Tkhmori Hoard (Treasure)

Tkhmori Hoard, an archaeological monument dating to the 11th–9th centuries BCE. It was discovered accidentally in 1953 in the village of Tkhmori.

Items characteristic of the Late Bronze Age Colchian culture were arranged in a damaged, black-polished clay jar. From these, the following survived: five types of hoes of various sizes and their fragments (20 pieces in total), six types of segment-shaped tools (20 pieces), miniature pendants in the shape of dagger blades (13 pieces), a two-eared celt (1 piece), and copper ingots.

The artifacts of the Tkhmori Hoard indicate a high level of development of productive power. The various types of hoes and segmented tools included in the hoard testify to the existence of "forest-type" agriculture, which was characteristic of the Colchian culture.

The discovery of copper ingots and hoe fragments confirms the existence of a local metal-casting workshop in the area. Furthermore, the discovery of a Cimmerian celt indicates trade and economic relations with the Don and Dnieper regions at the turn of the 2nd and 1st millennia BC.

The artistic motifs depicted on the objects demonstrate that a deity protecting fertility and abundance occupied a significant place in the religious views of the owners of the Tkhmori Hoard.

 

Sources: ღამბაშიძე ო., თხმორის განძი, თბ., 1963.

O. Ghambashidze