Since 2024, Georgian-Polish excavations have been conducted at the Zeda Simoneti site in the Terjola Municipality. The research is funded by the Terjola Municipality (2024-2025) and the Krukowski Center (2025-2026), and directed by Dr Jacek Hamburg, Director of the Krukowski Center, and Prof. Roland Isakadze, Director of the Kutaisi Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve (part of the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection of Georgia). In project participate also researchers from the Niko Berdzenishvili Kutaisi State Historical Museum and Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi. Students from Akaki Tsereteli Kutaisi State University (ATSU) also took part in the fieldwork. The Polish Institute in Tbilisi is a partner of this archaeological project. 

The site is being investigated by the Georgian-Polish Archaeological Expedition as part of the Kutaisi Archaeological Landscape Project, a flagship initiative of the Krukowski Interdisciplinary Research Center. The excavations are of a rescue nature and are taking place within the area of an abandoned manganese mine. 

Zeda Simoneti is located at the foot of Mount Unagira. Between the base of the mountain and the northern part of the village runs an ancient road that begins near Kutaisi, follows the Tskaltsitela Valley, and passes through the sites of Godogani, Nagarevi, Navenakhevi, Simoneti, Dzevri, Chkhari, and Skande. The road then divides into two branches near Shorapani before continuing into the Kartli region of eastern Georgia. Historian Niko Berdzenishvili referred to this route as the Kartli Highway (Kartlis Shara). Numerous archaeological monuments, dating from the Stone Age through the Bronze Age, Early Antiquity (in Georgia corresponding to the Archaic and Classical periods in the Mediterranean), the Hellenistic period, and Late Antiquity, up to the Early Middle Ages, are situated along this ancient road, many of which remain unexplored.

The multi-layered site of Zeda Simoneti was first documented in July 2020 following a private report, with more extensive investigations conducted in the spring of 2024. Rich cultural layers nearly three meters thick, previously exposed by heavy mining machinery, are gradually eroding due to weathering. Material washed down the slope occasionally yields finds from Early and Late Antiquity, as well as the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age. Even older artifacts, dating to the first half of the 2nd millennium BCE, were recovered during a surface survey. Consequently, the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection of Georgia has placed the site under official protection. 

During the first season of systematic excavations, the Georgian-Polish team discovered two burials. One was a pit grave previously damaged by local mining activities. The second burial was particularly remarkable: a double interment inside a large pithos (kvevri) repurposed as a coffin, its opening sealed with a trimmed stone slab. In addition to human remains, the grave goods included two painted jars, a pair of decorated bronze rings, bronze bells with iron clappers, numerous beads, a grooved bronze button, and a decorated bronze bracelet. A distinctive iron knife or dagger with a curved blade nearly 30 cm long was also recovered; its straight tang preserved traces of a wooden handle attached with iron rivets. The assemblage further contained an iron pin and a severely damaged iron bracelet, likely belonging to the first individual interred in the kvevri, whose remains had been moved to accommodate the second burial. Both graves date to the late 1st or 2nd century CE.

Apart from the burials, the team identified over three meters of stratified archaeological deposits. Interestingly, the assemblage includes both Colchian-type pottery and forms characteristic of eastern Georgia. Directly below the modern surface, painted Kartli-style pottery was discovered, typical of eastern Georgian settlements dating from the 4th to 1st centuries BCE. Black pottery in both Colchian and Kartli styles, dated to the 6th–4th centuries BCE, was also retrieved. Most of the remaining material from the excavation dates to the 6th–3rd centuries BCE, with the closest parallels found at Vani (Vani II and III periods). Within the same stratigraphic level, fragments of two walls built of dry-laid limestone blocks were identified, forming the walls and a corner of a structure.

The 2025 season continued the exploration of these layers, confirming that Early Antiquity and Hellenistic strata are well represented. Moreover, the remnants of another stone structure were uncovered. The results suggest that the Georgian-Polish team is investigating a terraced settlement spanning the southern slope of Mount Unagira, dating to Early Antiquity. 

Additionally, surface surveys conducted at the site revealed further material and concentrations of artifacts, indicating prolonged and intense settlement activity in the area. Among these finds were a stone anvil - a specialized tool used for crushing ore prior to smelting in crucibles - and a stone casting mould. These artifacts demonstrate that metallurgical production took place either within the settlement itself or in its immediate vicinity.