3,000-Year-Old Bronze Age "Mega Fortress" in the Caucasus Stumps Archaeologists with Its Mysterious Purpose

A monumental Bronze Age "mega fortress" has surfaced in the Caucasus Mountains, intriguing researchers who are trying to decipher the role of this vast prehistoric structure situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Dubbed Dmanisis Gora, this giant fortified settlement surpasses nearby fortifications in size but offers few clues regarding its ancient inhabitants.

Dating back approximately 3,000 years, Dmanisis Gora is among various fortified settlements that emerged in the South Caucasus between the second and first millennia BCE. Following initial excavations in Georgia in 2018, archaeologists were astonished to find, upon their return in 2019, remnants of a second set of fortification walls encircling the inner fortress, thereby significantly enlarging the site.

Due to its vast scale, Dmanisis Gora could only be fully captured through drone photography. Researchers utilized 11,000 aerial images to compile a comprehensive overview of the fortress.

“The results of this survey revealed that the site was over 40 times larger than we initially believed, including a substantial outer settlement protected by a 1-kilometer-long (0.6-mile) fortification wall,” noted study author Dr. Nathaniel Erb-Satullo. “These datasets allowed us to identify subtle topographical features and create precise maps of the fortification walls, graves, agricultural fields, and various stone structures within the outer settlement.”

The research indicates that the inner and outer fortifications operated in tandem to provide defense, suggesting a mutually dependent relationship, where neither wall could be entirely secure without the other. Both sets of walls were constructed using rough boulders stacked without mortar, creating barriers approximately 2 meters (6.6 feet) thick.

These discoveries imply that the fortifications were erected simultaneously, indicating that the inner fortress and outer settlement functioned as a single expansive site. “If the occupation of the inner fortress and outer settlement occurred roughly at the same time, as we hypothesize, this settlement would rank among the largest known in the South Caucasus during the Late Bronze and Iron Age,” the study authors state.

However, the vast outer settlement yields very few archaeological artifacts, suggesting it could have either housed a small population or been abandoned shortly after construction. Both scenarios are puzzling given the considerable investment in building the protective walls.

Researchers propose that the fortress might have been used seasonally, perhaps serving as a staging area for pastoralists during spring and autumn. This theory could explain the site's significance despite a lack of a large, permanent population.

At present, the precise purpose behind this construction remains unclear, though Erb-Satullo notes that "further study will begin to shed light on aspects such as population density, livestock movements, and agricultural practices, among others."

The findings are published in the journal Antiquity.