Book: «The Neolithic Settlement of Aknashen (Ararat valley, Armenia)»

Badalyan R., Chataigner C., Harutyunyan A. eds. (2022), The Neolithic Settlement of Aknashen (Ararat valley, Armenia). Excavation seasons 2004-2015, Oxford, Archaeopress, 314 p.

Available both in print and Open Access: Printed ISBN 9781803270029; Epublication ISBN 9781803270036.

Abstratc

The Neolithic settlement of Aknashen (Ararat valley, Armenia): excavation seasons 2004-2015 is the first monograph devoted to the Neolithic period in Armenia. The research is based on an Armenian-French project, in which specialists from Canada, Romania, Germany and Greece also participated. The volume concerns the natural environment, material culture and subsistence economy of the populations of the first half of the 6th millennium BC, who established the first sedentary settlements in the alluvial plain of the Araxes river. The thickness of the cultural layer of Aknashen (almost 5m), the extent of the excavated areas and the multidisciplinary nature of the research, confer great importance upon this site for the study of the Neolithic, both in Armenia and in the South Caucasus as a whole. The publication examines the similarities and differences that exist between the sites established in the 6th millennium in the basins of the rivers Araxes (Armenia) and Kura (Georgia and Azerbaijan), as well as parallels with contemporary cultures in Southwest Asia. It also examines questions concerning the characterisation and periodisation of the Neolithic in the central part of the South Caucasus, the emergence of a production economy (pottery, animal husbandry, etc.) and the Neolithisation of this region.

About the Editors

Ruben Badalyan is a Doctor of Historical Sciences in the Academy of Sciences of Armenia and a Leading Scientific Member of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography. His work concerns the Neolithic and the Bronze Age in the South Caucasus, the chronology of the Kura-Araxes culture and the exploitation of obsidian. He has directed or co-directed field investigations at numerous archaeological sites in Armenia (Karnut, Gegharot, Tsaghkahovit, Horom), including joint Armenian-French projects (Aratashen, Aknashen, Voskeblur, Haghartsin).

Christine Chataigner is a researcher at the Archéorient laboratory (UMR 5133, CNRS – Université Lyon 2). Her research focuses on the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods in the South Caucasus as well as the characterisation and diffusion of obsidian in this region and the neighbouring countries. The Director of the Caucasus archaeological mission (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs), she has participated in various surveys and excavations in Armenia (Kmlo-2, Godedzor, Getahovit, Kalavan, Tsaghkahovit rockshelter) and in Georgia (Paravani, Bavra-Ablari).

Armine Harutyunyan is a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. For several years, she has been involved in the excavation of Neolithic and Bronze Age sites, either in the framework of the Armenian-French cooperation (Aratashen, Aknashen, Voskeblur, Haghartsin) or the ArAGATS project (Gegharot, Tsaghkahovit). Her fields of specialization are Neolithic architecture and the study of ceramics.

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