Abstract
The Markul settlement is an architectural site of the local population of northwestern Colchis. It is located in the village of Markula, Ochamchira region, Republic of Abkhazia. Traditional and modern digital methods are combined here to study the settlement. Panorama images acquired by a drone are used to outline a final orthometric model of the landscape of the entire settlement. An ancient road was discovered after detailed analysis of the finished model. Field studies have confirmed the existence of the road. Photogrammetry is similarly used here to study the architectural remains of the Alakhash-abaa tower and the results suggest that it was erected in the Roman period. The excavation results also support this conclusion.
Highlights
The territory of northwestern Colchis is a historical crossroads for many nations and cultures.Local tribes are known to have actively traded with both with the peoples of the North Caucasus and the states of the Mediterranean and Asia
The shooting was conducted using multi-rotor drones at two different altitudes, where the altitude was 50 m with the DJI Inspire 1 Pro drone (SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China) and 100 m with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone (SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China). Both drones were equipped with optical RGB cameras, gyro-stabilizing platforms, and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers in order to obtain the exact coordinates of the central points of the images
As the present study has shown, aerial photography from a drone allows one to obtain high-quality images of a site at different angles at different times of the day during different seasons, and this, in turn, allows one to document the elements of a site that are invisible at first
Summary
Local tribes are known to have actively traded with both with the peoples of the North Caucasus and the states of the Mediterranean and Asia. These tribes have always been under the control of certain major powers, such as Persia, the Kingdom of Pontus, the Roman Empire, later Byzantine. The tribes themselves were either truncated to several smaller state formations (e.g., Lazika, Apsilia, Abazgia, Sanigia) or united into larger states (e.g., the Kingdom of Abkhazia and Kingdom of Georgia). Despite such a turbulent history, this territory has still been under-researched by archaeologists. The site, fenced by the famous Kelasur wall, is located on two sufficiently high plateaus, stretching 500 m to the north, with a slope of 38 degrees east of the Black Sea coast, located
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