In spite of the unfavourable weather conditions, the expedition managed to achieve its main aim: to complete the investigation of the Tsiteli Gorebi 5 settlement and thus collect important data concerning the poorly known Early Chalcolithic occupation of this part f the Southern Caucasus. The integrated strategy coupling geomagnetic prospections, excavations of limited areas at the settlement’s periphery and small soundings in less intensively occupied sectors proved very effective for better defining the extension of the settlement – which is considerably larger than previously thought – and for clarifying its layout. This consisted of small separate raised areas of occupation surrounded by ditches protecting them from flooding and water stagnation, which hosted dwelling units and different activity areas, separated by areas with a lower intensity of occupation. The poor preservation of the structures once standing on top of these small “islands” suggests that continuing their investigation would contribute only limited new information about the site and its material culture assemblage. The latter has been in fact integrated, in the present season, by the discovery of some categories of objects (especially in the field of macrolithics) which were previously under-represented. Further significant data about the lifestyle of the ancient inhabitants of the Tsiteli Gorebi 5 settlement and of the surrounding area are expected, in the next future, from the wide range of geo-archaeological, environmental, archaeometric and experimental studies which are currently under way. The most important and quite unexpected result of the 2021 season is the presence, under the Early Chalcolithic settlement, of an earlier occupational layer mainly represented by large poorly preserved but extremely densely arranged pits. 14C dates will hopefully help in establishing their date: to judge from the scanty recovered material, this is probably rather close to that of the Early Chalcolthic settlement overlying them.
The short survey season was also very successful, in that it allowed to discover several new sites, some of which would undoubtedly be worth future archeological investigations and, from a more specifically methodological point of view, to fill some gaps in the systematic coverage of the Lagodekhi Municipality territory. Geoarchaeological research and prospection work carried out at different sites of the municipality contributed to a better knowledge of the ancient landscape and its evolution, which will allow, in the future, to plan more effective strategies for the reconstruction of its history.
Finally, the forced inactivity from the excavation during part of the campaign was transformed into an occasion to concentrate on other activities (study of museum collections, experimental archaeology and didactic activities for local high school students) that the members of the expedition wish to continue and implement during the next campaigns, as well.