Archaeology of Armenia

Last updated
The Aragats Mountain slopes, where Stone Age sites have been identified. Aragats mountain, Aragatsotn, Armenia.jpg
The Aragats Mountain slopes, where Stone Age sites have been identified.

Archaeology in Armenia has revealed many significant historical findings. Armenia is rich in Bronze Age sites and several Stone Age sites were recently identified on the slopes of the Aragats Mountain and are currently being excavated by Armenian and international teams. Archaeological excavations have taken place in the territory which is now the Republic of Armenia for about 150 years. [1] Many sites, ranging from Stone Age to Early Iron Age, have been discovered and at least partly excavated. For the preservation and reconstruction of archaeological sites in Armenia, suggestions, and solutions have been proposed by L. Kirakosyan from National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia. [2]

Contents

Stone Age archaeology discoveries ( 2,500,000 ~ 3000 B.C)

The current Republic of Armenia is located within the Armenian Highlands and is at the crossroads connecting Africa and Eurasia. As a result, Armenia will be important in comprehending the early stages of human activities and the emergence of ancient civilizations in the Near East and beyond. Starting from the end of 19th century, Stone Age sites and artefacts have been discovered and excavated, which is evidences toward the Stone Age population in this area. [3]

Leather shoe

Leather Shoe 5,500 years old (Areni-1 shoe) Chalcolithic leather shoe from Areni-1 cave.jpg
Leather Shoe 5,500 years old (Areni-1 shoe)

The leather shoe was found in Areni-1 cave, Armenia, by an international archaeologists team. The leather shoe was well preserved because of the cool and dry environment inside the cave. This shoe was initially thought only to be 600~700 years old because of its condition. It was later found out through radiocarbon dating in 2010 in Oxford, UK, and California, USA, that it was much older than researchers initially believed, with a date range of 3627–3377 Cal BC. According to Dr. Pinhasi, this oldest leather shoe people found had many similarities to shoemaking in Europe in later historical periods, suggesting that this shoe might have been worn for thousands of years. [4] [5]

Woman's skirt

Pavel Avetisian, the head of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography in Yerevan and the director of the Areni-1 cave excavation, announced that they found a fragment of the skirt made of reed. This well-preserved fragment has been dated back to 3900 BC, which is about 5,900 years old. This fragment is likely the world's oldest reed clothing. This 5,900-year-old fragment from a woman's skirt is now exhibited at the History Museum of Armenia. The Areni-1 cave also has the world's oldest leather shoe with laces(refer to the previous subsection). [6]

Wagons

In Lchashen village near Lake Sevan, Armenia, researchers found artifacts of more than a dozen four and two-wheel wagons within excellent conditions. Two of which are now exhibited in the National Museum of Armenia. According to Beverley Davis in "Timeline of the Development of the Horse," these wagons were found in great conditions and are the world's oldest known wagons. [7]

Earliest known winery

In 2007, Gregory Areshian of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Armenian archaeologist Boris Gasparyan co-directed excavations of the Areni-1, the cave where the 5,500 years old leather shoe was found, announced that they found the world's oldest known winery, which could date back 6,100 years. In September 2010, archaeologists finished excavations of an enormous vat used for wine-producing. This large equipment also implies the large-scale wine production at the time and the grape domestication. According to Areshian, the procedure of winemaking back then was old-fashioned. People used their bare feet to stomp the grapes, store juice into jars, and place them in the cave. [8] The dry and stable condition inside the Areni-1 cave makes it a perfect place for wine production. [8]

Sky observatory (Karahunge and Metzamor)

Zorats Karer (Karahunge) near Sisian in southern Armenia is considered to be a bronze age observatory from 8,000 years ago. Zorats Karer (37185611060).jpg
Zorats Karer (Karahunge) near Sisian in southern Armenia is considered to be a bronze age observatory from 8,000 years ago.

