10th-Century Pottery Unearthed During Rustaveli Avenue Renovation

Summer upgrades to Rustaveli Avenue—intended to add pedestrian crossings, improve signage and modernise the central boulevard—disrupted traffic and provoked resident complaints about holes and crushed brick. The construction work, however, exposed a ceramic workshop six metres beneath the thoroughfare, yielding a cache of pottery dated to the 10th-century.

The Independent

Medieval Georgian chronicles place Tbilisi’s founding in the 4th century under King Vakhtang I of Kartli. By the 10th-11th centuries the city lay under Arab rule and served as a key Silk Road hub, later passing through the hands of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, the Seljuk Empire, the Mongols, Persians and Russians. The multicultural character of the period, noted by museum officials, explains the presence of diverse workshop activity beneath the modern street.

The Independent

Preliminary analysis of the fragments’ ornamentation points to production between the 10th and 11th centuries. The assemblage represents some of the oldest medieval material uncovered in Georgia’s capital. Archaeologist Merab Dzneladze documented the site, while David Lordkipanidze, director of the National Museum of Georgia, described the discovery as a logical outcome of Tbilisi’s rich archaeological layers. The pottery will be transferred to the museum for three-dimensional scanning and further scholarly review.

The Independent

The National Museum, located a short distance from the dig, will curate the artifacts and integrate them into ongoing research on the city’s medieval economy and cultural exchanges. Museum officials emphasized that the find underscores the importance of safeguarding heritage amid urban development.

The Independent

The uncovered workshop offers rare insight into the material culture of a period when Tbilisi functioned as a vibrant economic centre on trans-Eurasian trade routes. By preserving and studying the pottery, Georgian scholars aim to deepen understanding of the city’s multicultural past and inform future infrastructure projects that intersect with archaeological sites.

The Independent