Archaeological investigations at the multi-period settlement of Rabati; southwest Georgia : preliminary report (2016, 2018 seasons)

Presented here is a preliminary account of excavations carried out at the site of Rabati (Meskhet-Javakheti region, southwest Georgia) in 2016 and 2018 by the Georgian-Australian Investigations in Archaeology (GAIA) project. At this multi-period site, architectural remains and a range of cultural artefacts span the Chalcolithic, through Bronze and Iron Ages, to the medieval period. Specific cultural finds have included Bedeni and Trialeti deposits characterised by distinctive pottery types and, importantly, contemporary common wares representing an otherwise little-known local domestic ceramic industry. Archaeobotanical and palynological analyses reflect on the agricultural economy at the site, which included cultivated cereals and other edible plants.