Karahunge is a megalithic collective stone circle dated between 7700 and 4000 years old and located 200 kilometers from the capital of Armenia, Yerevan. The observatory comprises many stones arranged in a circle with a few arms extending from it. Like many other stone-made sites, Karahunge was initially thought to be a religious-related architecture. In 1985, Prof. E.S. Parsamian firstly interpreted it as an astronomical monument. Metzamor is another ancient sky observatory in Armenia, [9] which was also firstly interpreted as an archaeoastronomical monument by Prof. E.S. Parsamian. [10] [11]

Neolithic-era temple

Ergül Kodaş, the scientific counsellor to the excavations from the Archaeology Department of Mardin Artuklu University, led a team of archaeologists and discovered an 80-square-meter temple that could date back to 11,300 years ago in the Neolithic era in the Mardin district in eastern Turkey. This place has been the birthplace of many civilizations, including Armenians. During the excavations, archaeologists found four steles, and three of them were mostly intact. This ancient temple was thought to be almost the same as the temple of Portasar(Göbekli Tepe). These two temples are similar in age and the general architectural style. [12]

Oldest human brain

The UCLA researcher Gregory Areshhian announced the finding of the oldest known human brain, which was found through the excavation of Areni-1 cave across the border between Iran and Armenia, on January 11, 2009. [13] The dating of the brain is between 6,200 and 5,900 years ago during the copper age. Because of the dry and stable condition inside the cave, the brain was well-preserved, even with preserved blood vessels on its surface. Researchers believed the brain was from a young girl and found two other skulls next to the well-preserved brain, which were said to be from girls ages 12 to 14. The finding shows the existence of human activities back to the copper age. [14]

The petroglyphs(rock engravings) of Ughtasar

The petroglyphs(rock engravings) of Ughtasar can be found all over Yerevan. The aesthetic aspects have been applied to art crafts, including small cups and pottery. The origin of the petroglyphs of Ughtasar is at Syunik mountain in southern Armenia, all the way dating back to the Paleolithic Era (around 12,000 BCE). Dwelling people at Syunik mountain used to carve volcanic stones there. According to researcher Hamlet Martirosyan, many of the carvings were actually a writing system known as "goat writing. " While other researchers believed that It was due to a large number of goat drawings on the stones, Martirosyan said it was because the word "goat" and "writing" are homonyms.

Bronze and Iron Age (3000-1299 BC, 1200-800 BC)

The Bronze Age and Early Iron Age cultures have been studied extensively across the country. (Badalyan and Avetisyan 7) [1]

Smelting foundry

The site is located just outside the village of Taronik. Excavation of the Metsamor, a Bronze Age archaeological site in central Armenia, uncovered a major metal industry, including a foundry with two types of blast furnaces and a huge underground storehouse used to store metals done processing and was also thought to be the granaries in winter. The foundry extracted and processed many kinds of metals such as iron and bronze. [11]

Ancient female warrior

The group of archaeologists led by Anahit Khudaverdyan has discovered an injured woman warrior dating back to 8 to 6 century BC, the Iron Age, from Bover I site in Lori Province, Armenia. [15] The researchers believed the woman's skeleton is of the age 20s and is likely a woman with higher social status due to the possession of jewelry in the grave. From later examination, researchers found evidence supporting the fact that she was a female warrior. The researchers found the remains of a metal arrowhead in her femur, the thigh bone. Similar situations could also be detected in other skeleton parts, such as scars and traces of blows to the pelvic bone and tibia. Besides the bone parts, the group noticed strong muscle attachments, which is most likely due to military training and constantly riding horses against aggression. After the study of this female warrior burials back in the Iron Age, researchers believed the female warriors at the time in Armenia were the Amazons depicted in ancient Greek tales. [16] [15]

Dragon-stone found on Aragats Mountain

a Dragon-Stone found on Aragats Mountain Dragonstone Nor Nork 09.jpg
a Dragon-Stone found on Aragats Mountain

The Armenian-German-Italian expedition found a Bronze Age Dragon-stone (Vishapakar) on Aragats Mountain. Vishapakars, or dragon stones, are unique in Armenia. They are frequently carved into forms with fish heads or serpents. They depict ancient mythical animals and were usually used as markers to indicate the location of underground water supplies. [17]

Karmir Blur site (Teishebaini) - 700 BC.

