Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK
This article presents a study of the value of archaeological excavation as a non-medical intervention to support mental health and wellbeing among military veterans. Beginning by discussing quantitative psychological data that shows that it is effective, the article considers qualitative data f...
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| Цитувати: | Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK / P. Everill, N. Murgulia, R. Bennett, D. Lomitashvili, K. Burnell // Археологія. — 2022. — № 2. — С. 53-66. — Бібліогр.: 23 назв. — англ. |
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irk-123456789-1994922024-10-09T17:42:19Z Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK Everill, P. Murgulia, N. Bennett, R. Lomitashvili, D. Burnell, K. Статтi This article presents a study of the value of archaeological excavation as a non-medical intervention to support mental health and wellbeing among military veterans. Beginning by discussing quantitative psychological data that shows that it is effective, the article considers qualitative data from UK, Georgian, and Ukrainian veterans to begin establishing “how” archaeology is effective. У статті узагальнено застосування археологічних польових досліджень для покращення психічного здоров’я та самопочуття військових ветеранів. Результати, вперше отримані 2011 р. в рамках ініціативи «Operation Nightingale» у Великобританії, а згодом розширені через «Breaking Ground Heritage, Waterloo Uncovered» та інші програми під керівництвом ветеранів, підлягають все більшому документуванню та вивченню. Відповідаючи на питання, як археологія підтримує ефективне немедичне втручання, запропонована стаття повідомляє про результати програми благополуччя ветеранів у грузинському Нокалакеві, яка приймала грузинських та українських ветеранів у 2019 р. Аналіз якісних даних, отриманих від учасників, які працювали разом із британськими та грузинськими працівниками й студентами, представлено в межах тематики досліджень, проведених у Великобританії з британськими ветеранами. Зіставлення даних, отриманих в Нокалакеві, з даними британських проєктів «Breaking Ground Heritage» дозволило визначити загальні, але незалежно досягнуті результати. Аналіз демонструє спільні теми для всіх учасників, а відповіді ілюструють важливість трьох аспектів індивідуального досвіду під час археологічної польової роботи: міжособистісного, розвивального й досвіду цілісного розвитку особистості. Передбачається, що ці аспекти сприяють покращенню самопочуття ветеранів, які беруть участь у проєктах розкопок, що передбачають також надання соціальної підтримки та підтримку один одного. Із цього дослідження зрозуміло, що конструктивне з історичним середовищем може мати терапевтичний вплив на людей із потребою поліпшення психічного здоров'я. Ідеться насамперед про відчуття автентичності, що виникає через участь у проєкті, який підтримують досвідчені археологи та фахівці з питань культурної спадщини. Адже учасники проєкту відчувають, що роблять конкретний внесок у краще розуміння та інтерпретацію пам’ятки. 2022 Article Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK / P. Everill, N. Murgulia, R. Bennett, D. Lomitashvili, K. Burnell // Археологія. — 2022. — № 2. — С. 53-66. — Бібліогр.: 23 назв. — англ. 0235-3490 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/arheologia2022.02.053 http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/199492 [159.9:355.292.3:902.2](479.2+41)-051 en Археологія Інститут археології НАН України |
| institution |
Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
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English |
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Статтi Статтi |
| spellingShingle |
Статтi Статтi Everill, P. Murgulia, N. Bennett, R. Lomitashvili, D. Burnell, K. Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK Археологія |
| description |
This article presents a study of the value of archaeological
excavation as a non-medical intervention to support
mental health and wellbeing among military veterans.
Beginning by discussing quantitative psychological
data that shows that it is effective, the article considers
qualitative data from UK, Georgian, and Ukrainian
veterans to begin establishing “how” archaeology is
effective. |
| format |
Article |
| author |
Everill, P. Murgulia, N. Bennett, R. Lomitashvili, D. Burnell, K. |
| author_facet |
Everill, P. Murgulia, N. Bennett, R. Lomitashvili, D. Burnell, K. |
| author_sort |
Everill, P. |
| title |
Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK |
| title_short |
Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK |
| title_full |
Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK |
| title_fullStr |
Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK |
| title_sort |
authentic and therapeutic engagement with the past for veterans at nokalakevi, georgia, and on breaking ground heritage projects in the uk |
| publisher |
Інститут археології НАН України |
| publishDate |
2022 |
| topic_facet |
Статтi |
| url |
http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/199492 |
| citation_txt |
Authentic and Therapeutic Engagement with the Past for Veterans at Nokalakevi, Georgia, and on Breaking Ground Heritage Projects in the UK / P. Everill, N. Murgulia, R. Bennett, D. Lomitashvili, K. Burnell // Археологія. — 2022. — № 2. — С. 53-66. — Бібліогр.: 23 назв. — англ. |
| series |
Археологія |
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| fulltext |
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 2 53
This article presents a study of the value of archaeologi-
cal excavation as a non-medical intervention to support
mental health and wellbeing among military veterans.
Beginning by discussing quantitative psychological
data that shows that it is effective, the article consid-
ers qualitative data from UK, Georgian, and Ukrainian
veterans to begin establishing “how” archaeology is
effective.
Keywords: archaeology, veterans, mental health,
wellbeing, excavation, Nokalakevi, Samegrelo, Geor-
gia, Sakartvelo.
