Near the village of Karajamirli (West Azerbaijan) archaeological excavations have revealed the center of one of the satrapies (according to Herodotus - XI satrapy) of the Persian-Achaemenid Kingdom. It appears that the residences of the provincial rulers in this satrapy were the Persian-Achaemenid palaces uncovered prior to the discovery at Karajamirli - Saritepe (Azerbaijan), Gumbati (Georgia) and Beniamin (Armenia). A distinctive characteristic shared by all these archaeological sites is the presence of colonnaded halls. Two types of column bases have been discovered at Karajamirli: angular plinth bases and the so-called bell-shaped bases. A similar situation is observed at Beniamin. These two types are common for the capital cities of Achaemenid Iran. In contrast, only bell-shaped column bases were unearthed at Gumbati and Saritepe. In Kakheti, northwest of the village of Sabatlo, the base of a column similar to the angular plinth bases of Karajamirli and Beniamin was discovered. Two kilometers northeast of Gumbati, in a place known as Saaklemo, a six-columned hall has been uncovered. At the same location, another part of a column base was found by the landowner. The column bases are bell-shaped; however, they differ from the bases of Gumbati and Karajamirli in terms of ornamentation. None of the tori of Saaklemo’s column bases have been preserved. Approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Saaklemo, near the village of Chabukiani (Kakheti), a limestone bell-shaped column base was discovered. The peculiarity of the base is that its torus is made separately and adjusted to the body. Chabukiani column base wa decorated in the identical fashion as the Saaklemo column bases. It is also probable that the torus of the Saaklemo bases were made separately. It is beyond doubt that all of these column bases were carved locally in the South Caucasus, implying the existence of specialized stone workshops. Creative activity appears to have continued in these workshops, as evidenced by the bases from Saaklemo and Chabukiani, for which no direct parallels have yet been identified in the imperial core. According to Burkhardt Wesenberg’s classification of Persian-Achaemenid bell-shaped bases, four types are distinguished. The bases from Chabukiani and Saaklemo show some similarities with types C and D, but we consider them to represent a different, fifth type (E). The bell-shaped bases from Gumbati, Saritepe, Beniamin, and Karajamirli belong to type B.
Gagoshidze,I. and Gagoshidze,D. (2025). Persian-Achaemenid Bell-Shaped Column Bases from the South Caucasus: New Evidence. Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History, 3(No. 1), 67-77. doi: 10.22034/hunara.2025.531107.1007
MLA
Gagoshidze,I. , and Gagoshidze,D. . "Persian-Achaemenid Bell-Shaped Column Bases from the South Caucasus: New Evidence", Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History, 3, No. 1, 2025, 67-77. doi: 10.22034/hunara.2025.531107.1007
HARVARD
Gagoshidze I., Gagoshidze D. (2025). 'Persian-Achaemenid Bell-Shaped Column Bases from the South Caucasus: New Evidence', Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History, 3(No. 1), pp. 67-77. doi: 10.22034/hunara.2025.531107.1007
CHICAGO
I. Gagoshidze and D. Gagoshidze, "Persian-Achaemenid Bell-Shaped Column Bases from the South Caucasus: New Evidence," Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History, 3 No. 1 (2025): 67-77, doi: 10.22034/hunara.2025.531107.1007
VANCOUVER
Gagoshidze I., Gagoshidze D. Persian-Achaemenid Bell-Shaped Column Bases from the South Caucasus: New Evidence. Hunara, 2025; 3(No. 1): 67-77. doi: 10.22034/hunara.2025.531107.1007