Sakdrisi

Sakdrisi, in Georgia's Kvemo Kartli region, is one of the world's oldest known gold mines, dated to approximately 3400-2800 BC. Discovered in 2004 by German researchers from Ruhr-University Bochum, the 150-foot-deep prehistoric mine preserves evidence of Bronze Age mining techniques including fire-setting marks, stone hammers, and antler picks. In 2013, the Georgian government controversially stripped the site of its protected cultural monument status to allow commercial gold extraction by mining company RMG, sparking international academic protest over the potential destruction of this irreplaceable heritage.