PETITION: Das älteste Goldbergwerk der Welt in Georgien in Sakdrisi ist von der Zerstörung bedroht (bergbaumuseum.de)

(bergbaumuseum.de) Gemeinsam mit georgischen Archäologen erforscht das Deutsche Bergbau-Museum Bochum (DBM) seit 2004 das Goldbergwerk von Sakdrissi. Es liegt ca. 50 Kilometer südwestlich der georgischen Hauptstadt Tiflis, in einem Hügel mit dem Namen Katschagiani (in dem Gebiet Sakdrissi). Unsere Untersuchungen haben ergeben, dass dieses Bergwerk gut 5.000 Jahre alt ist. Somit ist es das älteste untertägige Goldbergwerk der Welt. Dieses herausragende kulturhistorische Denkmal soll einem Tagebau zur Goldgewinnung zum Opfer fallen.

Katschagiani Hügel, in dem das 5000 Jahre alte Goldbergwek liegt (2007)

Hinweis
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Was bisher geschah

Aufgrund der herausragenden Bedeutung verlieh die Georgische Regierung im Jahre 2006 den Status eines nationalen Kulturdenkmals. Im Juli 2013 wurde dieser umfassende Schutz dann von Seiten des Ministeriums für Kultur und Denkmalpflege sowie dem Präsidenten Georgiens aufgehoben und in den geringeren Status eines „normalen“ archäologischen Denkmals abgestuft. Im Oktober 2013 wurde durch den damaligen Ministerpräsidenten schließlich auch dieser Status aberkannt. Der Lizenzinhaber „Bergbaugesellschaft RMG Gold Ltd“ (RMG) erhielt seine seit 1994 bestehenden Rechte, Goldvorkommen in Georgien abbauen zu dürfen, zurück. RMG hat nun mit dem Betrieb eines Tagebaus im Bereich Sakdrissi begonnen.

Der Stand der Dinge

Deutsche und georgische Forscher, aber auch Zivilpersonen richteten daraufhin zahlreiche schriftliche Apelle an die georgische Regierung. 

Zur Petition

Es finden regelmäßige Demonstrationen und Kundgebungen in der Hauptstadt Tiflis und in Sakdrissi statt. Aktivisten haben vor Ort Stellung bezogen und campieren in einiger Entfernung zu dem begonnenen Tagebau. Da weder Zugang noch Aufenthalt im näheren Umfeld des Gebiets um den Hügel geduldet werden, haben sie eine Plattform errichtet, von der aus sie die Arbeiten der RMG „überwachen“. Dabei stehen die Aktivisten unter reger medialer Begleitung. Versorgt und unterstützt werden sie zudem von der örtlichen Bevölkerung.


Hintergrund

Der Ursprung dieser ganzen Entwicklung liegt in dem Entzug des Kulturdenkmal Status begründet. Es wurde von Seiten der Regierung eine Kommission eingerichtet, welche die wissenschaftlichen Aussagen unserer 10-jährigen, international anerkannten Forschung, nicht berücksichtigt hat. Seitens der Bergbaufirma wurde „festgestellt“, dass es sich nicht um Goldbergbau handele. Auch erkannten sie vor Ort keinen alten Bergbau, sondern lediglich moderne Prospektionsstollen (aus dem Jahr 1987).

Diese modernen Stollen waren es, die es uns bereits im Jahre 2004 ermöglichten, in einer Tiefe von knapp 20 Metern unter der Erdoberfläche auf die Spuren „alten“ Bergbaus zu stoßen, den sogenannten „Alten Mann“. Wie alt dieser tatsächlich war, ergaben mehrere 14C Analysen von Holzkohleresten, die aus ungestörten Schichten der engen Abbaue entnommen wurden. Sie datierten bereits in die erste Hälfte des 3. Jahrtausends vor Christus. Zahlreiche weitere Untersuchungen bestätigen und ergänzen diesen Sachverhalt. Dazu wurden von uns in den vergangenen 10 Jahren regelmäßig Berichte abgeliefert und diverse Artikel publiziert. Diese wurden seinerzeit hoch gelobt. Plötzlich werden sie bei Entscheidungsprozessen nicht mehr berücksichtigt. Darüber sind das DBM und die georgischen Kollegen sehr enttäuscht und empört. 

