Poti Museum of Colchian Culture

History of the Museum

Poti, which used to be called Phasis in the ancient and early medieval times, was an economical, cultural, educational and trade center of historical kingdom of Colchis. Hence, the chronology of exhibits which includes the III BCE. and VI CE. periods, which is pretty impressive and indeed very appealing for the fans of old civilizations.

The main building was built by the German architect Edmon Frick in 1908, at the request of the mayor of Poti, Niko Nikoladze. From 1894 to 1912, Niko Nikoladze was finalizing his ideas about the museum outlook, and finally, in 1933, the Colchian Local Lore Museum opened, led by the famous self-educated archeologist and public figure Besarion Gogolishvili. 

What can you see in the Poti Museum of Colchian Culture?

The museum exhibition includes Colchian agricultural and military instruments from the Bronze Age, ceramics from I-II B.C., a bull, bird, and dragon figures made of bronze from VI B.C., Colchian cultural and ritual objects, etc. 

The items decorated with elegant geometrical ornaments prove that the Colchic artists were very skilled and had a sharp feeling for aesthetics.

A fascinating exhibit is a small statue of the "Great Mother of the Gods", the guardian deity of fertility and life. Her cult was widespread in the European part of the Mediterranean, Crete, Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Black Sea area.

The numismatic material preserved in the museum, including gold coins from the time of Alexander the Great (III B.C.) and Justinian the Great (VI), prove that Phasis was a trade city and merchants used to travel here to buy Colchian goods.