Abstracts - International Initiative for Georgian Cultural Studies

As it is well known, a transit trade road passed through the territories of the Transcaucasian countries, including
Colchis, linking east with west. According to the accounts of Greek-Roman authors, the trade road
started in India, passed along the Caspian Sea, crossed Transcaucasus (Mtkvari River, Surami pass, Rioni
River), and went on to the Black Sea shore city of Phasis. From there, it went still further along the Black
Sea and reached Asia Minor cities. Due to such circumstances, it is difficult to state from where exactly an
artifacts excavated at the site originates.
As the writings of Greek-Roman authors reveal, Colchis was rich in gold. Excavations carried out in
Vani have proved that the accounts of Greek-Roman authors are well-grounded. The recent (2003, 2004,
2007) archaeological findings have uncovered evidence to suggest that Vani was rich not only in gold, but
in silver, bronze and iron as well. Two thousand years ago, the Greek historian Strabo wrote the following:
“The wealth of the regions about Colchis, which is derived from the mines of gold, silver, iron, and copper,
suggest a reasonable motive for the expedition [of Jason], (Strabo, The Geography, I, 2.39).
The paper deals with restoration schemes applied by us to two bronze artifacts excavated in Vani in
2007. The planning process for restoration and conservation and the specificity of the approach used will
be accentuated.
Tea Kintsurashvili
Georgian National Museum. Tbilisi State Academy of Art. Georgia
Scanning Glassware from Vani by Means of Electronic Microscope-Energy Dispersive Analysis: Its
X-ray-Fluorescence study, Restoration and Conservation
Information obtained in a process of studying the chemical composition and production technology of
ancient glassware, jointly with archaeological data, can be decisive for attributing glass artifacts to a certain
region and for evaluating the level of cultural development of that region.
Glass artifacts unearthed in abundance in the south Caucasus region, namely in Georgia, which lies at
the crossroad of ancient trade routes, carry information on glass manufacturing stages characteristic of not
only of the region, but of the entire ancient world in general. As glassware has been of special importance
in the history of mankind, scholarly interest in its samples is of special significance.
Georgia is among the regions throughout the world, which produced glass since ancient times. The most
ancient artifacts from glass and glass-like materials unearthed throughout the territory of Georgia are dated
to the third millennium B.C. These findings enable us to identify Georgia as the most ancient site of glass
production, from where the technology was spread to regions in the north.
The objective of our study concerns glassware dating to the fifth - fourth cenutry B.C. unearthed in
Vani. The paper deals with restoration and conservation of glass artifacts, as well as with determination
of dye-stuffs used in the process of manufacturing by means of X-ray fluorescence technology; collecting
information on the components used for glass production by means of electronic microscope-Energy dispersive
X-ray fluorescence technology; electronic microscope-energy dispersive scanning analysis of the
composition; and establishing the place of pruduction. The latter issue is of special importance, as in the
period under consideration, in addition to producing glass locally, importing and exporting glassware was
a widespread practice.
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RESTORATION/CONSERVATION