Introduction
The notion of archaeology as a form of applied so-
ciology is a new one (Everill, Burnell forthcom-
ing, p. 27). It is a concept that frees the discipline
from its definition by method (i.e. excavation) and
shifts the focus to the subject: human society. It
also recognises that, as archaeologists, our interest
in society is not simply about ancient, or even past
societies. As a discipline we now routinely investi-
gate sites and landscapes of the recent past, some-
times adding detail to events that are still within
living memory. This concept also allows light to
be shone through the narrow gap between archae-
ology and history ― collaborative disciplines al-
© P. EVERILL, N. MURGULIA, R. BENNETT,
D. LOMITASHVILI, K. BURNELL* 2022
AUTHENTIC AND THERAPEUTIC ENGAGEMENT WITH
THE PAST FOR VETERANS AT NOKALAKEVI, GEORGIA,
AND ON BREAKING GROUND HERITAGE PROJECTS IN THE UK
https://doi.org/10.15407/arheologia2022.02.053УДК [159.9:355.292.3:902.2](479.2+41)-051
most always situated together as “students of the
past”, informing each other’s work and yet some-
how, even discounting method, almost impercepti-
bly different. This interest in the people of the past
is often apparent through the individual or small-
scale stories that archaeology allows to be placed
in the foreground, set against the grand narratives
of history, the natural sciences, and perhaps even
anthropology, which focus on the species, the race,
the culture, the kingdom, the tribe. Taking this
view of archaeology, it is argued (Everill, Burnell
forthcoming), provides both context and explana-
tion for the empathetic content of the humanities
end of the discipline, as well as for the engagement
with charitable, participatory, and therapeutic initi-
atives that are increasingly supported by archaeol-
ogists around the world. These initiatives are often
based around enabling participation on archaeo-
logical excavation; a working environment which
naturally combines cerebral and physical activity,
empowers individuals to develop their own skills
and interests, and emphasises teamwork and sup-
portive group activity. The work is supervised by
experts to ensure that the excavation is undertak-
en properly, allowing participants to contribute au-
thentically and unlocking some of the therapeutic
benefits of the experience.
For over a decade, military veterans in the UK
have been supported therapeutically through ar-
chaeological initiatives, however, the shift in per-
ception of veterans and their needs is a remark-
able transition. In the 20th century, returning UK
service personnel were often advised not to talk
about their traumatic experiences primarily so that
they did not alarm or frighten their loved ones. Re-
search in recent years, however, has demonstrated
that this may have also prevented veterans from
processing these experiences and prolonged their
damaging effects into old age (see Everill, Ben-
nett, Burnell 2020 for a summary of literature).
EVERILL Paul ― PhD, Reader in Archaeology, University
of Winchester, ORCID 0000-0001-7868-7082, Paul.
Everill@winchester.ac.uk
MURGULIA Nikoloz ― PhD, Senior Scientist, Georgian
National Museum, ORCID 0000-0002-4173-2932,
nikomurgulia@yahoo.com
BENNETT Richard ― MRes (Psych), Director, Breaking
Ground Heritage, ORCID 0000-0001-7133-0320,
r.bennett@breakinggroundheritage.org.uk
LOMITASHVILI Davit ― Professor, PhD, Head of
Museums and Education, National Agency for Cultural
Heritage Preservation of Georgia, ORCID 0000-0002-
8631-577X, dlomitashvili@gmail.com
BURNELL Karen ― PhD, Associate Professor of Applied
Psychology, Solent University, ORCID 0000-0001-5328-
2601, karen.burnell@solent.ac.uk
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 254
There is now a recognition of the importance of
making sense of those experiences by talking
about them, with peer support networks provided
by individuals with shared or similar experiences
providing an effective non-medical intervention.
Academic literature in this area increasingly un-
derlines the effectiveness of psychosocial inter-
ventions, delivered through social and peer sup-
port, in the treatment of PTSD (see Everill, Ben-
nett, Burnell 2020 for a summary of literature),
and the value of outdoor, physical pursuits in im-
proving wellbeing among veterans (e.g. Caddick,
Smith 2014; Caddick, Smith, Phoenix 2015; Poul-
ton 2015; Hawkins, Townsend, Gareth 2016).
With this in mind, the frameworks and process-
es of archaeological fieldwork lend themselves
very naturally to such an intervention, alongside
the key role of camaraderie among field teams
highlighted in surveys of professional archaeolo-
gists such as “Invisible Diggers”. In 2011, an initi-
ative called Operation Nightingale was developed
in the UK by Richard Osgood, Senior Historic Ad-
visor at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation of
the UK’s Ministry of Defence, and Diarmaid Wal-
she of the Royal Army Medical Corps. This was the
first deliberate attempt to support the recovery and
rehabilitation of serving personnel through partic-
ipation in archaeological fieldwork and post-exca-
vation tasks (Walshe 2013). In September 2011,
the first Operation Nightingale excavation saw a
group of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, the Rifles
― recently returned from a combat deployment in
Afghanistan ― investigate archaeological materi-
al at East Chisenbury Midden on Salisbury Plain.
Specialist support was provided by Wessex Ar-
chaeology and English Heritage (Walshe, Osgood,
Brown 2012) and the Rear Operations Group Ci-
vilian Medical Practitioner and Combat Medical
Technician (Nimenko, Simpson 2014). W. Nimen-
ko and R. G. Simpson (2014, p. 296) assessed the
project for its potential contribution to the psycho-
logical decompression of the soldiers and its effec-
tiveness in helping them to return to operational
roles. Using validated scales, they sought to meas-
ure any change in relation to depression, general-
ised anxiety disorder, impaired social functioning,
alcohol-use disorders and PTSD in the 24 soldiers
who participated over the course of two, five-day
excavations. Despite the small sample size and the
lack of a longitudinal perspective, the results indi-
cated a positive reaction to the experience (Nimen-
ko, Simpson 2014). Since 2012, Operation Night-
ingale has focused on veterans and a second study,
in 2015, reported improved self-esteem, confi-
dence and motivation to seek help, and noted that
“veterans may identify more strongly with outdoor
activities that involve physical challenge, camara-
derie and achievement of an objective” (Finnegan
2016, p. 16).
