TOMBS UNCOVERED IN THE SOUTHERN GALLERY OF DURUJI BASILICA

Abstract

In the surroundings of the city of Kvareli, located in the Kakheti region and historic Hereti, on the right bank of the Durudji River at the far eastern part of the Nekresi site, archaeological research has revealed a unique temple complex dating back to the 4th-5th centuries. The main building of the complex is a three-nave basilica. The total length and width of the basilica, including its galleries and narthexes, is 44 m by 28 m.

According to stratigraphic analysis and radiocarbon studies, the tombs were constructed from the first half of the 5th century to around the 550s. The anatomical positions of the deceased, their attribution, and their interment in particularly honorable and distinctive manners suggest that these individuals belonged to a high secular hierarchy[1].

Key words: Nekresi, archaeology, Dolochopi, basilica, Christian period, burial.

[1] This paper is written within the project ,, The research of burial, memorial and relic monuments of Duruji riverbank temple complex in religious and cultural context” supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia Grant No YS-22-219. სტატია მომზადდა შოთა რუსთაველის ეროვნული სამეცნიერო ფონდის მიერ დაფინანსებული პროექტის ფარგლებში ,,დურუჯისპირა სატაძრო კომპლექსის სამარხი, მემორიალური და რელიქვიური ძეგლების კვლევა სოციალურ, რელიგიურ და კულტურულ კონტექსტში” - YS-22-219.