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Among the ruins of the ancient city of Samshvilde ("three bows") south from Tbilisi stand two equestrian funerary steles – monuments to deceased men – carved from single blocks of stone.
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Samshvilde is – or, rather, was – situated atop a hill carved out of the surrounding plateau by two rivers, on a flat, progressively narrowing area approximately 1km long by 2-300 wide, the tip of the site dropping a sheer 150m down to where the two rivers converge. The site thus has excellent, steep natural defences, and was without doubt occupied for a very long period. Visible to this day are the ruins of an impressive castle astride the city wall (which sealed off the city from the widening hilltop area), a paved street running down the middle, wide enough for a car, the ruins of several large houses, walled fields, and a number of large basins, probably destined to collect rainwater. There are also the ruins of a large church, which in all likelihood dates back to the XIIth-XIIIth centuries. But the most interesting remains of human occupation of this site are without doubt the stone horses!
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The larger of the two (approximately 150cm long and 80cm high) clearly commemorates the death of an important man, as its decoration is lavish and detailed. It was (re-) erected in a clearing next to a small church, where it stands to this day, surrounded by the tables and benches placed there for the revellers who attend religious feasts in the church.
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Samshvilde is – or, rather, was – situated atop a hill carved out of the surrounding plateau by two rivers, on a flat, progressively narrowing area approximately 1km long by 2-300 wide, the tip of the site dropping a sheer 150m down to where the two rivers converge. The site thus has excellent, steep natural defences, and was without doubt occupied for a very long period. Visible to this day are the ruins of an impressive castle astride the city wall (which sealed off the city from the widening hilltop area), a paved street running down the middle, wide enough for a car, the ruins of several large houses, walled fields, and a number of large basins, probably destined to collect rainwater. There are also the ruins of a large church, which in all likelihood dates back to the XIIth-XIIIth centuries. But the most interesting remains of human occupation of this site are without doubt the stone horses!
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The larger of the two (approximately 150cm long and 80cm high) clearly commemorates the death of an important man, as its decoration is lavish and detailed. It was (re-) erected in a clearing next to a small church, where it stands to this day, surrounded by the tables and benches placed there for the revellers who attend religious feasts in the church.
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On the horse's left flank are carved the figure of a man with his arms crossed on his chest, hands open – probably represented as being in prayer or lying at rest (i.e. following burial) – and all the possessions this clearly important and wealthy person would have needed in the afterlife: His rifle with cartridges and a horn containing gunpowder; a dagger, a sword, and an axe; various drinking vessels such as a jug (most likely for wine), a smaller vessel, and a drinking-horn. There is also a small, Maltese-like cross just below the horse's rump. The horse itself is fully equipped, with a bridle with a bit, and an apparently padded saddle with stirrups placed atop a saddlecloth, the latter being held in place by a strap leading over the horse's rump to its tail and by another strap which encircles the horse's breast (where the strap seems to bear a semi-spherical decoration.)
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To my untrained eye, judging by the presence of the rifle and its accessories, this the larger of the two steles probably dates from the XVIth-XVIIIth centuries A.D., although the site of Samshvilde itself, thanks to its excellent natural defences, is no doubt aeons older. (I seem to remember being told that stone-age arrowheads had been found here.)
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There is another horse, which perhaps still stands where it was originally erected. This second one is smaller than the first, and is unfortunately too covered in moss for any decorative carvings to be visible without resorting to amateur archaeology. This horse is also richly caparisoned, and seems to be in better overall condition than the first, due to the fact that it stands half-buried in loam, further away from the aforementioned revellers. My guess is that it is from the same period (XVIth-XVIIIth centuries A.D.)
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Samshvilde is barely an hour's drive from Tbilisi, and lies not far from the small town of Tetritskaro. (Any potential visitors will need a sturdy four wheel drive vehicle.) The site is best visited in Spring, before the vegetation has had the chance to cover up the ruins (most particularly the low-lying horses), and before the region's notorious poisonous snakes emerge in the shimmering summer heat... The modern village of Samshvilde (populated by Armenians) lies on the near side of the Khrami river gorge, which forms the northern flank of the hilltop site.
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To my untrained eye, judging by the presence of the rifle and its accessories, this the larger of the two steles probably dates from the XVIth-XVIIIth centuries A.D., although the site of Samshvilde itself, thanks to its excellent natural defences, is no doubt aeons older. (I seem to remember being told that stone-age arrowheads had been found here.)
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There is another horse, which perhaps still stands where it was originally erected. This second one is smaller than the first, and is unfortunately too covered in moss for any decorative carvings to be visible without resorting to amateur archaeology. This horse is also richly caparisoned, and seems to be in better overall condition than the first, due to the fact that it stands half-buried in loam, further away from the aforementioned revellers. My guess is that it is from the same period (XVIth-XVIIIth centuries A.D.)
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-Samshvilde is barely an hour's drive from Tbilisi, and lies not far from the small town of Tetritskaro. (Any potential visitors will need a sturdy four wheel drive vehicle.) The site is best visited in Spring, before the vegetation has had the chance to cover up the ruins (most particularly the low-lying horses), and before the region's notorious poisonous snakes emerge in the shimmering summer heat... The modern village of Samshvilde (populated by Armenians) lies on the near side of the Khrami river gorge, which forms the northern flank of the hilltop site.
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