Vani

Visited in April 2023

Wondering why this site is not on the list yet… It represents many centuries of the history of territories located south of Greater Caucasus, their relations with the northern cultures, Greek civilization and also those from the east and south…

Most of ancient Vani (we do not know how it was called back in the ancient times, although there are some documents that let us assume it was called Surium or/and Leucothea by the Greek) is buried under the modern village and fields to the west of the centre and the main bazaar. And only around 10% of the site has been excavated till now. Local farmers and local authorities do not allow any farther investigations, so probably for the next decades we won’t know anything more about its extent and architectural/economical/social features. It is really a pity… Who knows – maybe after the heavy rains will another part of the uncovered site appear as it did in 1876 after the landslide when the history of Vani as a Colchian culture representative started. And now this is the best known Colchian site inland and the best known in general.

I took a taxi from Kutaisi airport to get to the museum in Vani. It seems that this is the best on site archaeological museum in the country. The entry price is a bit steep by Georgian standards but still it is a must before the visit to the archaeological area around. You can …