A Candidate Dissertation Defense of Lianna Avetisyan on "The Basin of Shnogh River in Iron Age (According to Newly Discovered Archaeological Data)" Will Be Held at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography

The defense of the PhD dissertation entitled “The Shnogh River Basin in the Iron Age (Based on Newly Discovered Archaeological Data)” by Ani Saratikyan will take place at the meeting of the Specialized Council 007 “Archaeology and Ethnography” operating under the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (IAE NAS RA) on 4 August 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

The dissertation examines the Iron Age cemeteries located within the territory of the Teghut copper and molybdenum deposit of industrial significance in Lori Province, Republic of Armenia. These cemeteries are distributed along the Shnogh River, which flows through the mining area. The Shnogh River is one of the major tributaries of the Debed River. It originates on the forested northern slopes of the Gugark mountain range, passes through the territories of the villages of Teghut and Shnogh, and joins the Debed from the right bank at an altitude of 520 m above sea level.

In recent years, 311 burials have been excavated in the area: one Early Bronze Age burial (Pinjut No. 17), nine Late Bronze Age burials (Dukanadzor Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4; Bover 1 Nos. 47, 48, 49; Teghut 1 Nos. 1 and 2), and three medieval burials (Bagheri Chala Nos. 12, 13, and 14). A total of 298 burials belong to the Iron Age, of which 131 (43.96%) are included in the present study.

Scientific supervisor:

• Hayk G. Avetisyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences

Official opponents:

• Garegin S. Tumanyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences
• Artak V. Gnuni, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor 

Leading institution:

• History Museum of Armenia