While it remains active and continues to pro-
vide archaeological opportunities for veterans,
perhaps one of the most significant achievements
of Operation Nightingale was to inspire some of its
beneficiaries to establish their own, veteran-led ar-
chaeological initiatives in 2015 and 2016, includ-
ing Breaking Ground Heritage (BGH), Waterloo
Uncovered, and American Veterans Archaeologi-
cal Recovery. Data for the third published study on
the therapeutic impact of archaeology on veterans
― the largest study to date ― were collected by
R. Bennett, the Director of Breaking Ground Her-
itage, in 2018 with analysis reported in P. Ever-
ill, R. Bennett and K. Burnell (2020). This eval-
uation saw data collected from 40 individuals be-
fore and after participation on three BGH projects
over the summer of 2018. The participants were
on-site for between seven days and three weeks,
and were assessed through three validated psy-
chological scales to measure different aspects of
mental health, namely the Patient Health Ques-
tionnaire-8, to measure depression (PHQ-8; Kro-
enke et al 2008); the Generalised Anxiety Disor-
der-7 (GAD-7; Spitzer et al 2006) to measure anxi-
ety; and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing
Scale (WEMWBS; Tennant et al 2007) to meas-
ure mental wellbeing. Two bespoke questionnaires
were also developed to measure sense of value
and feelings of isolation. The results are fully dis-
cussed elsewhere (Everill, Bennett, Burnell 2020),
but can be summarised as decreases in the severi-
ty of the symptoms of depression and anxiety, and
of feelings of isolation, along with an increase in
mental wellbeing and in sense of value. This im-
provement in wellbeing was also demonstrated by
D. Ulke et al (2022) in the analysis of scores on the
WEMWBS recorded by participants of Waterloo
Uncovered in 2017 and 2019.
Qualitative data has also been collected from
UK veterans on BGH projects in a pioneering
mixed-methods analysis (Bennett forthcoming)
and from Georgian and Ukrainian veterans on
the Anglo-Georgian Expedition to Nokalakevi
(AGEN; Everill, Burnell forth coming). This pa-
per will consider some of the common themes that
have been observed across these datasets to build
an understanding of how archaeology is an effec-
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 2 55
tive therapeutic tool. This paper will also consider
the different contexts within which combat might
be experienced, and the implications for environ-
mental triggers of traumatic memories, as well as
the potential benefits for Internally Displaced Peo-
ple (IDP) that can be derived from heritage and ar-
chaeological interventions. The authors hope that,
in sharing their experience of these varied initia-
tives, it might provide a framework for archaeo-
logical therapeutic interventions for the Ukrainian
people once peace has been restored. In order to
respond promptly to the call to support this jour-
nal, and through it our colleagues in Ukraine, some
of the text is adapted from different chapters of the
forthcoming publication Archaeology, Heritage,
and Wellbeing: Authentic, Powerful, and Thera-
peutic Engagement with the Past (Everill, Burnell
forthcoming). However, the consideration of da-
tasets derived from UK, Georgian, and Ukrainian
veterans together, and using the thematic frame-
work outlined here, is unique to this paper. The au-
thors also acknowledge, in particular, our Ukraini-
an colleagues ― Denys Hrechko and Oleksii Kri-
utchenko of the Institute of Archaeology of the
National Academy of Sciences ― who initiated
their own therapeutic archaeology project for fel-
low veterans at the Bilsk Archaeological Preserve
in 2021, and who would, under different circum-
stances, be planning the 2022 season and writing
up their own results for publication. We offer our
friendship and support in the resumption of this
important work when it is possible.
Nokalakevi – Tsikhegoji – Archaeopolis
The site of Nokalakevi itself, situated on the
foothills of the Greater Caucasus and overlooking
the Colchian plain in Western Georgia (fig. 1), has
been excavated almost continuously since 1973
(Everill et al 2021; Zakaraia 1981, 1987, 1993).
Situated in Samegrelo ― 15 km north of Senaki,
the regional capital, and 50 km east of the Black
Sea ― the site would have commanded an im-
portant crossing point of the Tekhuri River, at
the junction with a valuable strategic route to the
mountains that still winds through the neighbour-
ing hills to Chkhorotsqu. The Tekhuri, rising high
in the mountains to the north, has carved a steep
gorge which loops around the north and west of
the site (fig. 2). Immediately to the south, the riv-
er turns to flow east, at the junction of the foothills
and the Colchian plain (fig. 3), meaning that the
north, west, and south sides of Nokalakevi have
significant natural defences. In addition, the steep
and rugged terrain around the hilltop at the north
of the site renders it largely unassailable. While the
semi-mythical, Hellenistic-period ruler of Western
Georgia, Kuji, is often credited with the first forti-
fication of Nokalakevi (indeed the Georgian name
Tsikhegoji is translated as “the fortress of Kuji”),
the walls that stand today were built in the 4th to
6th centuries AD. These walls ultimately linked the
hilltop citadel with the “lower town” ― on lev-
el ground next to the river ― and enclosed a total
area of about 18 ha.
The earliest activity at the site appears, accord-
ing to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dat-
ing of a small quantity of early ceramic, to have
been in the Bronze Age (Everill et al 2021). By the
Iron Age there was clearly a significant population,
and the settlement became an important administra-
tive and/or military centre of Colchis and its succes-
sor states, from the 8th century BC to the 8th centu-
ry AD. Double-headed zoomorphic figurines dating
to the 8th―7th centuries BC have only been found
at Nokalakevi and at Vani, 40 km to the southeast
in Imereti, and are considered stylistically unique
to the region. At Nokalakevi these figurines appear
to have been deliberately broken, perhaps sacri-
ficed, in an area of the site that geoarchaeological
evidence suggests may have experienced periods of
boggy conditions during that period. The substan-
tial settlement that begins to develop, according to
archaeological evidence, from around the 6th centu-
ry BC, appears to have continued to flourish through
the Hellenistic period (late 4th to the 1st century BC)
with a number of structures excavated since 2004.
Most of them were broadly dated to the Hellenistic
period by association with ceramic, while some ap-
peared to date to the 6th―5th centuries BC, howev-
er, all displayed the same physical characteristics.
Lines of unbonded, undressed limestone boulders
had been laid on the ground ― presumably to pro-
vide a waterproof base to a timber frame in a very
wet climate. From evidence in Trench B, where
a large section of burnt wall had collapsed, it ap-
peared that a sill plate of a horizontal beam had
been placed on the boulders, with vertical posts ris-
ing from it through which wattle was woven and
then daub applied. Impressions of both the wattle
and the posts, the latter of about 100 mm diameter,
were observed in larger fragments of burnt daub in
Trenches A and B.
