Polish archaeologists to study ancient Colchis legacy in Georgia’s west

Poland will become the first country to have a permanent mission of archaeologists working in Georgia, as the two countries gear up for an expansion of cultural relations starting in 2018.

The initiative was revealed following an agreement reached between cultural and educational agencies of the two sides in Warsaw this week.

It will involve a Polish mission aimed at studying the remains of the ancient Black Sea Kingdom of Colchis.

Experts from Poland will focus their work on Kutaisi, the largest city in western Georgia and capital of the old kingdom from the 6th-5th centuries BC.

They will research the Colchis cultural landscape centred around Kutaisi, with the Georgian government also hoping to see the initiative contribute to wider benefits for the country.

The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia said the presence of the mission in Kutaisi would help decentralise cultural and educational activities across Georgia, away from their concentration in the capital of Tbilisi.

The cultural agency said the move would contribute to "development of humanitarian directions” at the University of Kutaisi, a major academic venue of the city.

It is also hoped students of the university will receive opportunities for frequent participation in the archaeological works held through the agreement.

Kutaisi has been a site of ongoing archaeological works of a joint Georgian-Polish project involving academic experts and students.

Archaeologists from the two countries have also been involved in works at the remains of the Gonio Fortress, another Colchis site in Georgia’s west.

The new agreement between the two countries comes ahead of an upcoming celebration of Polish cultural heritage in Georgia next year.

Led by the Georgian cultural heritage agency, the initiative will involve studies of the legacy of Polish cultural activities in Georgia, including in architecture and art.