Zum Forschungsprojekt

Wie geht es weiter?

Auf nationalen und internationalen Druck hin, ist eine neue Kommission mit Sachverständigen aus verschiedenen Ländern einberufen worden. Herr Prof. Dr. Albrecht Jockenhövel (Leiter der Abteilung Ur- und Frühgeschichte des historischen Seminars an der Universität Münster i.R.) ist Mitglied dieser neuen Kommission, die zu Sakdrissi einberufen wurde. Ziel ist es, alle Aktivitäten, die Zerstörung des Bergwerks betreffend, zunächst zu stoppen, die wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse anzuerkennen und in den Entscheidungsprozess um den Erhalt des Bergwerks von Sakdrissi einzubeziehen. Es muss eine faire Diskussion geführt werden. 
 
Bericht der wissenschaftlichen Kommission

Offener Brief von Prof. Dr. Thomas Stöllner vom 07. Mai 2014 

Derweil gehen die Aktivitäten und Proteste vor Ort (in der Hauptstadt Tiflis und Sakdrissi) weiter. Täglich berichten die großen georgischen Zeitungen (z.B. ttimes.ge) und TV Sender in ihren Hauptnachrichten über das älteste Goldbergwerk der Welt, die Firma RMG Gold und das Deutsche Bergbau-Museum Bochum mit seinen n Partnern. 

Schweres Gerät wird nach Sakdrissi gebracht und der Abbau vorbereitet.

Interview: Prof. Dr. Thomas Stöllner im Interview mit BBC News, Tiflis, Mittwoch, 28. Mai 2014: Das Dilemma um Georgiens Goldbergwerk

Weiterführende Links
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(bergbaumuseum.de) Salz, Kupfer, Gold: Früher Bergbau im Kaukasus (vorher Gold in Georgien) 

Der Kaukasus war eines der bedeutendsten „Erzgebirge“ der Alten Welt, speziell des Alten Orients. Als Land des „Goldenen Vlies“ umfasst den Westteil Georgiens, die Kolchis, ein Synonym für den Goldreichtum in der Antike.

Als erster „Metallurge“ wurde Prometheus, der Gigant, von den Göttern an die Felsen des Kaukasus geschmiedet und bis heute ist der Archäologe überwältigt vom Metallreichtum der prähistorischen Fundkomplexe in dieser Region. Zu den Besonderheiten der Region gehören neben den reichen polymetallischen Lagerstätten vor allem auch der Goldreichtum der Antike. Aber schon am Beginn der Frühbronzezeit besaß das Edelmetall große ökonomische und gesellschaftliche Bedeutung. 

Die Entdeckung des Goldbergwerks von Sakdrissi (ca. 50 km südwestlich von Tiflis) führt genau an diese Fragen heran. Im Jahr 2004 konnte während eines Geländeaufenthaltes Holzkohle geborgen werden. Ihre Lage innerhalb der dort angetroffenen Schichtenfolge (Stratigrafie) datiert den Abbau in das frühe 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. Weitere angefertigte Analysen bestätigen das Alter um 3000 v. Chr., eine Probe verweist sogar in die zweite Hälfte des 4. Jahrtausends – die Zeit der sogenannten Kura-Araxes-Kultur. Damit zählt Sakdrissi zu den ältesten bekannten Goldbergwerken der Menschheit.

In mehreren weiteren Grabungskampagnen (2005, 2007-2011) konnte nun dieses Goldbergwerk weiter untersucht werden. Eingeschlossen waren auch umfangreiche Surveyarbeiten im Umfeld des Goldbergwerkes, galt es doch die Frage nach einer zugehörigen Siedlungslandschaft näher zu untersuchen. Im Jahr 2007 entdeckten wir in Balitschi-Dzedzwebi eine der größten frühbronzezeitlichen Siedlungen im Kaukasus; Funde von Werkarealen belegen die Verarbeitung von Goldsand und weitere metallurgische Tätigkeiten. Die Forschungen wurden seit 2004 großzügig durch die Volkswagenstifung unterstützt, und werden nun in einer zweiten Projektphase bis 2011 gefördert. 