The once thriving settlement in the area of the
“lower town” appears to have been abandoned by
the late Hellenistic period, and the apparent hiatus
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 256
Fig. 1. Topographic map of Georgia, generated from the ASTER GDEM produced by NASA and METI, showing the location
of Nokalakevi. Coordinates in WGS84 UTM 38N.
that followed seems to mirror the situation across
the whole of Colchis after the devastating impact
of the Mithridatic Wars (88―63 BC). However, by
the 4th century AD the Laz had come to dominate
the other tribes of Western Georgia, establishing
the Kingdom of Lazika (known as Egrisi in Geor-
gia) with Nokalakevi as its capital, and building
impressive fortifications. Both the East Romans
and the Persians sought the allegiance of the Laz,
partly to stop the other empire expanding further
and partly for the protection it offered against the
nomadic peoples to the north of the Greater Cau-
casus. Competition between Byzantium and Per-
sia led to a near permanent state of war, including
the “Great War of Egrisi” (541―562 AD) during
which Nokalakevi (known as Archaeopolis to the
Byzantine chroniclers) was successfully defended
against Persian attacks.
Excavations in the area of the “lower town”
have revealed substantial stone buildings of the
4th to 6th centuries AD, including the remains of
two early churches immediately to the south of the
extant Forty Martyrs’ Church which was built in
the 6th century. Immediately to the south of these
churches lies the ruin of a large stone-built build-
ing, interpreted as a palace, constructed around
the beginning of the 6th century AD and convert-
ed into a wine-cellar in the 16th―17th centuries. A
small vaulted, stone gatehouse, or bell-tower, lies
approximately 25 m east of, and centred on, the
first church. The surviving walls along which it is
located suggest that it was constructed as the en-
trance to the earliest ecclesiastical precinct. Other
stone structures revealed over many years’ work in
the lower town include: the remains of baths along
the inside of the southern fortifications; a tunnel
down to the river at the south-west of the site; a
bathhouse 35 m east of the tunnel, apparently sup-
plied by a cistern constructed up the slope, 50 m to
its northwest; and a substantial rectangular build-
ing near the southeast of the area, which possibly
housed the military commanders of the Byzantine
and Laz garrison of the 6th century.
Excavations have also shed more light on the
fortification works. These include the protruding
towers of the first wall, dated to the 4th century AD,
made flush in the construction of the second phase
in the 5th century, and the 6th century re-modelling
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 2 57
Fig. 2. Vertical drone photo of the “lower town” of Nokalakevi, enclosed within a loop of the Tekhuri River (© National Agency
for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia 2016).
Fig. 3. Oblique drone photo, looking east, showing the location of Nokalakevi at the junction of the foothills to the north (left)
and the Colchian Plain to the south (© National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia 2016).
that included moving the gate and changing the ap-
proach to it so as to prevent a frontal attack. Exca-
vations in the upper town, or citadel, have revealed
multi-phase towers at the northwest and northeast
of the fortifications, and another small gate and
probable guardhouse in the southwest corner.
The “Anglo-Georgian Expedition to
Nokalakevi” Wellbeing Programme
In 2015, the same year that Breaking Ground
Heritage was founded, discussions began between
Paul Everill, of the University of Winchester and
ISSN 0235-3490 (Print), ISSN 2616-499X (Online). Археологія, 2022, № 258
the Anglo-Georgian Expedition to Nokalakevi,
Richard Osgood, of the UK Ministry of Defence
and Operation Nightingale, and Giles Woodhouse,
of the charity Help for Heroes. By 2016 the Uni-
versity of Winchester had launched its pioneering
fee-waiver studentship scheme for veterans want-
ing to study archaeology at a degree level, support-
ing those who were aiming to develop their inter-
est in archaeology and wanting to retrain as profes-
sional archaeologists. The first group of four UK
veterans enrolled as students at the University of
Winchester that autumn, and the following sum-
mer three of those veterans travelled to Georgia
to participate in work at Nokalakevi as a part of
the requirement for assessed fieldwork within their
University of Winchester degree.
Unlike the existing veteran-led archaeologi-
cal initiatives, the Anglo-Georgian Expedition to
Nokalakevi ― founded in 2001 ― is fundamen-
tally a research project, but with an emphasis on
providing training for Georgian, British, and inter-
national students (fig. 4). However, combined with
the quiet, rural location, Georgian hospitality, and
the visceral impact of both the natural and cultural
landscape, the project provides the perfect setting
for a therapeutic archaeological intervention.
During the build up to the 2017 field season,
contact was also made with the Office of Wound-
ed and Injured Military Servicemen Support of the
Georgian Ministry of Defence by colleagues at the
Georgian National Museum and the National Agen-
cy for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, in
order to explore the possibility of hosting wound-
ed Georgian service personnel alongside the British
veterans. With a population of only about 4 million,
the need for innovative recovery and rehabilitation
pathways for veterans in Georgia was determined
by a combination of its significant per capita con-
tribution to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan,
adding to the casualties already suffered in the Rus-
sian invasion of 2008. As a result of these discus-
sions, and with support from the Georgian govern-
ment, the Anglo-Georgian Expedition was able to
host three Georgian veterans alongside the three UK
veterans in 2017 and, in the process, make Georgia
only the sixth country after the UK, Cyprus, Bel-
gium, France and the US to host such an initiative.
In 2018 the expedition hosted only Georgian
veterans with a variety of injuries ― in terms of
nature and severity ― received in Afghanistan or
the Russian-Georgian war. As before, the veterans
participated alongside the staff and students of the
expedition, and were encouraged to contribute as
much as they felt physically able in terms of on-site
work. They were also reassured that they should
feel free to take breaks whenever necessary, and
that the extent of their involvement should be de-
termined by their own needs.
In 2019 the National Agency for Cultural Her-
itage Preservation of Georgia was able to organise
the participation of Ukrainian veterans in addition
to Georgian participants. In advance of the season,
it was decided to evaluate the effectiveness of the
programme, and this was undertaken by collect-
ing qualitative data in the form of written feedback
from the veteran participants, alongside a partici-
pant-observation diary maintained by P. Everill (in
an “observer as participant” role as described in
Gold 1958) in order to gauge external changes in
each individuals, demeanour/behaviour.
