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STONE AGE GEORGIA
Prehistoric Technologies
Laboratory
Education > David Zhvania
T
he Prehistoric Technologies
Laboratory was created at the
Georgian National Museum five
years ago. Strange as it may seem, and
despite the rich tradition of Paleolithic
research and extremely important col-
lections of stone industry in Georgia,
there was no laboratory to replicate
technological processes, make artifacts
required for technological research or
conduct functional analyses. A com-
prehensive study of Paleolithic indus-
tries, however, is usually impossible on
the basis of typological analysis alone
without technological and functional
analyses. Establishing the laboratory
became particularly topical after the
Dmanisi discoveries, as the need to carry
out technological studies became cle-
ar. At present research on the Dmanisi
industry is under way in the laboratory
through support from the Rustaveli Na-
tional Science Foundation. This Founda-
tion has also helped the Museum equip
the laboratory through a program enti-
tled “The Organization of Dmanisi Indus-
try Collections and Their Technological-
Experimental Study”.
The laboratory’s experimental base
is located at the Giorgi Chitaia Open
Air Museum of Ethnography within
the education center. This was done
to permit the National Museum to
keep science and public education
E X H I B I T I O N
closely interconnected, and to provi-
de a wide dissemination of informa-
tion on the latest scientific discoveries
in Georgia. In addition to conducting
scientific research, the laboratory
is involved in the Museum’s educa-
tion program. Interactive lessons are
offered to students from schools and
universities. Within the framework of
various events, the demonstration of
technologies and workshops are also
held at the laboratory.
GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM
In the future, closer study of the tech- ADDRESS: N3 SHOTA RUSTAVELI AV.
nologies of historic times is planned in
the laboratory to enrich education pro-
grams and to strengthen scientific rese-
arch.