Schwerpunkte des Projektes werden so neben den archäologischen und geowissenschaftlichen Geländearbeiten vor allem auch geochemische Laboruntersuchungen zur Herkunft des kaukasischen Goldes sein: Wir wollen herausfinden, welche ökonomische Bedeutung die Lagerstätte von Sakdrissi im 4. und 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. gehabt hat.In dem Projekt arbeiten deutsche und georgische Archäologen, Geowissenschaftler und Botaniker zusammen: Mit eingebunden ist ein Wissenschaftleraustausch, der vor allem georgische Nachwuchswissenschaftler nach Deutschland führt. An der Ruhr-Universität werden diese Kollegen einen Master-Abschluss in prähistorischer Archäologie (Rohstoff- und Wirtschaftsarchäologie) und Archäometrie anstreben. Frau Dr. Gambaschidze wird eine Habilitationsschrift über die älteren südkaukasischen Metallzeiten verfassen. 

Mehr Informationen & Fotos: bergbaumuseum.de

BBC: Georgia's gold mine dilemma. By Rayhan Demytrie (bbc.com)

Source & Video: bbc.com/news/world-europe

What is worth more: a unique historic site or gold that lies within it?

That is a question Georgians have been grappling with since their government gave permission for industrial excavation to start at what scientists claim is the oldest known gold mine in the world.

The archaeological area, known as Sakdrisi, is a small grassy hill in the Bolnisi region, in the picturesque foothills of south-eastern Georgia.

For 10 years Professor Thomas Stoellner, a leading specialist in mining archaeology from the University of Bochum, Germany, has been studying the archaeological record at Sakdrisi together with his Georgian colleagues.

"When we went to do the first survey we found hammer stones - typical mining tools - thousands of them," says Prof Stoellner, who believes that tunnels inside the hill date back 5,400 years.

"At once I realised the importance of the site. When we got the first value carbon dates, and they were around 3,000 BC, it was clear that this was an exciting find which had never occurred in pre-historic mining."

Recently discovered artefacts including a unique set of spiral gold earrings found in neighbouring Azerbaijan can be traced to Sakdrisi, according to Prof Stoellner.

'No proof'

The Georgian government used to share this excitement and Sakdrisi was a protected cultural heritage site. But that status has been removed, and Professor Stoellner's views are being challenged.

"It's not proven that Sakdrisi is an ancient gold mine - it's just an assumption," Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili recently said at a meeting with university students.

Does that change in position have much to do with the mine's potential as a source of employment and revenue in the region?

Sakdrisi sits on prime territory licensed to a commercial gold mining company, RMG Gold. The Russian-owned company is a major investor in the Georgian economy.

Mr Garibashvili was keen to emphasise this: "The investor has already invested $300m [£178m; 219m euros] in the Georgian economy. This company has 3,000 employees and those people represent 3,000 families."

According to RMG's commercial director, Soso Tsabadze, their products, which include copper concentrates and gold alloys, make up about 10% of Georgia's total exports.

Although Sakdrisi hill occupies only nine hectares out of 193 hectares of licensed territory, RMG says it is vital for their operation.

"We estimate the area holds a deposit of 14 tonnes of gold, 30% of which lies immediately under the hill." says Mr Tsabadze.

"Initially Sakdrisi was cut out of the licensed territory because of the archaeological site," he explains.

"We sent experts to study how far from the site we could mine. They concluded that we would not be able to use drill and blast methods within one kilometre of the protected site.

They then posed a question: is this really an ancient archaeological site? This was a legitimate question because there was no scientific evidence."

To study the issue, the government appointed a commission, which ruled that there was no scientific proof that Sakdrisi was a gold mine and that its historic status had been granted in "gross violation" of Georgian law.

Protest camp

Civil society activists in Georgia have staged protests against the site's destruction. A few dozen young students have been camped out near Sakdrisi since mid-April.

Organisers of the protests want the government to invite an independent panel of international experts to decide on Sakdrisi.