The four Ukrainian veterans – referred to here as
OS, SS, AH, and VR ― were with the project from
the 29th June to 9th July. OS had been married very
recently (two weeks or less) and asked to bring his
wife, HS. Understandably, OS and HS functioned
somewhat independently of the other three, though
it became apparent that as an internally displaced
person (IDP) following the invasion and annexation
of the Crimea by Russia in 2014, HS also benefitted
from the therapeutic properties of the archaeolog-
ical project. The four veterans had all volunteered
for service in the Donbas region of Ukraine, when
the war with separatists began in 2014, leaving ca-
reers in business, teaching, the fire service, and
physical fitness to experience combat deployments
in various actions. The Ukrainian participants were
joined by three Georgian veterans ― referred to as
KK, IK, and GN ― from the 1st to 10th July. KK and
IK had both been wounded in Afghanistan, serving
as part of Georgia’s commitment to the multi-na-
tional operation, while GN was wounded during the
Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008. In the second
half of the month-long field season the team hosted
a second group of three Georgian veterans ― re-
ferred to as MJ, BS, and BG ― from the 11th to 20th
July, of which the first two had also been wounded
in Afghanistan and the third during the 2008 war.
The veteran participants of the 2019 field season at
Nokalakevi therefore represented a varied mix of
experiences, including regular soldiers wounded in
a foreign conflict, like many participants of Opera-
tion Nightingale in the UK, but also regular soldiers
defending their own country against a hybrid mil-
itary action which incorporated both conventional
and unconventional tactics, and volunteers facing
the same strategy deployed a few years later.
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Qualitative analysis
The results of this work at Nokalakevi are fully
reported elsewhere (Everill, Burnell forth coming),
from which extracts have been adapted below,
but here the intention is to set this data alongside
the qualitative analysis undertaken by R. Bennett
(forthcoming) on data collected in the UK, in order
to draw out the common themes that were observed.
Taking a thematic analysis approach, R. Bennett
developed three primary themes from the qualitative
data from UK veterans. These related to the impact
of participation at one or more UK-based Breaking
Ground Heritage projects on three aspects of indi-
vidual experience: interpersonal; developmental;
and holistic personal development (Bennett forth-
coming). By making use of these same themes here,
we seek to highlight a number of the shared experi-
ences. The written feedback from the Georgian and
Ukrainian veterans was translated during the project
by Nikoloz Murgulia and Besik Lortkipanidze, with
the Georgian veterans providing feedback in Geor-
gian while the Ukrainian veterans provided feed-
back in Russian so that Georgian colleagues could
translate into English. All of these responses have
been deliberately left in this original translated form
in order to preserve idioms, precise meaning and the
“voice” of the participants.
Interpersonal
This theme, as defined by R. Bennett (forth-
coming), relates to the social aspect of being in-
volved in projects; being a part of something and
having something to look forward to. It recognises
that a key element in terms of promoting positive
wellbeing is the interpersonal aspect, with social
support often identified as crucial to the develop-
ment and maintenance of strong relationships and
for the development of mental resilience (Cherry
2020). The UK participants in R. Bennett’s study
demonstrated a belief that socialising was a prima-
ry influence in the development of positive well-
being during projects. One participant reported
that “My mental health made me isolate myself
and I lost lots of my old friends”, demonstrating
how mental ill-health might also result in loneli-
ness, exacerbating its impact. Participation on vet-
Fig. 4. Georgian and British students working together next to the standing fortifications of Nokalakevi-Archaeopolis.
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eran-led/focused archaeological projects, R. Ben-
nett (forthcoming) argues, can give individuals
the ability and the tools to redress some of these
negative influences. One of his participants stated
that “Being together with a group for an extend-
ed period of time demonstrated how others devel-
oped coping strategies which made me reflect on
my own needs”.
The sense of belonging has been highlight-
ed for some time as an important aspect of in-
volvement in veteran-focused archaeological
projects, and this is particularly important in light
of C. Castro and S. Kintzle’s work (2014) on the
Interpersonal-psychology theory of suicide with-
in the military community. This theory proposes
that death by suicide occurs when three condi-
tions are met; a perceived high sense of burden-
someness; low belongingness/social isolation;
and the acquired ability to enact lethal self-harm.
Participation in veteran-focused archaeological
projects can, argues R. Bennett, improve the indi-
vidual’s sense of belonging and purpose, and thus
reduce the feeling of burdensomeness: “Having
that sence (sic) of achievement is something I
have not had since been medically retired. I also
felt useful and not a burden or totally useless,
which has been my state of mind for two years”
(Bennett forthcoming).
A Georgian veteran (BG) also acknowledged
the power of that interpersonal connection at
Nokalakevi, when he wrote “first day was differ-
ent, just to get to know each other. Second and
third days were more interesting and better. I got
to know things I did not know before. There was a
change in my feelings. I feel you are very close and
treat you as family members and when I leave I
will miss you very much”. In reflecting on the most
important experience for him, he wrote that it was
“to meet expedition members and to get a new
family. I have a feeling like I know you all my life.”
The interpersonal connections at Nokalake-
vi were both a powerful therapeutic element of the
programme as well as an important attraction of in-
volvement. While some of the Ukrainians had ex-
pressed a desire to meet Georgian veterans, BG had
written that “when they called me they said there
would be Georgian and foreign students. I partici-
pated in such projects, sports projects, before and
I was interested. I want to meet more people, and
more people to know me”. Similarly, another Geor-
gian veteran’s (BS) response to the same question
was that he wanted “to see new atmosphere, to meet
new people, to do something I never knew before
and thought it would be good for rehabilitation”. In
reflecting on their positive experiences, nearly all of
the participants mentioned the inter-personal rela-
tionships that the project had fostered.
One Ukrainian veteran (SS) described how he
“got a really positive emotion from meeting with
good people, with nature, and national cuisine”,
while another (AH) wrote that “most valuable for
(him) was meeting new people and relationship
with veterans from Georgia and Ukraine”. IK re-
sponded similarly from a Georgian perspective: “I
want to say big thanks to you for your warm and
friendly meeting. I am very happy with this ten-day
participation in expedition. Also I will tell you that
I am proud that I met such good people like you
are, as friends. Thank you very much to all of you.
