Fortifying Frontiers Project

The Fortifying Frontiers project investigates late antique fortifications in the region of Lazica, a strategic area of western Georgia located along the frontier between Byzantium and Persia. Through field surveys, photogrammetry, and analyses of building materials, the team reconstructs construction techniques, building phases, and the political forces that shaped the fortified landscape of the period.

The project brings together researchers from Durham University, the University of Milan (ArcheoMeMi), the University of Winchester, the National Museum of Georgia, and the Anglo‑Georgian Expedition to Nokalakevi. It is supported by the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA) through its Small Project Grants, as well as by the University of Milan. The activities aim to create an open, comparative database for the coordinated study of military architecture across the region.

Publications

Snyder, R., Alania, D., Colvin, I., De Lisi, A., Everill, P., Intagliata, E.E., Murgulia, N. 2025, “Fortifying Lazica: Building Patterns and Construction Techniques at the Edge of the Empire”, Heritage Turkey 15, 31–32.  https://biaa.ac.uk/publication/ht15/