Gonio Fortress. Forpost of the Roman Empire

What if the stones were talking?

Gonio Fortress was once called Apsara and is the oldest fortress in Georgia.

Four legends are associated with this fortress: according to the first, there was a fortress of Queen Tamara, according to the second, Medea's half-brother Apsirt visited here, looking for the golden fleece with the Argonauts, according to the third, the Apostle Matthew is buried here, the fourth - the walls of this fortress heard the preaching of Andrew the First-Called. I will tell you what these assumptions are based on.

But what is indisputable is that there were Roman legionaries, Genoese merchants, Georgian kings, and Turkish military. Tens of generations have left their footprints on these stones. During the Roman Empire Gonio was quite a large city had its own theater, hippodrome and baths. Unfortunately, these structures have not reached our days. But water pipes, towers with holes for ballista or catapults and many other artifacts that make it possible to imagine what the life of the inhabitants of the fortress looked like.

I'll tell you about the archaeological excavations. Sometimes it feels like a monotonous routine, but at times it becomes like a quest or a detective. Together we will try to decipher some of the early elements of the fortress and imagine how the day of its inhabitant passed 2000 years ago. Let’s talk about the rise and decline of the Roman Empire, the first Christian preachers and imagine how they will “decipher” our life in the fourth millennium.

Organizational details

Tickets to the territory of the fortress are not included in the cost of the excursion.
You can arrange a transfer from Batumi for an additional fee.