The archaeological excavation site at Karmir Blur (Teishebaini) started in 2015. During excavations at Karmir Blur, archaeologists uncovered four viceroy metal wands and various items, including weapons and jewelry. The discoveries revealed that Armenia was split into provinces, each governed by a different viceroy, and the fact that Artsakh was a part of the Armenia, United Kingdom of Van, from the 7th to 8th centuries BC as archaeologist Hakob Simonyan said. [18]

Preservation and restoration

The ideas of preservation and restoration of the Armenian historical sites started to emerge at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Nowadays these ideas are applied in Armenia along with the excavations. However, ways of approach might not always be the best suit. Generally speaking, the preservation and restoration of those sites should adhere to three main ideas. (1) Firstly, before any kind of preservation and restoration, interdisciplinary cooperation should be taken, letting people doing different jobs who participate in the same work discuss to make the best decision considering different aspects. (2) Secondly, when trying to reinforce or restore the sites, people should come up with something which causes the least interference. (3) Thirdly, for sites about to be excavated, people should firstly guarantee the preservation of the sites; for sites that were already excavated, people should apply protective techniques like adding protective layers to preserve the remains. [2]

Positive examples of reinforcement of already excavated archaeological sites in Armenia include the ruins of Zvartnots, the ancient settlement of Shengavit, the palace of Garni, and the ruins of dwelling houses in Teishebaini. [2]

Engagement of non-experts

Project APSAP (Ararat Plain Southeast Archaeological Project)

APSAP (Ararat Plain Southeast Archaeological Project) is a research collaboration between Hong Kong University and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Republic of Armenia's National Academy of Sciences that focuses on understanding the human activities of Ararat Plain. The project is directed by Dr. Peter J. Cobb, an assistant professor at Hong Kong University, in collaboration with scholars and researchers from Armenian institutes. Students from Hong Kong University and other institutions went to Ararat Plain to collaborate with Armenian archaeologists on-site and to gain an insight into archaeology in Armenia. [19]

Project ArAGATS (Archaeological Research in Armenia)

Camp Aragats illustration Archaeological camp for new generations.jpg
Camp Aragats illustration

Project ArAGATS (Archaeological Research in Armenia) was founded in 1998 by Dr. Adam T. Smith from the Department of Anthropology, Cornell University, and Dr. Ruben S. Badalyan from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Republic of Armenia. Despite studies conducted by researchers, Project ArAGATS's also dedicated to training a new generation of archaeologists on how to analyze, present the results of archaeological work, and preserve the region's archaeological sites. Project ArAGATS provides children in rural areas chances to experience and engage in archaeology through learning the history of their region and hands-on work such as excavating. In 2017 and 2018, ArAGATS held archaeological camps for girls in towns or villages near the sites in Armenia, to work in fields and learn from those professionals in the archaeological field. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vayots Dzor Province</span> Province of Armenia

Vayots Dzor is a province (marz) of Armenia. It lies at the southeastern end of the country, bordering the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan to the west and the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan to the east. It covers an area of 2,308 km2 (891 sq mi). With a population of only 52,324, it is the most sparsely populated province in the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Yeghegnadzor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeology of Israel</span> Archaeological studies of Israel

The archaeology of Israel is the study of the archaeology of the present-day Israel, stretching from prehistory through three millennia of documented history. The ancient Land of Israel was a geographical bridge between the political and cultural centers of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metsamor site</span>

Metsamor site is the remains of an old fortress located to the southwest of the Armenian village of Taronik, in the Armavir Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Rock Cave</span> United States historic place

