The Caucasian dolmens have long been the subject of scholarly interest. Initially, dolmens were known only in the North Caucasus. Later, they were also discovered in Georgia, particularly in several locations on the territory of Abkhazia. Many hypotheses have been advanced concerning their chronology, origin, spread, and the tribes that erected them.

The territory of Khashuri Municipality in ancient times was considered a crossroads of archaeological cultures. In the Early Bronze Age, the Kura-Araxes and Bedeni cultures prevailed here, while in the Middle Bronze Age the Shida Kartli cultural group became dominant. The proximity to the western border of Georgia contributed to the widespread distribution of elements of the Colchian culture.

In the second half of the 3rd millennium BC, the appearance and establishment of early burial mounds — early kurgans — on the territory of Georgia was a highly significant event. A turning point occurred in the development of the Early Bronze Age culture, and Georgia entered the orbit of European cultures. A kurgan, or burial mound, is an artificial mound of earth and stone under which a burial is enclosed.

This article presents significant Classical-period archaeological sites discovered in Eastern Georgia. Through a general archaeological overview, we seek to gain insight into the material and spiritual culture, as well as the political and social conditions, of Kartli—or Iberia—during that era. Below, we provide a partial list of these archaeological sites, along with their identifications and chronological classifications.