Marina Mizandari was formerly deputy culture minister. She claims she was fired for criticising the decision to allow mining to proceed at Sakdrisi, and believes there are other ways to develop the region.

"If this archaeological heritage is maintained, it could become an educational scientific centre," she says.

"We have other ancient settlements nearby from the same epoch. We can follow the gold processing step by step, develop cultural tourism and contribute towards the sustainable development of this region."

Activists have also been seeking to attract attention to the mining industry's "disastrous" environmental record in the region, and have highlighted what appears to be poor environmental practice.

A 2012 study by researchers at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University found that heavy metal pollutants from mining processes were entering the river system in Bolnisi.

"Mining is the biggest industry in our country and it's also the biggest pollutant," says Kakha Bakhtadze from the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network.

"The problem with Bolnisi region is that it's one of the main suppliers of agricultural produce to the capital Tbilisi. There are lots of farms here and they use water from heavily polluted local rivers to irrigate their crops."

Priorities

But, RMG director Soso Tsabadze admits, dealing with environmental issues is not a priority. He says the company has already encountered losses due to delays in production over Sakdrisi.

And so, the work is under way. Mud tracks have already been formed in the ground by trucks and digging equipment passing back and forth.

To see the historic site destroyed will be a loss for the scientific community, says Prof Thomas Stoellner. He believes the oldest stages of mining have yet to be discovered: "In Western Europe we solve such problems by doing commercial rescue archaeology - excavate everything, study the details and then, okay, if there is a decision of the government, exploit the field."

The government may have already made its decision but protesters have vowed to stay on. They are hoping an independent panel of experts will be invited to judge whether this ancient mine is worth more than the gold that lies within it. 


Gold rush hits Georgian mountains Watch 22 NOVEMBER 2010, EUROPE

VIDEO: Campaign to save ancient gold mine in Georgia - Sakdrisi

Civil society activists in Georgia are campaigning to save what international archaeologists believe could be the world's oldest gold mine.

Scientists say it dates back nearly 5,400 years. But the Georgian government has recently allowed commercial mining to start there, saying the site has no historical value.

Rayhan Demytrie spoke to Dr Thomas Stoellner, of the Archeologist University of Bohum, Soso Tsabadze from RMG Gold, and activist Marine Mizandari.

GLOBALIZATION: Gold mining's cultural cost. By Paul Rimple, Tbilisi (dw.de)

(dw.de) Civil society in the Republic of Georgia is up in arms about the government's decision to allow a mining company to excavate and destroy what many archaeologists contend is the oldest gold mine in the world.


Read also by Paul Rimple: Conservation
Ancient site pits locals against big business in Georgia [dw.de]

Plans by big business to destroy an ancient site south of the Georgian capital Tbilisi are causing anger among local protesters and international scientists. They say it's an ancient gold mine dating back 5,000 years.

The rolling plains of Georgia's Bolnisi region aren't just serene. They also represent one of the most significant areas worldwide for archeologists looking for ancient human remains.

In the tiny village of Dmanisi, a 1.8 million year-old human skull was recently discovered to the amazement of scientists. Nearby, a team of archeologists from the National Museum of Georgia and the German Mining Museum (DBM) unearthed Bronze Era caves.

But the area is also rich in minerals. One site, known as Sakdrisi, is even believed to be home to a 5,000-year-old gold mine. The area was part of a concession of land the Georgian government allotted for the exploration of minerals in 1994.

In 2006, Georgia's Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection added the ancient gold mine site to its list of protected cultural monuments. The archeological significance of the region had been a source of pride to the company that had the initial rights to mine the area. But that's now due to change. The Russian-owned company RMG bought the lease in 2012, and now plans to mine for gold.

The power of gold

RMG believes that rich gold deposits are directly under the ancient gold mine site and petitioned strongly for the government to lift Sakdrisi's protected status.

The Georgian Ministry of Culture formed a commission to study the site's status in May 2013. After one month of investigations, the commission ruled that no grounds exist to justify the protected status. In July 2013, the Ministry of Culture revoked its protected cultural heritage status.

