Georgian Parliament Speaker: archaeological artifacts discovered during works on Rustaveli Avenue provide further evidence that one of main arteries of Silk Road passed through Tbilisi

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Wednesday that archaeological artifacts discovered during works on Rustaveli Avenue provided further evidence that one of the main arteries of the Silk Road passed through Tbilisi.

Papuashvili made the remarks while speaking to journalists about ongoing archaeological excavations on Rustaveli Avenue, saying he had inspected the site together with Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.

“We inspected the site that was discovered during the works. This is another page in the history of our capital”, Papuashvili said.

He thanked Tbilisi City Hall employees and the archaeologists working at the site for their efforts to preserve and study the historical artifacts.

“I would like to thank Tbilisi City Hall for paying close attention to any archaeological artifacts that may be discovered during these works. I would also like to thank the archaeologists who have been working throughout the day to show us another episode of our country’s history”, he said.

“It was very interesting to see a place where there apparently used to be a pottery workshop, where numerous vessels have been discovered. It also tells its own story, as some clay vessels were found inside a kiln and apparently remained there because of a historical event. They stayed underground and now, centuries later, as archaeologists estimate, these artifacts dating back approximately to the 10th-11th centuries have seen sunlight for the first time”, Papuashvili said.

He added that the discoveries provided unique details about the history of Tbilisi and Georgia.

The Parliament Speaker also said the findings once again confirmed that one of the main arteries of the Silk Road had passed through Tbilisi, along what is now the city’s main avenue.

“Today it is Rustaveli Avenue, while at that time a road passed through here that was one of the main arteries of the Silk Road”, Papuashvili said.