The project "Summer School - interdisciplinary research of the Neolithic Village" includes several stages, which aim to prepare the basis for the future scientific career of the students, as well as the formation of field, laboratory and academic skills.
The project envisages carrying out archaeological works on a late Neolithic settlement in Tekali village. Khram's Great Hill is a benchmark settlement of the Shulaveri-Shomutepe culture, which presents a continuity of layers. It was excavated in the 1970s and 80s. total of 225 square meters and an 8-meter-deep section, the students involved in the project will participate in the process of cleaning this section and digging the old trench.
This project will be a combination of discovering and studying artefacts and ecofacts. The project involves conducting small-scale excavations to facilitate interdisciplinary research. During the expedition, archaeological and sample materials (palynological and paleobotanical samples; radiocarbon dating material, and materials for DNA and isotope research) will be collected and stored. Students will be given the opportunity to actively engage in the entire cycle of archaeological work:
1. Preparation for excavation
2. Field archaeological works
3. Camera-laboratory works
4. Drawing up a report
The culminating part of the project is for students to learn the important skills involved in writing and publishing a scientific article. After analyzing and processing the materials, students will participate in the process of writing the article. Taking into account their interests, they will edit the relevant part of the article. The finished product will be packaged and ready for publication in an international journal.
Similar projects and activities in the future will give us a diverse and multi-professional scientific team, which will significantly increase the archaeological research in the region with the help of modern technologies and various fields.