Understanding Fortress‐Cities: High‐Resolution LiDAR Mapping of Samshvildé, South Caucasus, Republic of Georgia

ABSTRACT From the 5th through 14th century, fortress‐cities dominated the landscape along the South Caucasus, including the Republic of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iran and eastern Turkey. Drawing upon an airborne LiDAR survey of Samshvildé, Republic of Georgia, this study offers new insights into the organization, construction and long‐term development of medieval fortress‐cities in the South Caucasus. Results from the LiDAR survey reveal a series of previously undocumented architectural and hydrological features—including an extensive lower fortress, multiple defensive towers and a complex system of open and subterranean water channels—that challenge earlier interpretations of Samshvildé as a settlement defined primarily by its Citadel. Methodologically, the research underscores both the strengths and limitations of LiDAR in heavily vegetated, multi‐period landscapes, demonstrating the technology's exceptional capacity to identify microtopographic features otherwise inaccessible to traditional field mapping, while also highlighting the necessity of detailed ground truthing and architectural analysis to accurately interpret multi‐phase construction sequences.