Ketevan Tamazashvili Georgian National museum (Georgia, Tbilisi) Images of Metal Objects on Kura-Araxes Culture Ceramic Ware Ceramic ware produced in Kura-Araxes culture is very various and is distinguished with diverse ornamental images. Vessels of different use and shape are adorned as with simple decoration ornaments, but also images with specific ideological meaning. Ceramics are decorated with relief, grooved and scratched images or symbols; painted ware is confirmed rarely. Images represent anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and geometric decorations. Metal object images are very distinguished as they are very seldom found on Kura-Araxes culture ware. Different types of tools and weapons made from metals are confirmed on archaeological sites of Kura-Araxes culture in Early Bronze Age; metal jewelry is also produced in that period. Three types of metal objects are represented on ceramic ware: 1. Dagger; 2. Double-volute pins; 3. Axe pendant. 1. Dagger image (tab. II-8) is confirmed on a pot fragment, which was found at Kvatskhela settlement, in C1 layer1. This image fully repeats the shape of bronze dagger found in Sachkhere kurgan2 (tab. II-9). The Image of a dagger can be found on the ceramic ware not only in Kura-Araxes culture, but also at the sites of later period. For example, big vessel with a dagger image is found in Middle Bronze Age layer at Arslantepe (Turkey). In near eastern mythologies spear, dagger and axe were representing symbolic images of different deities. Such deity-dagger is known from the bas-relief of Yazilikaya. According to the Hittite ritual texts, group of underground deities were represented as dagger3. 2. Images of double-volute pins are confirmed on the ceramic vessels found at Garni settlement (tab. I-5)4 and at Dangreuli Gora5. Representations of such pins are depicted on the clay plaque at Kura-Araxes site of Gegharot6. Relief image of a pin was also confirmed on a clay plaque (tab I-8), which was found on Kura-Araxes building floor at Samshvilde, excavated by Trialeti Archaeological Expedition in 20207. Such pins made from metals are widely confirmed at the EBA archaeological sites in Caucasus (tab. I-4) and Near East. Double-Volute is considered to be a symbol of a supreme deity8. 3. Images of axe-shaped pendants are confirmed on the clay vessel found at Kvatskhela settlement (tab. I-1-3, 6-7), also on ceramics discovered at EBA sites from Kvemo Kartli (Dangreuli Gora) and Armenia (Karnut)9. Such ornament is depicted on the clay vessel found in
1. aleqsandre javaxiSvili da lili Rlonti, urbnisi I, (Tbilisi, 1962), 188. 2. oTar jafariZe, saqarTvelos istoriis saTaveebTan, (Tbilisi, 2003), 114. 3. Оливер Герни. Хетты. (Москва, 1987), 177-180. 4. Эмма Ханзадян, Гарни IV, (Ереван, 1960), 76. 5. qvemo qarTlis arqeologiuri eqspediciis Sedegebi, (Tbilisi, 1975), 56. 6. Ruben Badalyan and Armine Harutyunyan, A preliminary report on the 2008, 2010, and 2011 investigations of Project ArAGATS on the Tsaghkahovit Plain, Republic of Armenia, in Archaölogische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan , band 46, issue by Sven Hansen and Mayke Wagner (Berlin, 2014). 160, fig 10-1. 7. Drawing by Inga Esvanjia. Trialeti Archaeological Expedition 2020 8. nino SanSaSvili, mtkvar-araqsis kulturis erTi ornamentis interpretaciisaTvis. (Tbilisi, 1997), 12 9. Телемак Хачатрян, Древняя культура Ширака, (Ереван, 1975).
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