Announcements

On February 12 at 14:00, the defense of the PhD dissertation by Tigran Aleksanyan, entitled “The Medieval Fortification of Berd Region,” will take place at a meeting of the Specialized Council 007 “Archaeology and Ethnography,” operating under the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (IAE NAS RA).

The dissertation is devoted to the study of medieval fortification structures and defensive systems of the Berd region (formerly Shamshadin, later - Tavush, and currently the enlarged community of Berd), located in the northeastern part of the Republic of Armenia.

For the first time, an attempt has been made to conduct a systematic study and comprehensive presentation of the region’s medieval fortification structures, the data related to them, the studies conducted to date, and the views of previous researchers. At the same time, the research sets out to examine the principles of construction of the monuments under consideration, their building phases, chronology, and historical development.

Scientific Supervisor:

• Diana Mirijanyan, Ph.D.

Official Opponents:

• Hamlet Petrosyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor
• Armine Zorabyan, Ph.D.

Leading Institution: Yerevan State University

On December 1 at 16:00, the Artsakh Historical and Cultural Heritage Research Group will hold a seminar in the Institute’s library.
Topic: “Challenges of Monument Monitoring: The Case of Cultural Heritage in Artsakh”
Speaker: Hamazasp Abrahamyan

At the session of Specialized Council 007 on Archaeology and Ethnography of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (IAE) of the NAS RA, to be held on October 30 at 14:00, Arsen Harutyunyan, Head of the Epigraphy Department at the IAE and Candidate of Historical Sciences, will defend his doctoral dissertation entitled “Medieval Tatev and Its Written-Cultural Heritage.”

The presented dissertation is dedicated to the historical description of the Tatev Monastery, a spiritual and cultural center of Syunik, and its adjacent monastic settlements, as well as a comprehensive study of their written heritage.

Official opponents:

• Doctor of Historical Sciences, Prof. Karen A. Matevosyan
• Doctor of Historical Sciences, Prof. Hamlet L. Petrosyan
• Doctor of Historical Sciences, Prof. Arman S. Yeghiazaryan

Leading institution: Yerevan State University

The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (IAE NAS RA) has launched a new collaborative project titled “Guardians of the Vishaps” in partnership with the Culture Factor NGO.

The main goal of the project is to raise awareness among children aged 10–14 and local communities about the exceptional cultural significance of Armenian vishap-stones (dragon-stones), as well as to promote heritage preservation, critical thinking, and civic engagement.

This initiative, implemented with the support of a grant from the H. Hovnanyan Family Foundation, combines fundamental scientific knowledge with innovative educational methodologies. As a leading research center, the IAE ensures the scientific accuracy and validity of the project’s content.

Our specialists provide consultations on the general concept and all educational materials, aligning the available information about vishap-stones with the latest archaeological research data.

The IAE is also directly responsible for the development and implementation of specialized educational courses. These courses will be held for schoolchildren and their families as part of community awareness campaigns. Through this experiential learning process, participants will gain in-depth knowledge of the unique iconography and archaeological context of vishap-stones, becoming informed guardians of this heritage of global significance.

The “Guardians of the Vishaps” is a nine-month program that began in September 2025, based on a concept developed by Culture Factor NGO. It includes the production of an animated film “Vahagn and the Vishap”, the publication of informational booklets, and film screenings during community outreach events.

Through this collaboration, the Institute aims not only to disseminate scientific knowledge but also to present the historical and cultural value of vishap-stones to various segments of society—especially to the younger generation—thus contributing to the long-term preservation of Armenia’s cultural heritage.

On September 25, at 16:00, within the framework of the “Medieval Studies Discussions” seminars of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the NAS RA, the next lecture will take place: “Hrachia Acharian’s Unpublished Legacy: HAYARDZAN.”
Lecturer: PhD in Philology Susanna Adamyan.

On September 18, from 16:30 to 18:00, within the framework of the NAS RA “Philological Discussions,” a lecture entitled “Anthropomorphism: Humanization of the Plant and Animal World in a Fabulous Environment” will take place.
Speaker: Alvard Jivanyan, Doctor of Philology, YSU.

On September 17, at 15:00, the next seminar of the Architectural Modeling Research Group will be held at the NAS RA.
Topic: “Challenges of Restoring and Musealizing the Dashtadem Fortress”
Speaker: Sose Aghayan.

On September 15, at 16:00, in the institute’s library, the seminar of the Research Group on the Historical and Cultural Heritage of Artsakh will take place.
Topic: Museums in Times of Crisis: The Experience of Artsakh’s Museums
Speaker: PhD in History, Nzhdeh Yeranyan.