An
Archaeological Study Tour
Georgia
& Armenia
September
19 October 7, 2009
Led by Professor Antonio Sagona
The
small republics of Georgia and Armenia have for thousands
of years served as a crossroads of cultures. Archaeological
evidence suggests that they are the sites of the oldest
presence of humans outside of Africa, as well as the origin
of wine making and metalworking. Nomads from Central Asia
and traders from the ancient Near East, travelers and conquerors,
all stopped here and left their mark. Out of these rich
cultures came skilled craftsmen producing an art style that
influenced all of Europe and filled the museums of these
two countries with extraordinary works of art in gold, silver
and other metals. The architecture of Georgia and Armenia
is still another expression of their cultural identities
and is most evident in their ecclesiastic buildings so uniquely
designed and richly decorated with wall paintings, icons,
reliefs and textiles quite different from one another. As
we explore their mountain villages, bustling capitals and
glorious landscapes, their history and their art and music,
we will come to know the heart and soul of the Caucasus.
Saturday,
Sunday, September 19 & 20: TBILISI: Our
Austrian Air flight from New York via Vienna, departs Saturday
evening, arriving into Tbilisi very late Sunday night. Our
stay will be at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel, centrally
located in the heart of the city.
Monday,
September 21: TBILISI: After
a late morning introductory lecture and lunch, touring begins
at the Metechi Church, which occupies one of the most important
historical sites in the city. We will then visit the Synagogue
and the 6th-century Anchiskhati Basilica. We will stroll
the maze of twisting streets lined with colorfully painted
wooden houses and elaborately carved balconies and visit
the Herekle Bath, the oldest remaining of the 68 sulfur
baths that once occupied this area.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Tuesday,
September 22: TBILISI: Touring
today takes us to Mtskheta, an important religious and trading
center and capital of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia
from the 3rd century BCE through the 5th century CE. En
route we will stop at the Armazis-Khevi acropolis, the center
of power until Georgia converted to Christianity, replacing
pagan temples with churches, the most important of which
is the Cathedral of Sveti-tskhoveli. Upon our return to
Tbilisi we will visit the icon collection in the Art Museum.
This evening Dr. Mikheil Abramishvili will speak to us about
ancient metallurgy.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Wednesday,
September 23: TBILISI: After
walking up to Narikala Fortress, we continue to the Janashia
Museum of Georgia, where the country’s major archaeological
finds are displayed, including a fabulous treasury of gold
from ancient Akhalgori and Trialeti, and jewelry from the
Iberian rulers of the first century CE. We will also have
an introduction to the country’s ethnic diversity
at the Grishashvili Museum of History and Ethnography, housed
in a 19th-century caravanserai. Dinner this evening will
be accompanied by a performance of Georgian music.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Thursday,
September 24: TBILISI: This
morning we will travel up the Military Highway, which runs
north through the Greater Caucasus Mountains and forms a
400-mile spine that historically separated Europe and Asia.
Crossing the Jvari Pass at 7,805 feet, we will examine the
unique tower architecture at Ananuri, a fortress village,
the expedition house and storerooms at Dusheti and visit
the new excavations at Dzalisi.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Friday,
September 25: KUTAISI: Our
first stop today is Uplis-tsikhe, an unusual medieval cave
town that developed over hundreds of years beginning in
the first millennium BCE. At its height it was an important
trade center, occupying 22 acres. The invasions of Tamerlane
and the Mongols in the 13th century marked the beginning
of its decline. The remainder of the day will be spent at
the Gelati Monastery complex, visiting the Cathedral, Church
of St. Nicholas, Bell Tower, Chapel and Academy, built in
1104. The day ends in Kutaisi at our comfortable family-run
guesthouse, where we will be the only guests.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Saturday,
September 26: BAKURIANI:
We continue our touring at the huge Nokala-khevi Fortress,
surrounded by thick walls made with beautifully dressed
stones. We will visit the ruins of the palaces and churches
within the walls, as well as the site museum, and continue
to Vani, a major city between 700 and 100 BCE. We have seen
the gold and silver from this rich site in the museum in
Tbilisi. The remainder of the artifacts found here are displayed
in the site museum. Still visible on the site are the remains
of the city gate, defense walls and temples. A wonderful
and scenic drive via the Borjomi Gorge brings us into the
small ski village of Bakuriani (6,000 feet), where we will
spend two nights at a lovely alpine lodge.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Sunday,
September 27: BAKURIANI:At
10,200 feet above sea level, the 3,000 caves at Vardzia
were carved out of the soft tuff and occupied during the
reign of King Giorgi III (1156-84) as a stronghold against
the Turks. They later became a monastic settlement. Today
we will visit some of the 550 remaining structures, in which
frescoes have survived. This evening we will be joined by
Dr. Goderdzi Narimaneshvili, the archaeologist working on
the Trialeti Plateau, our destination tomorrow.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday,
September 28: TBILISI: Dr.
