This was a seasonal occupation site used by pastoralists, as this area is covered by snow during the winter. There are some indications that the occupation here started already in the last quarter of the 5th millennium BC but, according to radiocarbon dates, the main activities took place during the time frame between 3650 and 3350 cal. BC.[2]
About 15km east of Godedzor, near Sisian, is located a prehistoric archaeological site of Carahunge known as the 'Armenian Stonehenge'. It was discovered in 1994, and the age of these megalithic monuments may go back to the Bronze Age or earlier.
Discovery
In 2003, an archaeological survey revealed prehistoric cultural deposits distinguished by a distinctive stone industry and ceramics. The site is on the left bank of a river. Parts of the site had unfortunately been destroyed by recent agricultural activity. Excavation started here in 2005.
Obsidian
Plenty of obsidian artifacts were found at Godedzor. The location of this site is favourable for access to important Syunik obsidian deposits further upstream the Vorotan river.[3]
Syunik obsidian (especially from Sevkar) has been identified in many artefacts from the Near East (also known as "group 3c"). Especially they have been found in the Lake Urmia basin in Iran.[4] Godedzor was a big hub of obsidian trade in the South Caucasus.
"The artefacts in this [Syunik] group come mainly from north-western Iran and were found in 6th millennium BC contexts (Hajji Firuz, Yanik Tepe) or the 5th‑4th millennia BC (Dava Göz, Kushali Tepe, Kul Tepe (Hadishahr), Ghosha, Yanik Tepe, Kohne Tepesi)."[5]
Pottery
There is a clear Near Eastern affinity in Godedzor cultural traits. The pottery shows some links with Ubaid culture, although they are not comprehensive. There are indications of some local developments in this area at the periphery of the Ubaid and Syro-Mesopotamian cultural sphere.[6]
At Godedzor, all the Chalcolithic pottery is handmade, and the most common type of pottery is Chaff-tempered Ware.[7]
Agriculture
Farming also played a role in the subsistence strategies of Godedzor. Abundant botanical evidence was found here by archaeologists. Cereal crops were predominant, with the ratio between wheat and barley being around 6:4. It appears that some crops were planted before the winter came in and, when the tribes returned in the spring with their flocks, these crops were already ready to be harvested.
The keeping of five domestic animals have been attested at Godedzor, including cattle, sheep, goat, pig and dog. 15 wild animal species have also been hunted. Goats were the most common species, and cattle were the second in importance.[8]
Godedzor shows some structural and economic continuity between the economies of the Late Chalcolithic period, to which it belongs, and the Kura–Araxes cultures that developed later in the same highland areas. Among these signs of continuity was the cereal-focused agriculture that was first introduced in the mountainous areas already by the Chalcolithic peoples.[9]
↑ C. Chataigner 2010, Godedzor, a Late Ubaid-related settlement in the southern Caucasus. in: CARTER R.A., PHILIP G. (eds.), The Ubaid and beyond: Exploring the Transmission of Culture in the Developed Prehistoric Societies of the Middle East. Oriental Institute Publications, Chicago
↑ C. Chataigner 2010, Godedzor, a Late Ubaid-related settlement in the southern Caucasus. in: CARTER R.A., PHILIP G. (eds.), The Ubaid and beyond: Exploring the Transmission of Culture in the Developed Prehistoric Societies of the Middle East. Oriental Institute Publications, Chicago
Syunik is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital and largest city is the town of Kapan. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported its population was 141,771 in the 2011 census, down from 152,684 at the 2001 census.
The Kura–Araxes culture was an archaeological culture that existed from about 4000 BC until about 2000 BC, which has traditionally been regarded as the date of its end; in some locations it may have disappeared as early as 2600 or 2700 BC. The earliest evidence for this culture is found on the Ararat plain; it spread north in the Caucasus by 3000 BC.
Godin Tepe is an archaeological site in western Iran, located in the valley of Kangavar in Kermanshah Province. The importance of the site may have been due to its role as a trading outpost in the early Mesopotamian trade networks.
Carahunge, also known as Zorats Karer, Dik-Dik Karer, Tsits Karer and Karenish (Քարենիշ), is a prehistoric archaeological site near the town of Sisian in the Syunik Province of Armenia. It is also often referred to among international tourists as the "Armenian Stonehenge".
Aratashen is a town in the Armavir Province of Armenia. It is located on the Ararat plain.
Angeghakot is a village in the Sisian Municipality of the Syunik Province in Armenia. A large reservoir, the Angeghakot Reservoir, spanning more than the entire length of the village lies to the south.
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Dalma culture was a prehistoric archaeological culture of north-western Iran dating to early fifth millennium B.C. Later, it spread into the central Zagros region and elsewhere in adjacent areas. Its widespread ceramic remains were excavated in central and northern valleys of the Zagros Mountains in north-western Iran. Dalma assemblages were initially discovered by the excavations carried out at Dalma Tepe and Hasanlu Tepe in south-western parts of Lake Urmia, in the valley of Solduz.
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