Also, I thank our Ukrainian and English friends”.
The Georgian traditions of hospitality, wel-
coming guests, and sharing are key ingredients in
forming and strengthening social bonds, and are
not entirely dependent on verbal communication
(fig. 5). The Georgian table ― the cuisine, and
customs around making and responding to toasts
― provided multiple opportunities over the course
of the field season for toasts to be made, translated,
and heard by the whole team at special meals, or by
smaller multinational groups on other occasions.
With the focus on the person making the toast, and
willing translators to ensure that everyone was able
to understand, it presented a cathartic opportunity
for speakers to express heartfelt views to every-
one present. On one evening, the diary recorded,
a Ukrainian veteran (VR) responded to some long
and poetic toasts about war. “In contrast, seeming-
ly making a point, VR asked to make a toast and
said starkly (translated to me from Russian) when
you come back from war no-one cares about you,
and no-one understands; and you can leave the
war, but the war will never leave you” (Saturday
6th July 2019). It felt, from the outside, a moment
of catharsis through which VR was able to share a
very personal view of his experiences with people
he had come to trust. In his written feedback on the
eve of leaving Nokalakevi, as well as highlighting
the importance of the archaeology and history in
his experiences, VR’s response from the Ukraini-
an perspective is probably an accurate reflection of
the views of all the veterans:
“Expectation changed? Yes. A lot of communi-
cation with different people, different age, differ-
ent language, and different character of people,
and also that there were our friend veterans from
Georgia. I will repeat, communication with differ-
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ent people and, of course, nature. Most valuable
communications were with veterans and our Geor-
gian brothers.”
In terms of their reasons for getting involved in
the programme, the Ukrainians expressed an inter-
est in archaeology, history and travelling, but the op-
portunity to visit Georgia was also a significant so-
cial element in terms of promoting wellbeing. The
two countries enjoy close relations as independent
nations, and soon after the collapse of the USSR
Ukrainians could be found fighting alongside Geor-
gians against Russian-backed separatists in Abk-
hazia in 1993. One Ukrainian veteran (AH) report-
ed that he had served with “several people who par-
ticipated in conflict in Abkhazia in 1993. From them
I heard many good things about Georgia. Because
of it participating in expedition in Georgia was very
valuable for me”. The presence of Ukrainian vet-
erans in Nokalakevi also provided unexpected op-
portunities for the villagers to experience positive
interpersonal relationships, as recorded in the diary:
“Late afternoon Gela (from the village) called
Niko and invited the veterans and anyone else who
wanted to go to his house in the evening. He was
distilling this year’s batch of Chacha, and thought
they would like to see the process. He also wanted
to thank the Ukrainian veterans, because a num-
ber of Ukrainians had fought alongside Georgians
during the war in Abkhazia. Gela lived in Sokhumi
(in Abkhazia) and had fought in the war too, be-
fore being forced to flee as an internally displaced
person (IDP) when the Russian-backed separatists
had driven the Georgians from their homes (…).
We had a number of toasts, to the Georgians who
had served their country; to the Ukrainians who
fought for their homes; to peace; to the expedition
for hosting them and making this possible; and to
me as the «architect» of it here, etc. It was a very
special evening.” (Saturday 6th July 2019)
Developmental
This theme is defined by R. Bennett (forthcom-
ing) in terms of developing new skills; improving
confidence; reassurance of own abilities and de-
veloping a passion for heritage. The sense of “be-
Fig. 5. The expedition “dig house” during the 2019 field season. As well as work, e.g. processing finds off-site, it was a social
space where the whole team gathered for meals, and downtime after the working day.
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longing” goes beyond mere acceptance here, and
responses from UK veterans reported by R. Ben-
nett also suggest a renewed sense of purpose:
“Great sense of being amongst oppos (firm
friends), in the true sense. Not just acquaintances,
but shipmates.”
“I couldn’t wait to get back to the island (the
project). In a nutshell, the joy of doing something
meaningful is back in my life.”
Personal development, according to R. Ben-
nett, can be identified through the responses as be-
ing physical; “it has shown that I can do some kind
of physical activity”, psychological; “I’ve not left
the house for almost 2 years. Being so long trapped
away, leaving becomes a challenge in its-self”, or
upskilling; “I undertook a lecture at the University
in Dundee, and I actually understood it. I am now
thinking about going back into education.”
Furthermore, the development of new skills
seems to relate to an improvement in overall con-
fidence; “I feel happier. I am not so isolated now
and can speak to people that I have a lot in com-
mon with”, and the mechanism of change ― the ar-
chaeological activity ― was also highlighted; “Ab-
solutely fell hook, line and sinker for the whole sub-
ject. Such knowledgeable people to rub shoulders
with who didn’t seem to mind how many (hopefully
constructive) questions I asked. Learnt so much I’m
still processing but I’ve researched so much as well.
Went home filthy and wet but loved it.”
In terms of the project in Nokalakevi, the
Ukrainians expressed a prior interest in archaeolo-
gy, with OS having experience of the archaeologi-
cal recovery of casualties of the Second World War
through an official programme, and SS reporting
that he had found coins, musket balls, and a Scyth-
ian arrowhead near his home in Mariupol. For AH
it was even one of the main reasons for participat-
ing, reporting that “during the visit I wanted to get
experience of archaeological research, wanted to
see Georgia.” In terms of the Georgian veterans
themselves the feedback generally indicated no
prior experience of, or interest in, archaeology. BS
was very open about his initial misgivings when he
wrote, “I got a call from my work and they asked if
I would participate in archaeological expedition.
At the beginning I was in doubt, thinking boring
to dig the earth, but as I have never been there
Fig. 6. Ukrainian and Georgian veterans working alongside the expedition’s student volunteers in Trench G, Nokalakevi 2019.
