Analysis of glass beads from the Ergeta and Paluri necropolises (Georgia, late Bronze Age to 6th c. BC)

We present the analytical results obtained, using LA-ICP-MS, on a set of 62 glass beads originating from Ergeta and Paluri cemeteries (Georgia). Building on previous research, this study extends the investigation of glass beads distributed in the Colchian culture. The glass assemblage from Ergeta comprises 50 samples that were found in two distinct cemeteries located in different areas of the village (Papuashvili, 2022), while the Paluri assemblage includes 12 fragments discovered within the same collective pit. All samples are stored in the Archaeological depot of the Dadiani Palaces History and Architectural Museum. Analyses of the Ergeta and Paluri glass beads enrich the existing dataset of the glass from Colchis and highlights the exchange networks that connected Colchis with neighbouring and distant regions from the Late Bronze through the beginning of Classical period. Additionally, this work advances knowledge of the internal distribution of particular chemical groups in Colchis, previously documented at sites such as Tsaishi, Brili, and Pichvnari.