Georgia to host 2020 Assembly of European Prehistoric Rock Art Trails
A cultural heritage monument site in Trialeti, about 100km west of Tbilisi, is the location for some of the major rock art examples on the country's territory. Photo via Cultural Routes of Georgia.
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Georgia will be the host country for an anniversary Assembly of the Council of Europe Prehistoric Rock Art Trails next year, bringing together scientists and historians studying the "art of the first Europeans".
At this month's General Assembly in Valcamonica, Italy, organisers approved a decision to pick Georgia as the destination for the 2020 gathering.
The news for the hosting of the 10th anniversary assembly in Georgia follows the 2017 addition of ancient rock carvings found on the territory of the country to the Europe-wide network. The admission itself followed the acceptance of the National Agency for the Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia as a full member of the ancient trails international association the same year.
A delegation from the Georgian agency was present at this year's assembly in Valcamonica - a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy's north.
The Trialeti samples of carved figures were added to the CoE Prehistoric Rock Art Trails in 2017. Image via Cultural Routes of Georgia.
The team of Georgian scientists presented measures and plans of state agencies in the country with relation to prehistoric rock art sites.
One of the major locations featuring ancient carvings on the country's territory is found among cave formations in Trialeti, about 100km west of capital Tbilisi.
Dated back between the late Pleistocene (the era ran about 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago) to Holocene (about 11,700 years to present), the site has been designated as a cultural heritage monument.
The Council of Europe's Prehistoric Rock Art Trails programme brings together European rock art destinations dating from 42,000 years ago and through the Upper Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Copper and Bronze ages.
The current CoE cultural route includes 112 sites hosting over 1.9 million visitors annually.
Members of the Scientific Committee of Prehistoric Rock Art Trails visited the archaeological complex of Trialeti located in central Georgia yesterday. The rocks mainly portray paintings of local fauna. Geometric figures, such as square nets, crosses and a radiant sun are also portrayed on the rocks.
Four tourist paths crossing Georgia and featured among the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe were recently on display as a nighttime projection outside the Metekhi Church in downtown Tbilisi.
The lighting display was set up as part of a number of initiatives and announcements related to developing and promoting tourist orientations for cultural attractions in the country — from revealing the western city of Kutaisi as the host of the 2021 Cultural Routes Annual Advisory Forum to a launch of a new smartphone application for tourists.
Ancient rock carvings found in Georgia have been recognised as part of a Europe-wide network of Prehistoric Rock Art Trails, giving more exposure to tourist destinations in the country.
Travellers considering visiting Georgia's historical cultural sites now have a new application helping them explore options, with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia unveiling Cultural Routes Georgia for the purpose.