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Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs from two zoomorphic Kura-Araxes vessels (ca. 3000 B.C.) from Aradetis Orgora suggest they were utilized for the ritual consumption of wine and likely represent the beginning of the enduring tradition of animal-shaped wine-drinking containers in Georgia. This hypothesis is supported by archaeological and geoarchaeological data: they resemble later wine-containing vessels from Georgia and elsewhere and were found in a building whose context is suggestive of a small shrine. Their palynological spectra match those of present-day wine and wine containers of other periods. One of them was intact, with only a small access hole; consequently, its palynological spectrum can be utilized as a standard for determining the presence of wine in other archaeological vessels. Palynological analyses from different contexts of the Aradetis Orgora settlement and its cemetery (Doghlauri) yielded other significant results regarding the practice of viticulture and the cultural relevance of wine during the Kura-Araxes period.

Although large quantities of hearths and fireplaces are usually found in archaeological excavations, this class of installations is still poorly and rarely studied. However, their analysis can provide interesting information about the living habits of the ancient populations, as demonstrated by the example of the numerous firing installations discovered during the excavations carried out in 2013-2016 in the site of Aradetis Orgora in Georgia by the Georgian Italian Shida Kartli Archaeological Project. Specifically, two types of hearth are considered in this article: the type provided with inner projections (lobes) and the hearth consisting of a clayey surface overlying a bedding of pebbles and potsherds. Their contexts of discovery, chronological and geographical distribution are discussed and some hypotheses about their meaning for the communities that produced them are advanced.

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