originally with pitched roofs, were uncovered and each had been destroyed by fire. Buildings 1–3 have two hearths each, one of stone and the other of clay. A circular clay floor, situated in the open, likewise has evidence of burning. But the most conspicuous feature was a rectangular terracotta pan supported on stones positioned in a corner of the settlement, which appears to have been an outdoor cooking area. Like the other sites, Badaani has pits – ten of them, with an interleaving of ash and debris, individually sealed with a small heap of stones. Small miniature clay vessels found only in the pits strengthen the idea of intentionality.

The renewed investigations at Natsargora in the Khashuri district have also helped in clarifying the relationship between the late Kura-Araxes and the Bedeni periods.60 Although the architectural evidence is fragmentary, clarification of the stratigraphy and the sequence of pottery are telling. It appears that the Kura-Araxes settlement was badly disturbed by the later Bedeni pits, which caused the mixing of material. Pits dug during the Late Bronze Age caused additional disturbance. With the delineation of pits, the conclusion drawn from the early excavations – namely that Kura-Araxes and Bedeni material co-existed – has been replaced with a view that occupation at Natsargora followed the sequence Kura-Araxes, Martkopi, and Bedeni. The co-existence of Kura-Araxes and Bedeni features, according to Makharadze, can also be seen at a number of other sites, including Ilto (in Kakheti), complexes II and III at the Beshtasheni fortress, Barrow 12 at Trialeti, and Barrows N5 and N9 at Shulaveri.61 He also maintains that the Bedeni interlude comprised two developmental stages: the first saw the association of both fine ceramics and roughly made vessels in settlements, while in the second phase, when Kura-Araxes elements disappeared, fine Bedeni pottery was restricted to barrow burials and roughly fashioned containers manufactured for use in settlements.

Crafts and Technology

Ceramics

There are two types of Bedeni pottery – fine wares and coarse wares. Burial pottery generally has a fine, compact paste and is very well manufactured. Containers are thin-walled and highly burnished to an almost mirror finish. Their surfaces often bear traces of a silvery coating that can rub off if not handled carefully.This appears to be graphite or haematite that was crushed to a powder and applied to the surface prior to burnishing,when the clay was leather hard. Cups and pitchers were popular and come in a variety of forms, such as a cylindrical and two-handled cup, a one-handled pitcher with a rounded belly

60Rova et al. 2010; 2014; Puturidze and Rova 2012a.

61Makharadze et al. 2016: 16.

and straight neck, and those with a low set conical girth (Figures 7.12–7.13). Containers are often decorated with an empanelled, finely incised geometric design.A pear-shaped vessel with a tall, cylindrical neck is decorated with fl at, horizontal fluting at the shoulder. Quite novel is the tripod bowl, occasionally with bent legs and a perforated horizontal lug (Figures 7.10(3) and 7.12(7, 9)). Although known in the south Caucasus, the home of this type is the northern Caucasus, as their numbers at Bamut indicate.The sense of decorativeness appealed to Bedeni potters. Relief knobs, fluting, and fine incisions were executed with precision, often empanelled, and rarely mixed. Some vessels had discrete ornamentation, whereas others had all over patterns (Figure 7.13(3–4)). Overall, the impression one gets is of a highly developed potting tradition that was over time inspired by new advances in metalworking, for many of the vessels have a metallic look about them.

Bedeni coarse wares, on the other hand, shared technological and other attributes with Kura-Araxes. Found mostly in settlements, the coarse wares have thicker walls than their fine counterparts, but not as thick as Kura-Araxes. Because the firing does not display the controlled atmosphere required to produce the fine wares, vessels are often mottled red-brown and black in colour. Forms are limited and not as adventurous as the angular fine containers (Figures 7.12(6) and 7.13(1–2)).

Woodworking

Attention should also be drawn to the high level of woodworking, exquisitely represented by the tripod tray carved from a single piece of wood (Figure 7.9(1)). Its figured, bent legs are mortised into holes, and a perforated lug handle attached to the rim enabled it to be hung on a wall so that the grooved circular ornamentation on the underside could be admired. Taken together with the skilfully crafted and assembled wooden wagons and tools such as grooved chisels and fl at axes placed in the barrows, we can infer that skill in woodworking and carpentry was much valued.

Flaked stone

Stone items also display a level of sophistication. In Figure 7.9(4) we see typical Bedeni projectile points. Their sides are convex and exhibit careful pressure fl aking on both surfaces, squamous in appearance, and along the blade edge. Thin in cross-section, the broadest area is near the midsection or towards the base. A Bedeni point is characterised by a distinctly hollowed base, which is steeply fl aked to dull the edges for hafting on wood or bone.This new projectile design, different to the tanged and barbed arrowheads of the Kura-Araxes, is seen as a more effective weapon with greater penetrating power.62 Bone and antler points are also typical (Figure 7.9(5)).

62 Smith 2015: 142–4.

Figure 7.12. Bedeni pottery: (1, 6, 8, 11) Sos Höyük (after Sagona 2000); (2–3, 5) Bedeni Barrow 5 (after Gobejishvili 1980); (4) Shengavit (after Sardarian 1967); (10) Berikldeebi (adapted by C. Sagona, photographs A. Sagona).

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