Researchers Stumble on 3,000-Year-Old “Mega Fortress” in a Mountain, Leaves Them Puzzled About Its Function and Occupants

Archaeologists Discover a 3,000-Year-Old "Mega Fortress" in a Mountain, Leaving Theories About Its Purpose and Inhabitants Uncertain

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The fortress of Dmanisis Gora was about 3,000 years old and was built between 2000 and 1000 years before the current calendar. It's located at the intersection of Europe and Asia. There are other fortresses in the area, but none of them are as tall as Dmanisis Gora. Researchers used drones to study the fortress more closely than they could in the past. "Our study showed that the site is much bigger than initially thought - about 40 times larger - with a big outer settlement protected by a 1-kilometer-long fortification wall," said Dr. Nathaniel Erb-Satullo, the study's author. "These maps helped us to see small features in the landscape and create detailed maps of all the walls, tombs, farmland, and stone structures within the outer settlement."

It was observed that Dmanisis Gora had inner and outer fortification walls, according to researchers. This suggests that there were two separate settlements within this large fortress. Both were constructed using the same materials and design. The inner and outer structures were built by placing rough boulders on the walls without any mortar. Both parts of the structure date back to the same era, indicating that it was part of a single large dwelling. "If the inner and outer settlements were occupied at roughly the same time, as we propose, this settlement would be one of the largest known in the South Caucasus during the Late Bronze and Iron Age," the study's authors noted.

No archaeological artifacts were found at the large outer settlement, suggesting either that it was uninhabited or that the inhabitants quickly abandoned it after setting it up. This was a hard notion to accept for experts, given the site's large and detailed layout. As a result, researchers proposed that the site may have been a periodic settlement, serving as a temporary base for pastoralists during the spring and autumn seasons. This would mean that the location was heavily used but didn't have a permanent population, which could explain the lack of personal belongings.

According to Newsbreak, researchers used drones to examine the unique role the structure held within the region's historical context. "Thanks to drones, we're able to grasp the site's importance and document it in a way that wouldn't be possible on the ground," said Dr. Erb-Satullo. "Dmanisis Gora isn't just a significant discovery for the Southern Caucasus region but has broader implications for understanding the diversity of large-scale settlement structures and how they developed. We believe Dmanisis Gora grew due to its interactions with nomadic herding groups, and its outer settlement may have expanded and contracted seasonally. With the site now extensively mapped, further research will provide insights into factors such as population density, livestock movement, and agricultural practices, among others."