Fort Rock Cave was the site of the earliest evidence of human habitation in the US state of Oregon before the excavation of Paisley Caves. Fort Rock Cave featured numerous well-preserved sagebrush sandals, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000 years old. The cave is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Fort Rock near Fort Rock State Natural Area in Lake County. Fort Rock Cave was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beifudi</span> Archaeological site

Beifudi is an archaeological site and Neolithic village in Yi County, Hebei, China. The site, an area of 3 ha on the northern bank of the Yishui River, contains artifacts of a culture contemporaneous with the Cishan and Xinglongwa cultures of about 8000–7000 BP, two known Neolithic cultures east of the Taihang Mountains, and thus fills an archaeological gap between the two Northern Chinese cultures. The total excavated area is more than 1,200 square meters and the collection of neolithic findings at the site has been conducted in two phases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azykh Cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in Azerbaijan

Azykh Cave, also referred to as Azokh Cave, is a six-cave complex in Azerbaijan, known as a habitation site of prehistoric humans. It is situated near the village of Azykh in the Khojavend District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areni</span> Place in Vayots Dzor, Armenia

Areni is a village and the center of the Areni Municipality of the Vayots Dzor Province in Armenia. Areni is best known for its wine production, with the majority of wine produced locally from the nearby village of Getap.

Adam Thomas Smith is Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Anthropology at Cornell University. He is also co-founder of The American-Armenian Project for the Archaeology and Geography of Ancient Transcaucasian Societies and co-director of The Aragats Foundation. He is a co-director (with Lori Khatchadourian and Ian Lindsay of Caucasus Heritage Watch, a research group monitoring cultural heritage in the South Caucasus in the wake of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. In 2021, Smith and Khatchadourian joined with Gerard Aching to launch a community excavation program at the St. James AME Zion Church in Ithaca NY, the oldest active AME Zion church in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenian wine</span> Wine making in Armenia

Armenian wine is wine made in Armenia and the Armenian-populated Republic of Artsakh, in the region of South Caucasus. Armenia is one of the oldest wine producing regions of the world. In particular, the oldest known winery was found in Armenia's Areni region, which to this day is still known of its wine production and endemic grapes.

The year 2010 in archaeology

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areni-1 shoe</span> Archaeological artifact from Armenia

The Areni-1 shoe is a 5,500-year-old leather shoe that was found in 2008 in excellent condition in the Areni-1 cave located in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia. It is a one-piece leather-hide shoe, the oldest piece of leather footwear in the world known to contemporary researchers. The discovery was made by an international team led by Boris Gasparyan, an archaeologist from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areni-1 winery</span> Archaeological site in Armenia

The Areni-1 winery is an ancient winery that was discovered in 2007 in the Areni-1 cave complex in the village of Areni in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia by a team of Armenian and Irish archaeologists. The excavations were carried out by Boris Gasparyan of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and Ron Pinhasi from University College Cork (Ireland), and were sponsored by the Gfoeller Foundation (USA) and University College Cork. In 2008 the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) also joined the project with Gregory Areshian as co-director of the Areni Project. Since then the excavations have been sponsored by UCLA and the National Geographic Society as well. The excavations of the winery were completed in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Areni-1 cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in Armenia

The Areni-1 cave complex is a multicomponent site, and late Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age ritual site and settlement, located near the Areni village in southern Armenia along the Arpa River.

Humanity has used animal hides since the Paleolithic, for clothing as well as mobile shelters such as tipis and wigwams, and household items. Since ancient times, hides have also been used as a writing medium, in the form of parchment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argishtikhinili</span> Archaeological site in Armenia

Argishtikhinili was a town in the ancient kingdom of Urartu, established during the expansion of the Urartians in the Transcaucasus under their king Argishti I, and named in his honour. It lasted between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. The ruins of the Argishtikhinili fortifications are 15 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of the present-day town of Armavir, Armenia, between the villages of Nor-Armavir and Armavir in the Armenian marz of Armavir. The town was founded on the left bank of the middle reaches of the Aras River. Over the centuries, the river channel has shifted to several kilometres south of the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Areshian</span> Armenian politician

Gregory Areshian was an Armenian-American archeologist and historian who was a professor at American University of Armenia. He was the co-director of the international team of archeologists who, led by Boris Gasparyan, found the 5,500 years old shoe in and the oldest winery in Areni of which Areshian said:

For the first time, we have a complete archaeological picture of wine production dating back 6,100 years.

