Author: Inga Macharashvili
Upper Imereti, and especially the Chiatura municipality, is one of the most significant archaeological regions in Georgia. The cultural layers formed here over millennia fully reflect the continuous development of human civilization. In Chiatura, the naturally enclosed canyons and rocky landscape filled with caves create a unique environment that preserves evidence of material culture from the Old Stone Age, Neolithic, Eneolithic, and Bronze Ages.
There has always been life in the caves of Chiatura. The people who lived here protected themselves from predators, wove and dyed thread in simple ways, worked stone, made primitive tools, and left us a legacy – a history that is still being read underground. A special place in this remarkable chronicle is held by Bondi Cave, hidden behind centuries-old layers of rock, in the untouched heart of nature – a dark and wind-protected space that has added an entirely new level of data to the study of humanity’s past.
Bondi Cave is a site of great international importance and a highly valuable monument of cultural heritage. Life in the caves of Chiatura continued through the ages, and the main reason for this was Georgia’s geographical location and favorable climate. This land was, as it still is, a crossroads of Africa, Europe, and Asia – a meeting point where ancient cultures converged and, over time, merged into an original culture characteristic of this region.
The general geographical setting of Georgia, formed by the Caucasus Mountains and the Black and Caspian Seas, shaped its climate and history. The main Caucasus ridge protected the country from glaciation, while the two seas brought about a milder climate. Georgia is one of the few regions in the world where it is possible to study human life across all chronological stages of prehistory.
Last summer, the global scientific community once again discussed the sensational discoveries made at Bondi Cave in Chiatura. The cave is located about 6 km from the town, near the village of Tsirkvali, and can be reached by crossing the Bondi suspension bridge. The area of Bondi Cave is 121 square meters, its depth is 11 meters, and its width is 7 meters. It is truly one of the most important monuments of cultural heritage.
In Bondi Cave, archaeologists discovered a human skeleton dating back around 10,000 years, buried near the cave wall in a specially arranged tomb. It is almost a complete skeleton – including teeth, skull, ribs, and limbs. The tomb, probably damaged by the 1991 earthquake, belongs to the late Neolithic period. After the skull was restored, researchers found a lesion on the left lobe near the coronal suture, which occurred during life and caused the individual’s death. Based on the eruption of the teeth, the person’s age was determined to be between 6 and 10 years.
Research conducted by Professor Nika Tushabramishvili of Ilia State University (head of the expedition) and an international team of scientists suggests that one of the main branches of the Western European genome may have originated here. This theory is supported by the discovery of a fourth, previously unknown genetic component. It appears that the South Caucasian gene is one of the main links in the genetic chain, whose descendants are modern Europeans.
Bondi Cave is of great international significance for another reason: the remains of the earliest flax fibers and twisted threads, dating back about 34,000 years, were discovered here. Similar findings have also been made in the Dzudzuana Cave. Evidence of paleo-earthquakes was identified in Bondi Cave for the first time in Georgia, with precise dates of 25,000 and 17,500 years ago. During the cooling period, the cave was used more intensively, as shown by the presence of micro-remains of burnt pine wood. Large amounts of deer fur and flax fiber, including twisted and dyed ones, were found – suggesting that people not only made and used thread but could already weave.
The Bondi Cave Teenager, preserved in bone form through the passage of time, is both real and legendary. As a link between the past and the future, he holds an honorable place among the exhibits of the Chiatura Museum of Local Lore. Seeing him feels like encountering the distant past of humankind – an experience that leaves a deep impression on visitors and highlights the high tourist potential of Chiatura, both for local and foreign guests.
Even after millennia, it is easy to imagine what that 6-10-year-old child might have looked like – with burning curiosity in his eyes, walking through the forest around the cave, listening to the wind and the dripping of water, sitting by a half-extinguished fire, his shadow flickering on the wall as the breeze flowed in from outside. In his hand, he holds a small pouch made of animal skin, filled with charcoal and pigments. He draws himself on the cave wall – a small figure with arms stretched toward the sun: “This is my mark. When I am gone, it will remain.”
Bondi Cave still holds its secrets. Its exploration, which continues today, promises that in the coming years, many more discoveries will enrich the history of humankind – discoveries that will allow us to truly hear the voice of the past.