Narimaneshvili will be our guide as we travel into the Lesser
Caucasus to visit the settlements, fortresses and tombs
on the Trialeti Plateau. Many of the weapons, jewelry and
household implements displayed in the Museum of Georgia
were excavated from these sites. Marriott Courtyard Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Tuesday,
September 29: TBILISI: Our
last day in Georgia will be spent visiting the Sioni Church
at Bolnisi, an excellent example of early church architecture,
and the 9th-century fortress city of Dmanisi. Within its
walls we will see the remains of workshops, caravanserai,
residences and baths similar in design to those we visited
in Tbilisi. The afternoon will be at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Wednesday,
September 30: YEREVAN:
We will transfer to the border, where our Armenian guide
awaits. After completing the formalities, we will begin
our touring at two of the finest representatives of Armenian
architecture, Haghpat and Sanahin Monasteries, both dating
from the 10th-13th centuries. Our touring in Armenia will
be in the environs of Yerevan, allowing us to use the renovated
Marriott Hotel in Yerevan as our base for all but one night
of our stay.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Thursday,
October 1: YEREVAN: Touring
begins with Garni, a Roman temple built on a site that has
been inhabited since Neolithic times. Evidence of previous
cultures surround the temple. We then continue to the 13th-century
Geghard, with interesting small rock-cut chapels and hermitage.
Lastly, we will visit the wonderful, recently renovated
History Museum. This evening our dinner will be accompanied
by a performance of traditional music and dance.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Friday,
October 2: YEREVAN: Today’s
touring begins at the world-famous collection of illuminated
Armenian manuscripts at the Matenadaran and continues at
Etchmiadzin, the seat of the Armenian patriarch and place
of pilgrimage. The most important materials are displayed
in small site museums throughout the city. We will see several
of these museums as well as the remains of the 7th-century
Cathedral of St. Gregory at Zvartnots, the cyclopean fortress
at Metzamor and the Sardarabat Archaeological and Ethnographical
Museum.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Saturday,
October 3: YEREVAN: We
will spend the day out of Yerevan visiting two ancient cities,
Shamiran, a fortified city perched between two gorges, and
ancient Agarak, which spans the Early Bronze Age to the
Hellenistic period. We will also visit the 7th-century Amberd
Fortress, positioned on the slopes of Mt. Aragats with views
over the plain.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Sunday,
October 4: SISIAN: After
exploring Yerevan’s Sunday Market, we drive south
to Khor-Virap Monastery, on the site of ancient Artashat.
Legend has it that St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned
for 12 years here in a well. We will examine the ancient
city before continuing through a beautiful canyon to Noravank
Monastery. Lastly, we stop at a unique Tower Tomb in the
village of Aghitu and overnight at the simple Basen Hotel
in Sisian.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday,
October 5: YEREVAN:
Our first stop is known as the Zorats Stones, which hardly
describes the incredible landscape of tumuli and seemingly
endless lines of standing stone circles that we will explore.
Our return route to Yerevan takes us along Lake Sevan, a
turquoise jewel. After lunch on the lake, we continue through
another unusual landscape of enormous outcrops of obsidian,
reaching Yerevan in the late afternoon. Marriott Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Tuesday,
Wednesday, October 6 & 7: TBILISI: Today
we complete our touring with visits to three famous sites,
Urartian Erebuni, Karmir Blur (Red Hill), where excavations
have uncovered an Urartian, settlement and 4th-millennium
BCE Shengavit with its small museum. This evening we will
exchange toasts at our farewell dinner. Our Austrian Airlines
flight departs for New York Wednesday morning.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
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