A New Late Antique Church Complex at the Foot of the Greater Caucasus – Machkhomeri hill (Khobi Municipality)

Machkhomeri hill is situated in modern Khobi municipality, 3.5 km to the northwest of Khobi and approximately 22 km to the east of the Black Sea coast. Recent excavations at the site have uncovered the remains of a church, whose first phase of construction is dated to the 6th century AD, but that underwent significant later alterations. The church has yielded a rich assemblage of inscriptions that, in the absence of any information available from written sources, has been crucial in clarifying its dating as well as to provide information on its donors. The site was surrounded by a narrow perimeter wall whose remains are only visible to the west and north of the church. The scope of this contribution is to present briefly the results of the 2019–2020 excavations at Machkhomeri hill. In so doing, it will reflect on the nature and function of the site based on the archaeological evidence available so far.