How old is Georgia's history?

Very old: hominin fossils at Dmanisi date to about 1.8 million years — the earliest humans known outside Africa — and winemaking here goes back around 8,000 years. Georgia adopted Christianity as a state religion in the early 4th century; official Georgian sources place it in the 330s.

Queen Tamar, who came to the throne in 1184, was the first woman to rule Georgia in her own right. Her reign is remembered as the country's medieval Golden Age — the era of the cave city of Vardzia and Rustaveli's national epic.

What are Georgia's UNESCO World Heritage sites?

They include the historical monuments of Mtskheta (Svetitskhoveli and Jvari), Gelati Monastery near Kutaisi, and the tower-house villages of Upper Svaneti — all of which we can build into a trip.

History · Georgia

History of Georgia

Georgia's story runs from the earliest humans outside Africa and 8,000 years of wine to a medieval Golden Age under Queen Tamar, empires and Soviet rule, and independence today. Move through the eras — each ties to a place you can still visit.

up to c. 6000 BC

Prehistory & wine

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At Dmanisi, southwest of Tbilisi, hominin fossils dated to about 1.8 million years (discovered in 1991) are the earliest known humans found outside Africa.
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By around 6000 BC people here were fermenting grapes in buried clay qvevri — an 8,000-year tradition that makes Georgia one of the world's oldest wine cultures. UNESCO inscribed the qvevri method in 2013.

Key figures: The Dmanisi early humans; the qvevri vessel

Walk through the history

Mtskheta, Vardzia, Gelati, the Baku Old City, Sheki — we build the places behind the story into a trip that fits your dates.

See tours in Georgia →

History of Georgia, answered

How old is Georgia's history?: Very old: hominin fossils at Dmanisi date to about 1.8 million years — the earliest humans known outside Africa — and winemaking here goes back around 8,000 years. Georgia adopted Christianity as a state religion in the early 4th century; official Georgian sources place it in the 330s.
Who was Queen Tamar?: Queen Tamar, who came to the throne in 1184, was the first woman to rule Georgia in her own right. Her reign is remembered as the country's medieval Golden Age — the era of the cave city of Vardzia and Rustaveli's national epic.
What are Georgia's UNESCO World Heritage sites?: They include the historical monuments of Mtskheta (Svetitskhoveli and Jvari), Gelati Monastery near Kutaisi, and the tower-house villages of Upper Svaneti — all of which we can build into a trip.