High-resolution UAV-based aerial survey of the massive Bronze Age fortress Domanissis Gora in Georgia, South Caucasus, reveals the extent of a large external fortification system and settlements that are largely undocumented in the region. The exceptional size of D. gora helps add a new dimension to population assembly models in Eurasia and other regions.
Aerial photo of the Domanisis Gora ruins. It shows where two canyons meet. Excavation work on the inner fortress in 2023 is visible in the foreground. Image credit: Nathaniel Erb-Satullo.
Fortified settlements in the South Caucasus appeared between 1500 and 500 BC and represent an unprecedented development in the region’s prehistory.
Located on the border between Europe, the Eurasian steppe and the Middle East, the Caucasus region has a long history as a crossroads of cultures with a unique regional identity.
In a new study, archaeologists focused on Domanisis Gora, a 60-80 hectare fortified settlement in Georgia that is exceptional in its preservation and size.
Dr. Nathaniel Erb Satullo of the Cranfield Institute of Forensic Sciences at Cranfield University and his colleagues wrote: “The fortifications of Domanisis Gora consisted of a double-walled fortified core and a much larger outer shell with additional fortifications. “There is,” he said.
“Two steep-sided gorges, 60 meters deep in places, supplement the defensive walls.”
“Previous research had noted that the site had an unusually large walled enclosure, but the site had not been systematically mapped.”
The researchers used the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, which can provide less than 2 cm relative position accuracy and very high-resolution aerial imagery.
To obtain high-precision maps containing man-made features, each feature in the aerial images was carefully checked to confirm its identity.
To understand how the landscape at the site has evolved, the orthophotos were compared to 50-year-old photos taken by a Cold War-era reconnaissance satellite that was declassified in 2013.
This gave scientists much-needed insight into which features are recent and which are old.
The team was also able to assess which areas of the ancient settlement were damaged by modern agriculture.
All of these data sets were integrated into geographic information system (GIS) software to help identify patterns and changes in the landscape.
“The drone takes approximately 11,000 photos and uses advanced software to combine these photos with a high-resolution digital elevation model and orthophotos, which show every point as if looking directly down. We created a composite photo,” said Dr. Elvusaturo.
The researchers found that the Domanisis Gora ruins were more than 40 times larger than originally thought, and included a large outer settlement protected by a kilometer-long wall.
“Using a drone, we were able to understand the importance of the site and document it in a way that would not be possible on the ground,” said Dr. Herv Saturo.
“Domanisis Gora is not only an important discovery for the South Caucasus region, but also has broader significance for the diversity of large-scale settlement structures and their formation processes.”
“We hypothesize that Domanicis gora may have expanded through interaction with mobile pastoral groups, with large settlements outside it expanding and contracting seasonally.”
“The site has now been extensively mapped and further research will be initiated to gain insight into areas such as population density and density, livestock movements and agricultural practices.”
The team’s paper was published in a magazine ancient.
_____
Nathaniel L. Erb-Saturo others. Megaforts of the South Caucasus: New data from southern Georgia. ancientpublished online on January 8, 2025. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2024.197
Source: www.sci.news
