Pichnavi

Project Description:

Pichvnari lies on the Black Sea coast of Georgia, at the confluence of the Choloki and Ochkhamuri rivers some 10km to the north of the seaside resort of Kobuleti. It was the site of an earlier Colchian settlement occupied by Greek traders from the mid-fifth century BC. Pichvnari means "Place of the pine trees" in Georgian; its name in antiquity is unknown. First recognised in modern times from coin hoards, the site has been studied since the 1960s by Georgian archaeologists from the N. Berdzenishvili Batumi Research Institute of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. These activities came to a temporary halt between 1989 and 1998 owing to the difficult economic situation in Georgia.

A new stage began in 1998, when the first joint British-Georgian Pichvnari Expedition of Pichvnari was established. Work was conducted by the Batumi Archaeological Museum, the N. Berdzenishvili Batumi Research Institute and the Ashmolean Museum. References and plans are available on the website.