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Trialeti petroglyphs ( ka, თრიალეთის პეტროგლიფები, tr) is prehistoric 
rock art
In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...
in the Trialeti
Trialeti ( ka, თრიალეთი) is a mountainous area in central Georgia. In Georgian, its name means "a place of wandering". The Trialeti Range is a part of the greater Trialeti Region. It corresponds to the modern-day Tsalka Municipa ...
area, in the Tsalka Municipality
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Tsalka ( ka, წალკის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Ćalḱis Municiṕaliťeťi; ;'' ) is a municipality in Georgia's southern region of Kvemo Kartli, covering an area of . As of 2021 it had a population of 19 ...
, engraved
Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...
over a number of periods from the Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
to the Middle Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. The depictions include geometric, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic images. It is recognized as a monument of the Cultural Heritage of Georgia and is part of the Prehistoric Rock Art Trails, a cultural route designated by the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
.
The Trialeti petroglyphs are located some 12 km east of the town of Tsalka
Tsalka ( ka, წალკა, tr , , or , az, Barmaqsiz) is a town and municipality center in southern Georgia's Kvemo Kartli region.
Population
The district had a population of 2,326. According to the 2014 census, 47% of its population is Ge ...
, in the narrow gorge of the Avdris-Tsqali or Patara Khrami river—a right tributary of the Ktsia River—on the outskirt of the village of Gantiadi (former Tikilisa) in the Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli ( ka, ქვემო ქართლი, az, Aşağı Kartli) or "Lower Kartli", is a historic province and current administrative region (mkhare) in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is the regional capital.
Location
Kvem ...
region, in an area which was historically known as Trialeti. This rock art site was discovered in the 1880s and rediscovered, after a series of futile attempts, in 1976. It is the only example of prehistoric rock art of this type found on the territory of Georgia; carvings at Mghvimevi cave in Imereti
Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...
and Agtsa in Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
are limited to simple geometric motifs. The site is at a risk of deterioration.
The Trialeti petroglyphs include about 100 images, clustered into six panels, carved across 50 m of a flat basalt surface. Animals are the most common depictions and include local fauna, such as deer, horses, mountain goats, birds, and fish, as well as fantastic and hybrid creatures. The images are schematic and represented side-on, with emphasis on certain elements, such as antlers. One scene shows a female deer feeding its fawn. Elsewhere, animals are depicted entangled in a hunter's net. Human figures are hunters, equipped with bows and arrows, and diminutive in comparison to the animals, measuring between 2.5 cm and 18-20 cm, mostly of 1-2 mm in width and depth. The hunters are shown front-on and more schematically than the animals. The figures are static, holding their hunting weapons in the left hand. Geometric figures include crosses, checkerboards, and sunbursts.
References
{{reflist Archaeological sites in Georgia (country) Petroglyphs Rock art in Europe Rock art in Asia Prehistoric Georgia (country)