The commission also held that the previous Georgian government had granted the protected status illegally, although they say they cannot find the 2006 documents that granted Sakdrisi permanent protection.

Thomas Stöllner, from DBM, challenged the commission's scientific qualifications though, requesting in an open letter that a new international committee be set up to test the site's archaeological signficance. So far the request has fallen on deaf ears.

Conflicts of interest

Gold exports are big business in Georgia. Sales of the precious metal overseas totalled 25.7 million euros ($35.5 million) in 2013, nearly 3 percent of the country's total export earnings.

RMG Commercial Director Solomon Tsabadze, a former Georgian Environment Ministry official, says the mining company provides 85 percent of the local budget through licensing fees and is the largest single employer in the region.

But civil society groups suspect collusion between the mining company and the government. Back in 1994 a Ministry of Environment official, Zurab Kutelia, issued the original mining permit for Sakdrisi. Today, he is the chairperson RMG's supervisory board and a company shareholder. On the other hand, other former mining company directors have become government officials too.

For Marine Mizandari, Georgia's former Deputy Minister of Culture, the ministry's decision to remove Sakdrisi from its list of protected sites is a serious setback.

"Why are we called the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia, if we don't protect our monuments of culture?" she said to DW, adding that she believes she was dismissed from her post in the culture ministry for reasons related to Sakdrisi.

Citizens stand up

Mizandari is now at the forefront of the Public Committee to Save Sakdrisi, a coalition of civil society groups and students demanding that the Culture Ministry appoint a non-partisan group of international experts to re-evaluate Sakdrisi.

But her protest work is not yet getting results. At a recent meeting with university students on the issue, Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili reiterated the commission's controversial findings, saying there was no proof gold had ever been mined in Sakdrisi. He stressed that RMG has already invested heavily in the Georgian economy and that protecting Sakdrisi would jeopardize the jobs of 3,000 people.

RMG has now been given the green light to begin excavating, and activists and students have organized protests against the Culture Ministry's decision in Tbilisi and near the mine site. One of their chief complaints is their exclusion from the decision-making process.

"You can stop anybody on the street and every Georgian will tell you they are proud of their history and culture," said Avtandil Ioseliani, representing Unanimity, a local NGO coalition. "I don't know what the Culture Ministry is doing, but they are not answering the questions society has."

Although Sakdrisi has lost its cultural heritage protected status, it is still an archeological site, which prevents RMG from destroying it completely. The Culture Ministry has announced that it will appoint an independent group of archeological experts to monitor the mining work done.

But mining opponents fail to see the logic in the policy, since the mining process requires blasting and the destruction of the ancient tunnels, they say.

Nikoloz Antidze, from the National Agency for Cultural Heritage and Preservation of Georgia, recalls how archeological sites were ruined when BP laid an oil pipeline across the country in last 10 years.

"State interests often override archaeological interests all over the world, not just in Georgia," he told DW.

SCANDAL: Georgia Opts for Gold Mining at Protected Historical Site. By Paul Rimple (eurasianet.org)

(eurasianet.org) It turns out the choice between gold and historical preservation is an easy one to make for officials in Georgia: the government is going for gold.

EurasiaNet.org has learned the Georgian Ministry of Culture and Heritage Protection has given Russian-owned mining company RMG Gold the green light to excavate gold from Sakdrisi-Kachagiani, a nine-hectare site in southeastern Georgia that many archeologists claim contains the remnants of one of the world's oldest gold mines. In 2004, archeologists from the National Museum of Georgia and the German Mining Museum unearthed caves and mining tools at the site that are believed to date to the third millennium, BC.

It is uncertain when the company will begin mining the site. Approximately half of its workforce has been on strike since January 24, seeking higher wages. Some critics hint the company is using the archeological controversy as cover for questionable labor practices.

Opponents are also upset with the government’s evident willingness to allow the destruction of what may be a unique site. Officials have additionally brushed off a call by civil-society activists for an independent study into Sakdrisi the site’s archeological significance.

