probably the first half of the 1st millennium BC. [1] [2] They consist of four massive flat stones set vertically and roofed with the fifth similar stone. Some of the dolmens have a stone slab as the floor. An oval aperture of around 0.4 m diameter is often found on the lateral walls and floor slabs. Large stones are edged around the exterior walls. Archaeological artifacts found in the dolmens include axes, spear tips, various headpieces, and pottery. [1]
Georgia has inscribed the dolmens of Abkhazia on its list of cultural heritage and reported a threat of destruction due to the lack of adequate conservation. [1] The dolmens of Abkhazia are also exhibited at the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi [1] and the State Museum in Sukhum.
A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central Asia and Eastern, Southeast, Western and Northern Europe during the 3rd millennium BC.
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
Mtskheta is a city in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is located approximately 20 km (12 mi) north of Tbilisi, at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Currently a small provincial capital, for nearly a millennium until the 5th century AD, Mtskheta was a large fortified city, a significant economical and political centre of the Kingdom of Iberia.
Los Millares is a Chalcolithic occupation site 17 km north of Almería, in the municipality of Santa Fe de Mondújar, Andalucía, Spain. The complex was in use from the fourth millennium BC to the end of the third millennium BC and probably supported somewhere around 1000 people. It was discovered in 1891 during the construction of a railway. It was first excavated by Luis Siret in the succeeding years. Excavations are ongoing. Los Millares is the type site of the Chalcolithic Millaran culture.
The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites near the south coast of Brittany in northwestern France, consisting of stone alignments (rows), dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs. More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local granite and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany and form the largest such collection in the world. Most of the stones are within the Breton municipality of Carnac, but some to the east are within neighboring La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as early as 4500 BC.
Concentrations of megaliths, dolmens and stone labyrinths dating between the end of the 4th millennium and the beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C. have been found throughout the Caucasus Mountains, including Abkhazia. Most of them are represented by rectangular structures made of stone slabs or cut in rocks with holes in their facade. These dolmens cover the Western Caucasus on both sides of the mountain ridge, in an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres of Russia and Abkhazia.
Uplistsikhe is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori, Shida Kartli.
The Cairn of Barnenez is a Neolithic monument located near Plouezoc'h, on the Kernéléhen peninsula in northern Finistère, Brittany (France). It dates to the early Neolithic, about 4800 BC. Along with the Tumulus of Bougon and Locmariaquer megaliths, also located in Great West France, it is one of the earliest megalithic monuments in Europe and one of the oldest man-made structures in the world. It is also remarkable for the presence of megalithic art.
The Tumulus of Bougon or Necropolis of Bougon is a group of five Neolithic barrows located in Bougon, near La-Mothe-Saint-Héray, between Exoudun and Pamproux in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
Ses Païsses is a Bronze Age talayotic settlement on the southeastern outskirts of Artà in northeastern Majorca. It is one of the most important and best-preserved prehistoric sites in the Balearic Islands, although it is largely overgrown with woodland, mainly Quercus ilex, making it impossible to see the site as a whole.
The dolmen del prado de Lácara is a megalithic monument known as a passage tomb. It is located northwest of the Spanish city of Mérida, in the province of Badajoz. It is located next to the EX-214 road, which connects Aljucén with La Nava de Santiago. It is a notable megalithic tomb, built during the late Neolithic towards the end of the 4th millennium BC or early 3rd millennium BC. It is one of the most monumental and well preserved sites in the Extremadura region, which is why it was declared a site of cultural interest in 1912 and a National Monument in 1931.
Tholos de El Romeral, situated 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north east of the town of Antequera (Andalusia), is one of the most important examples of early Bronze Age architecture in southern Europe. Tholos de El Romeral, also known as Cueva de Romeral and Dolmen de Romeral, is a megalithic burial site built circa 1800 BCE. It is one of three tombs in the region, the others being Dolmen de Menga and Dolmen de Viera, both situated to the south west.
Archaeology is promoted in Jersey by the Société Jersiaise and by Jersey Heritage. Promotion in the Bailiwick of Guernsey being undertaken by La Société Guernesiaise, Guernsey Museums, the Alderney Society with World War II work also undertaken by Festung Guernsey.
The Zemo Nikozi church of the Deity, also known as Ghvtaeba (ღვთაება), is a medieval Georgian Orthodox cathedral in the Gori Municipality, in Georgia's east-central region of Shida Kartli. It is part of the complex which also includes a bell-tower, an episcopal palace, and a circuit wall. The complex is inscribed on the list of Georgia's Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance.
The Burial ground of the principality also known as Samtavro necropolis, is a cemetery north of Mtskheta, Georgia, dated between the middle of the third millennium BC and the 10th century. It was first excavated by F. Bayern in the 1870s and 1880. Excavations began again in 1938 by A. Kalandadze and still continue.
The Chlou Holy Cross Church is a ruined medieval church on the right bank of the Duabi river in the village of Chlou in Ochamchire Municipality, Abkhazia, an entity in the South Caucasus with a disputed political status.
Ghumurishi Church of St. John the Baptist is a 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church on left bank of Okumi river in the village of Zemo Ghumurishi, north of the town of Gali, in Abkhazia, an entity in the South Caucasus with a disputed political status. The locale is part of the historical district of Samurzakano. Not to be confused with Ghumurishi Sagergaio Church built in first half of the 11th century and rebuilt in the 19th century in the same village.
Murayghat is a prehistoric archaeological site in the Madaba region of Jordan primarily dating to the Late Chalcolithic and Early and Middle Bronze Age, with archaeological finds dating between the Neolithic and the Islamic Period. The site consists of a number of hills with various archaeological features including dolmens, caves, standing stones, and stone circles. The site has been under investigation as part of the Ritual Landscape of Murayghat Project run by Dr. Susanne Kerner of the University of Copenhagen. The project aims to investigate how ritual practices affect landscapes and the built environment. The project has an accompanying field school for archaeology students and any individuals interested in learning archaeological field research methods.