A new study by Cranfield University has uncovered startling new information about the ancient South Caucasus stronghold settlement of Dmanisis Gora.
Using advanced drone mapping technology, Dr. Erb-Satullo and his team have uncovered a ‘mega fortress’ in the Caucasus mountains. The site is far larger and more complex than previously thought. The study could reshape our understanding of ancient settlement growth and urbanism in this historically rich region.
The mega fortress—Dmanisis Gora—is believed to date back around 3,000 years and is a key site in the study of ancient fortified settlements in the South Caucasus. These settlements emerged between 1500 and 500 BCE and defined a quantitative leap for the region’s prehistories.
It is at the crossroads of cultures between Europe, the Eurasian Steppe, and the Middle East. With a historical, cultural crossroad, it has long been a center point of different civilizations and cultural exchanges.
Research on Dmanisis Gora began in 2018 when Dr. Erb-Satullo and his colleague Dimitri Jachvliani from the Georgian National Museum conducted test excavations on a promontory that overlooks two deep gorges. The initial findings suggested a fortified site, but it wasn’t until a visit in the autumn, when the summer grasses had died back, that the true scale of the settlement became apparent.
Outside of the inner fortress, some more remains of walls, stone structures, and other features were found. This suggested that the settlement was much larger than previously thought.
“That’s when we realized we needed a new approach,” Dr. Erb-Satullo said. “Ground-level observations couldn’t capture the full extent of the site, so we decided to use a drone to map it from the air.”
A DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, equipped with advanced technology and stupendous accuracy of less than 2cm, was used for the project. The drone shot nearly 11,000 high-resolution photographs during the project, which were then processed using advanced software to generate a detailed digital elevation model and orthophoto—composite images showing a true aerial view of the whole site.
These maps revealed that Dmanisis Gora was more than 40 times larger than initially thought, with a large outer settlement defended by a one km-long fortification wall.
“We were able to identify a wealth of human-made features, such as additional fortification walls, graves, field systems, and other stone structures,” Dr. Erb-Satullo explained. “The drone survey has allowed us to document this site in ways that wouldn’t have been possible with traditional excavation methods.”
In addition to the drone mapping, the team compared their outcomes with historical imagery from a Cold War-era spy satellite declassified in 2013. The 50-year-old photos offered significant information, helping the researchers distinguish between more recent modifications to the landscape and ancient features.
The team then merged their data with the drone imagery in Geographic Information System (GIS) software. They were able to see the changes in the landscape. Moreover, it also revealed areas impacted by modern agricultural practices.
Dr. Erb-Satullo noted that this innovative combination of aerial surveying and historical imagery has provided a more complete picture of Dmanisis Gora’s evolution. “By understanding the changes in the landscape, we can hypothesize how the settlement might have expanded and contracted over time. We believe the outer settlement may have fluctuated seasonally, perhaps due to interactions with nearby mobile pastoral groups.”
The research also points to new insights into the organization of ancient societies. The large outer settlement, defended by its fortifications, suggests a complex society with advanced planning and defense strategies. The information gained may help the area understand agricultural practices, livestock movement, and human population density, thereby giving a greater insight into how those societies worked during the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age.
With mapping complete, Dr. Erb-Satullo and his team continue excavation at Dmanisis Gora. These excavations have uncovered thousands of pottery shards, animal bones, and other artifacts, gradually disclosing more about the people who once lived in this impressive fortress.
The Gerda Henkel Foundation, the Gerald Avery Wainwright Fund, and the British Institute at Ankara have funded this research. It contributes to a global reassessment of ancient urbanism and settlement growth, highlighting the complex and diverse ways early societies in the South Caucasus developed.
Dmanisis Gora is not just a significant archaeological site for the South Caucasus. Still, its discovery has broader implications for how we think about the evolution of large-scale settlements in the ancient world. The work will help to reshape the understanding of early urbanism and settlement dynamics, not just in this region but across the ancient world.
Journal Reference:
- Nathaniel L. Erb-Satullo et al., Mega-fortresses in the South Caucasus: new data from southern Georgia, Antiquity (2025). DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2024.197