During a March 17 trip by a EurasiaNet.org correspondent to the area, accompanied by government representatives, two manned security vehicles sat outside the entrance to Sakdrisi-Kachagiani. The company continues to block entrance to the site, even to Ministry of Environment officials.  It cites the potential for damage by outsiders and lingering issues about the site’s status as the cause.

Caves and mining tools discovered at the site during a 2004 excavation by the National Museum of Georgia and the German Mining Museum are believed to date to the third millennium, BC.

But in its March 14 decision, the Culture Ministry cited a supposed lack of proof that Sakdrisi had ever functioned as a gold mine as a reason for lifting the site's protected status as a a "cultural monument." For the past eight years, Sakdrisi had enjoyed protection, a designation that prevented mining at the site, located near the village of Kazreti, where a vast copper mine owned by RMG Gold's sibling, RMG Copper, is located.

In a March 13 discussion with university students, Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili indicated that another factor played into the government’s decision to lift the site’s protected status. Noting the supposed lack of evidence for Sakdrisi's past, the prime minister stressed that RMG Gold has invested $300 million into the Georgian economy and employs 3,000 people. For a country with an official unemployment rate of 16 percent, an economic growth rate of under 2 percent such earnings and employment figures are not exactly trivial. In addition, the government experienced a drastic shortfall in tax revenues for 2013.

RMG Gold, an entity that evolved from Georgia’s former mega-mining company Madneuli, is believed to rank as one of the country's largest taxpayers. RMG Gold executives claim that to find fresh gold and maintain their operations, they need access to Sakdrisi-Kachagiani. With gold prices now at $43.67 per gram, it appears it wasn’t difficult for officials to buy into RMG Gold’s argument. In 2013, gold accounted for 2.9 percent ($35.52 million) of the country’s export earnings.

Gocha Aleksandria, vice-president of the Georgian Trade Union Confederation, is among RMG Gold’s critics who note that the company started complaining about the Sakdrisi ban’s adverse impact on earnings only after it was hit with a strike.  RMG Gold representatives have claimed that as long as they can’t mine the area, they cannot pay higher wages or keep on idle workers. On January 31, one week after the strike began, the company dismissed 184 workers allegedly for these reasons.

"We see it as retaliation for the strike,” Aleksandria said, speaking for the confederation's membership.

The government has appointed mediators to settle the strike, but Aleksandria says the process is moving slowly. Even with a full work force, Mikheil Kvaratskhelia, head of RMG Gold's Health, Safety and Environment Department, reckons it will be "a couple of years" before the Sakdrisi-Kachagiani site is blasted for mining.

Skirting Sakdrisi-Kachagiani, the last in a series of five ore pits, is not an option, the company says. Geologists claim that ore from the site, believed to be the richest in gold, must be blended with that from the four other pits to get a consistent grade of gold.  Preliminary exploration work has only just begun on the first pit, about two kilometers away.

Civil-society activists are bracing for a long fight. "The government has a responsibility to explain, to argue its position, not just ignore [opponents]," commented Kakha Bakhtadze, a representativer of the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), one of the signers of a petition to Prime Minister Gharibashvili to preserve Sakdrisi's protected status.

The disregard that officials have exhibited toward those Georgians who want to protect Sakdrisi, "means that tomorrow the government can decide to destroy another cultural monument and do what it wants," Bakhtadze alleged.

The message the Culture Ministry is sending is mixed. In a March 14 statement, it called the claims about Sakdrisi's archeological value a "myth," yet it also announced intentions to invite independent international experts to monitor RMG Gold's mining at the site in case of "some scientific" discovery.

For Irakli Matcharashvili, program coordinator at Green Alternative, another of the Georgian NGOs opposing the ministry's decision, the plan makes no sense. "If this is a myth, why do they need a commission of experts? It's just words."

RMG Gold spokesperson Ekatarina Jojua has no information about a potential monitoring. "It's beyond our scope," Jojua said. "It's not clear who or how this will be done. It's up to the ministry."

Bakhtadze, the CENN representative,believes the government is suffering from short-sightedness. "The mine might be around for five or ten years. That's all. They will have destroyed the environment and [our] cultural heritage."

Editor's note: Paul Rimple is a freelance reporter based in Tbilisi.