The ancient Greeks knew of Colchis, and it featured in the Greek legend of Jason and the Argonauts, who travelled there in search of the Golden Fleece. The first two Georgian states emerged in the west known as the Kingdom of Colchis and in the east as Kingdom of Iberia.Д®arly Georgian Kingdoms of Cholchis and IberiaДЄ second Georgian tribal union emerged in the 13 th century BC on the Black Sea coast under the Kingdom of Colchis in western Georgia. As a result of cultural and geographic delimitation, two core areas of future Georgian culture and statehood formed in western and eastern Georgia by the end of the 8th century B.C. By that time Svans were dominant in modern Svanetia and Abkhazia, Zans inhabited modern Georgian province of Samegrelo, while East-Kartvelians formed the majority in modern eastern Georgia. That finally led to the formation of modern Kartvelian languages: Georgian (originating from East Kartvelian vernaculars), Svan, Megrelian and Laz (the latter two originating from Zan dialects). At the same period, the ethnic unity of Proto-Kartvelians broke up into several branches, among them Svans, Zans/Chans and East-Kartvelians. Together, they testify to an advanced and well-developed culture of building and architecture.Д«etween 2100 and 750 B.C., the area survived the invasions by the Hittites, Urartians, Medes, Proto-Persians and Cimmerians. Archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of settlements at Beshtasheni and Ozni (4th - 3rd millennium BC), and barrow burials (carbon dated to the 2nd millennium BC) in the province of Trialeti, at Tsalka (Eastern Georgia). In the chalcolithic era of the fourth and third millennia B.C., Georgia and Asia Minor were home to the Kura-Araxes culture, giving way in the second millennium BC. These features were used and further developed in building Georgian dwellings and houses of the 'Darbazi' type. These dwellings were circular or oval in plan, a characteristic feature being the central pier and chimney. In the 1970s, archaeological excavations revealed a number of ancient settlements that included houses with galleries, carbon-dated to the 5th millennium BC in the Imiris-gora region of Eastern Georgia. Numerous excavations in tell settlements of the 'Sulaveri-Somutepe-Group' have been conducted since the 1960s. The region was settled sometime between 60 B.C. However, throughout the long history of turmoil, the Georgian statehood and the Georgian nation has endured and preserved its national identity. The history of Georgia was marked by invasions and subjugation by foreign empires. The rise of the early Georgian states of Colchis and Iberia in c.2000 BC formed the unique Georgian civilization which achieved its renaissance and golden age in 12-13th century. Georgia has one of the worldвЂ™s richest and oldest history, stretching back to the prehistoric times.

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