This page lists major events of 2020 in archaeology.

This page lists major events of 2021 in archaeology.

This page lists significant events of 2022 in archaeology.

References

  1. 1 2 Badalyan, R. S.; Avetisyan, P. S. (2007). Bronze and Early Iron Age Archaeological Sites in Armenia I: Mt. Aragats and its Surrounding Region. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. doi:10.30861/9781407301396. ISBN   978-1-4073-0139-6.
  2. 1 2 3 Kirakosyan, L. (2021). "Preservation of Archeological Sites in Armenia". сборник статей научных чтений памяти Сергея Николаевича Баландина. Новосибирский государственный университет архитектуры, дизайна и искусств им. А.Д. Крячкова: 39–45. doi:10.37909/978-5-89170-287-5-2021-1006. ISBN   9785891702875. S2CID   248062436.
  3. ↑ Stone age of Armenia : a guide-book to the stone age archaeology in the Republic of Armenia. Boris Gasparyan, Makoto Arimura, Hnagitutʻyan ev Azgagrutʻyan Institut, Kanazawa Daigaku, Kanazawa Daigaku. Center for Cultural Resource Studies. Kanazawa, Japan. 2014. ISBN   978-4-9908070-0-9. OCLC   936119989.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. 1 2 "World's oldest leather shoe found in Armenia". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  5. ↑ Staff, Weekly (2010-10-28). "Scientists Discover 5,900-Year-Old Skirt in Armenia". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  6. ↑ "Armenia: 5900-year-old women's skirt found in cave". World Archaeology. 2011-11-06. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  7. ↑ "4,000 Years Old Wagons Found in Lchashen, Armenia". Art-A-Tsolum. 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  8. 1 2 "Earliest Known Winery Found in Armenian Cave". Culture. 2011-01-12. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  9. ↑ "Archaeologists discover ancient cornelian/gold necklace in Metsamor castle site". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  10. ↑ "Ancient Astronomy in Armenia". www.aras.am. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  11. 1 2 "Metsamor, Armenia". www.ancient-wisdom.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  12. ↑ Sabah, Daily (2019-10-30). "11,300-year-old Neolithic-era temple unearthed in southeastern Turkey's Mardin". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  13. ↑ "Scientists Unearth Oldest Human Brain in Armenian Cave – Asbarez.com" . Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  14. ↑ "Archeologists Unearth Oldest "Old World" Brain". Popular Science. 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  15. 1 2 Khudaverdyan, Anahit Y.; Yengibaryan, Azat A.; Hobosyan, Suren G.; Hovhanesyan, Arshak A.; Saratikyan, Ani A. (January 2020). "An Early Armenian female warrior of the 8–6 century BC from Bover I site (Armenia)". International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 30 (1): 119–128. doi:10.1002/oa.2838. ISSN   1047-482X. S2CID   209261577.
  16. ↑ Admin (2019-11-28). "Burial of an ancient female warrior discovered in Armenia". PeopleOfAr. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  17. ↑ "Bronze Age dragon stone found on slope of Armenia's Mount Aragats". news.am. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  18. ↑ says, AniNYC. "Archaeologists Trace Artsakh's Origins to 7th Century BC – Asbarez.com" . Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  19. ↑ "Major fortress-settlement in Armenian Highlands excavated". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  20. ↑ "Overview | Project ArAGATS: Archaeological Research in Armenia" . Retrieved 2022-05-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.