The 16th International Conference of Young Archaeologists took place in the monastery complex of Vardzia. The event was organized by the Institute of Archaeology at Tbilisi State University’s Faculty of Humanities.

Academician Jaba Samushia, the Rector of TSU; Tamar Gvamichava, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia; Roin Metreveli, the President of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences; and Erekle Astakhishvili, the Deputy Rector of TSU, participated in the opening of the conference.

“The Vardzia International Conference is a unique platform where young archaeologists can familiarize themselves with the latest scientific achievements and develop their research skills. Events of this nature determine not only the individual development of students, but also the integration of the country’s scientific community into the global scientific community. We are proud that TSU is a leader and active participant in this tradition,” said Rector Samushia.

Michael Vickers, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at the University of Oxford and a regular participant in the Vardzia conferences, noted that it has been 15 years since he has been familiarizing with the students’ papers, and during this time he has noticed the progress made by the conference participants, to which Professor Vakhtang Licheli, head of the TSU Institute of Archaeology, has made a great contribution.

The Vardzia Conference is significant because it introduces and shares the latest archaeological discoveries, innovations, results and methodology. The conference provides Georgian student archaeologists with the opportunity to gain practical experience and familiarize themselves with the research of representatives from other countries. In addition, since the conference’s inception, English has been the working language, preparing Georgian students to participate in international scientific events.

The Vardzia conference featured presentations by students from universities around the world. These students were selected based on the relevance and quality of their pre-submitted papers. The presentations were evaluated by members of the Permanent Scientific Commission, comprising Georgian and foreign professors.

The conference was attended by TSU students and professors, as well as young archaeologists and scientists from Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Nottingham, University of Innsbruck, University of Edinburgh, Jesus College at University of Oxford, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Tehran, and the Georgian National Museum.

Luka Gogaladze, a second-year undergraduate student at the TSU Faculty of Humanities, is attending the conference for the second year. “This year, I am presenting a joint project with my friends to an international audience at the conference. I believe it is an important factor for our future careers and success, as well as for integrating into the European or Western scientific community,” says Luka.