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in expedition I said «yes»”. The main exception
was IK, who had taken part in the second veter-
an-focused project funded by the National Agency
the previous year, and described himself as being
“very interested to participate in Nokalakevi ex-
pedition.” As a result of the varying levels of pri-
or interest and expectation alongside, undoubted-
ly, cultural and linguistic factors, the initial picture
was one of the Georgian veterans seeming more
comfortable to adopt purely labouring roles among
the local workmen, while the Ukrainian veterans
tended to work alongside the students in archaeo-
logical tasks. Setting aside the issue of injuries and
physical ability, in some respects this provided an
opportunity for some of the Georgian veterans to
watch and learn about the archaeological process,
and manage any prior anxiety around making mis-
takes. By the end of their time with the project,
two thirds of the Georgian veterans had engaged
fully and positively with the finer work of archae-
ology (fig. 6), and even BS had overcome his ini-
tial scepticism to enthusiastically join a trowelling
line for as long as he was able.
The positive experience of feeling a connection
with the history of the site was almost universal
among the participants, regardless of the extent to
which the veterans could engage with the archaeo-
logical process. Dr Besik Lortkipanidze ― a lead-
ing Georgian historian and educator, and founding
member of the expedition ― gave regular infor-
mal talks to the veterans on the history of Georgia
and Nokalakevi, which provided invaluable histor-
ical context to the work they were engaged in. For
BS, learning “to respect old things more than (he)
did before”, was one of his most important experi-
ences, while BG reported that “I have never been
in Zugdidi Museum before, even though I live next
to it, after visiting Batumi Museum (on the day off)
I decided to see it as soon as I will go back.” SS
wrote that he “touched history when we discovered
old things and touched them by hand, and (he) was
full of emotions, because these objects were held
by people who lived hundreds of years ago.”
Holistic personal development
The third and final theme identified by R. Ben-
nett (forthcoming) relates to improved mental
health; the ability to talk without judgement, and
the saving of lives. R. Bennett reports that UK vet-
erans describe an increase in their own wellbeing
and that this change is also noticeable to others.
One noted that: “I had a «spring in my step» that
wasn’t there before. My wife also noticed the dif-
ference in my wellbeing, commenting that I was
a far happier person.” The promotion of a “safe
space”, giving participants the ability to talk to
staff and/or each other without judgement is also
identified as being important; “It is good to have
the opportunity to talk and not be judged.” This
safe space enables participants to open up about
sensitive issues that they may be dealing with in
an informal setting, which can help them come to
terms with traumatic memories “plenty of people
to talk to, but no pressure. If you want to talk you
can talk, if you don’t — just work.”
The individual improvements of the Georgian
veterans at Nokalakevi were also reported by spe-
cialists from the Physical Rehabilitation Unit, of
the Office of Wounded and Injured Military Ser-
vicemen Support who had accompanied them.
These specialists not only had the training and ex-
pertise to manage any physical or mental health is-
sue that might arise, but they also knew the veter-
ans personally through working with them over a
prolonged period. Nino Kimadze, Senior Special-
ist with the Physical Rehabilitation Unit, wrote in
her feedback at the end of the project:
“In terms of military servants (sic), at the be-
ginning there was alienation, but during these
ten days they opened and started communication
and became happier. The soldiers are better; they
broke away from monotony they had before. BG
looked much better, more communicative, happy.
He had wish to participate in expedition again.”
Alexandre Nishnianidze, from the same unit,
had an even more positive response to the initi-
ative particularly with regard to its impact on IK
whose psychological trauma was perhaps the most
severe. IK had been caught in the blast of a suicide
bomber at the checkpoint he was guarding in Af-
ghanistan, escaping catastrophic physical injuries
only because the interpreter was between him and
the bomb.
“I think that the Nokalakevi Expedition com-
pleted its objectives over the ten days. There were
three wounded soldiers in the expedition. Their
physical condition was supported by the conditions
of the expedition. The established daily schedule of
the expedition positively affected the wounded sol-
diers’ mood, especially IK (…) who had nervous
excitation, which was expressed by easy excitation
(agitation?), bad mood, often sweating, limb trem-
ors. It was happening every second day before he
arrived in expedition and during ten days he had
this condition only once. The improvement of his
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condition is due to the daily schedule and the sit-
uation which the wounded soldiers meet in Nokal-
akevi. Also I want to mention building of friendly
relationship between Ukrainian wounded soldiers
and Georgian wounded soldiers. They found com-
mon language very easily and I hope their friend-
ship won’t stop in Nokalakevi and will continue.”
Additional considerations
Unlike Breaking Ground Heritage, the Nokala-
kevi project was not able to utilise validated psy-
chological scales, for a variety of reasons includ-
ing cultural sensitivities, and the project is pri-
marily a research/training excavation which hosts
veterans, rather than a bespoke veteran-focused in-
itiative. Despite this, all of the 2019 participants
of the veteran wellbeing programme at Nokalak-
evi self-reported moderate to significant improve-
ments. In reflecting on the common experiences of
UK, Georgian and Ukrainian veterans throughout
this paper, prior experiential differences have also
become apparent which may have huge signifi-
cance on Ukrainian and other initiatives in the fu-
ture. The Nokalakevi study (Everill, Burnell forth-
coming) is the first review of a veteran wellbeing
initiative to consider the impact of conflict trauma
on service personnel fighting in defence of their
own country – and therefore potentially encoun-
tering sensory triggers of traumatic memories on
a regular basis at home. It has also become appar-
ent that the nature of the conflict and the nature
of the service might both be important variables,
with three distinct groups of veterans participating
in Nokalakevi:
• Regular soldiers who had served/been
wounded on international deployments.
• Regular soldiers who had served/been
wounded in wartime domestic defence.
• Volunteer soldiers who had served/been
wounded in wartime domestic defence.
While each group might be characterised in
a variety of ways, they retain a common identi-
ty, and a number of features relating to their trau-
matic experiences. It is clearly also important to
recognise that their stories are as unique as they
are, and that each veteran will respond to differ-
ent elements of any wellbeing programme. The
veterans of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war hosted
at Nokalakevi from 2017 to 2019 had almost uni-
versally presented as quiet and introverted to be-
gin with. It was not clear whether this was relat-
ed to the time since they were wounded or wheth-
er the type of war they had experienced was itself
somehow markedly different from the other veter-
ans. There is, of course, another factor to consider,
and it must be noted that while both the Ukrainian
volunteers and the Georgian veterans of 2008 had
fought in the defence of their homeland, the Geor-
gians had never physically left the battlefield ―
their home country ― or been able to leave behind
the common sensory triggers of traumatic memo-
ries. In terms of the archaeology and history of the
site at Nokalakevi, however, its representation of
Georgian cultural heritage might also represent a
more powerful connection, and perhaps therefore
a more authentic and therapeutic experience for
those Georgian veterans engaging with it.
