"CROWNED ERDO" TYPE OF GEORGIAN HALL HOUSE

Abstract

The article examines the ancient type of Georgian home, called the “Crowned Erdo” house, or “Erdo-Bani,” which appears to date back to the third millennium in Georgia. In the scientific literature, primitive versions of the crowned erdo house have also been identified in the cultural regions of Central Asia and the Near East, while more developed examples are prevalent in the South Caucasus—specifically in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Research on these types of houses has focused either on their architectural characteristics or on their social and economic dimensions.

The study of the Erdo-Bani in the South Caucasus has been significantly advanced not just by Georgian scholars (G. Chitaia, G. Chubinashvili, L. Sumbadze, T. Chikovani, G. Lezhava) but also by international researchers (S. Lisitsiani, R. Agababiani, A. Negri, I. Pantiukhov, V. Kobichev).
This work links the social and economic characteristics of the Erdo-Bani, the construction methodology, and the overall empirical knowledge essential to creating any architectural landmark. According to the author, the Crowned Erdo was
established to meet the practical demands of society at the time, and its aesthetic qualities mirrored the cultural development of that era.
The author argues that this type of residence, typical of Central Transcaucasia, is a shared cultural discovery among the local community. Examination of historical, archaeological, and ethnographic evidence supports the conclusion that the Crowned Erdo originated in Georgia in its most classical form.