The Ukrainian participants proved to be a real
asset to the project, bringing with them an enthusi-
asm for Georgia and archaeology and a willingness
to get involved and make friends. In some respects,
OS and HS were independent of the other three,
who benefited in more predictable ways through the
veteran-focused programme, though HS’s own ex-
periences as an IDP meant that she was also able to
benefit from many of the same mechanisms within
the project. In offering her own feedback in 2019,
HS wrote “great thanks, as I saw my house. Not
only from the plane window, but also here. It looks
like here everything reminds me of the Crimea. The
place where I was born and grew up. I was not in
my tiny homeland for five years, thank you for the
chance to see it here.” Clearly, for the Ukrainian
participants, travelling was a significant element of
the appeal, and perhaps also the beneficial results,
of the programme, but it was their engagement with
the work and desire to build connections with the
Georgian veterans and the archaeological team that
ensured a positive outcome.
Conclusion
This study brought together two independent
datasets to shine light on the shared experiences of
veterans of different nations and their engagement
with archaeology for wellbeing. The analytical
framework of previous work in the UK with Brit-
ish veterans was used to re-analyse the feedback
provided by Georgian and Ukrainian veterans tak-
ing part in archaeological fieldwork in Nokalake-
vi. Meaningful parallels were drawn between the
value of social connectedness and being with other
veterans, learning new skills, as well as the impor-
tance of the archaeological fieldwork itself. These
findings complement the growing literature con-
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cerning archaeology and heritage for wellbeing,
particularly in veteran groups, but now expanding
to other groups too. In the UK in particular, there is
increasing emphasis placed on social prescription
of activities such as archaeological fieldwork in
place of, or to complement, medication to support
mental health and wellbeing; literally meaning that
activities such as archaeological fieldwork can be
prescribed by health and social care professionals.
However, in doing so, there is a need for all parties
to be confident that the activities being prescribed
meet best practice guidelines; that is, they are able
to safely support the mental health and wellbeing
needs of those invited to take part. In addition, it
is essential that heritage itself is protected and that
heritage professionals form part of the team that
provides these activities alongside mental health
professionals. To this end, guidelines have been
produced to support heritage projects (Burnell et
al 2021) in safe delivery for both participants and
heritage. What remains clear is the truly therapeu-
tic impact that authentic and meaningful engage-
ment with the historic environment can have on
people with mental health needs. Moving forward,
there will be a significant need for the provision
of therapeutic opportunities for not just veterans,
but for all those who have experienced conflict in
Ukraine.
Пол Еверiлл 1, Нiколоз Мурґулiя 2, Рiчард Беннет 3, Давiт Ломiташвiлi 4, Карен Бернел 5
1 PhD, викладач археології, Вінчестерський університет, ORCID 0000-0001-7868-7082,
Paul.Everill@winchester.ac.uk
2 PhD, старший науковий співробітник, Грузинський національний музей, ORCID 0000-0002-4173-2932,
nikomurgulia@yahoo.com
3 MRes із психології, директор програми «Breaking Ground Heritage», ORCID 0000-0001-7133-0320,
r.bennett@breakinggroundheritage.org.uk
4 Проф., PhD, керівник відділу музеїв і освіти, Національна агенція охорони культурної спадщини Грузії,
ORCID 0000-0002-8631-577X, dlomitashvili@gmail.com
5 PhD, доцент із прикладної психології, Солентський університет
АВТЕНТИЧНА Й ТЕРАПЕВТИЧНА ВЗАЄМОДIЯ ВЕТЕРАНIВ IЗ МИНУЛИМ У НОКАЛАКЕВI
В ГРУЗIЇ ТА В БРИТАНСЬКОМУ ПРОЄКТI «BREAKING GROUND HERITAGE»
У статті узагальнено застосування археологічних польових досліджень для покращення психічного здоров’я та самопочуття
військових ветеранів. Результати, вперше отримані 2011 р. в рамках ініціативи «Operation Nightingale» у Великобританії,
а згодом розширені через «Breaking Ground Heritage, Waterloo Uncovered» та інші програми під керівництвом ветеранів,
підлягають все більшому документуванню та вивченню. Відповідаючи на питання, як археологія підтримує ефективне
немедичне втручання, запропонована стаття повідомляє про результати програми благополуччя ветеранів у грузинському
Нокалакеві, яка приймала грузинських та українських ветеранів у 2019 р.
Аналіз якісних даних, отриманих від учасників, які працювали разом із британськими та грузинськими працівниками
й студентами, представлено в межах тематики досліджень, проведених у Великобританії з британськими ветеранами.
Зіставлення даних, отриманих в Нокалакеві, з даними британських проєктів «Breaking Ground Heritage» дозволило
визначити загальні, але незалежно досягнуті результати. Аналіз демонструє спільні теми для всіх учасників, а
відповіді ілюструють важливість трьох аспектів індивідуального досвіду під час археологічної польової роботи:
міжособистісного, розвивального й досвіду цілісного розвитку особистості. Передбачається, що ці аспекти сприяють
покращенню самопочуття ветеранів, які беруть участь у проєктах розкопок, що передбачають також надання соціальної
підтримки та підтримку один одного.
Із цього дослідження зрозуміло, що конструктивне з історичним середовищем може мати терапевтичний вплив на
людей із потребою поліпшення психічного здоров'я. Ідеться насамперед про відчуття автентичності, що виникає через
участь у проєкті, який підтримують досвідчені археологи та фахівці з питань культурної спадщини. Адже учасники
проєкту відчувають, що роблять конкретний внесок у краще розуміння та інтерпретацію пам’ятки.
Ключові слова: археологія, ветерани, психічне здоров'я, самопочуття, Нокалакеві, Самеґрело, Грузія, Сакартвело
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