Events
The defense of Arsen Harutyunyan’s doctoral dissertation on the topic “Medieval Tatev and Its Written Cultural Heritage” took place at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography
On October 30, in the reading hall of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (IAE), the session of the Specialized Council 007 “Archaeology and Ethnography” operating under the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) attached to the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography took place. During the session, Arsen Harutyunyan, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Epigraphy of the IAE, defended his doctoral dissertation entitled “Medieval Tatev and Its Written Cultural Heritage.” The event was attended by Arsen Bobokhyan, Director of the Institute, staff members from various departments, as well as scholars and students interested in the topic. The dissertation topic had been approved by the Academic Council of the IAE of the NAS RA. The scientific secretary of the Specialized Council was Yervand Grekyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences. The official opponents were Doctors of Historical Sciences, Professors Karen Matevosyan, Hamlet Petrosyan, and Arman Yeghiazaryan. The leading organization was Yerevan State University. The dissertation of Arsen Harutyunyan is dedicated to Tatev Monastery — a major spiritual and cultural center of Syunik — as well as to the historical description of the nearby monastic villages and the comprehensive study of their written heritage. The work consists of an introduction, the chapters “The Tatev Monastic Complex and Its Rock Inscriptions,” “Tatev Monastery as a Center of Script and Scholarship,” “The Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Ancient Monastic Villages of the Vorotan Gorge,” “Small Churches Adjacent to Tatev Monastery,” “The Revival of the Eremitic Movement in Syunik,” and conclusions. The chairman of the Specialized Council, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Pavel Avetisyan, introduced the candidate and emphasized the importance of the research conducted. The Head of the Department of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Faculty of History at Yerevan State University, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Hayk Avetisyan, also shared his observations regarding the scientific value and relevance of the dissertation. Following the presentation of the work, questions, comments, and suggestions were raised, after which the official opponents delivered their speeches. With the recommendation to take the noted comments into account, the dissertation was unanimously approved, and Arsen Harutyunyan was awarded the degree of Doctor of Historical Sciences.
2025-10-30
Lecture: “The Image of the Armenian King in the Novel ‘Aghuz-Name’.”
On October 23, the reading hall of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (IAE) hosted another seminar, titled “The Image of the Armenian King in the Novel ‘Aghuz-Name’.” The report was delivered by Samvel Ramazyan, Ph.D. researcher at the Department of Folklore Studies of the IAE. The event was attended by IAE staff members, students, and others interested in the topic. The speaker was introduced by Tork Dalalyan, Deputy Director of the Institute. In his presentation, Samvel Ramazyan provided a detailed overview of the information preserved in foreign sources about the kings of Armenian Cilicia. The seminar concluded with a lively discussion, during which participants had the opportunity to ask questions and exchange views on the presented material.
2025-10-23
The international conference “Fortresses and Defense Systems in Middle East” has commenced.
International Conference on “Fortresses and Defense Systems in the Middle East” Opens in Yerevan On October 23, the international conference “Fortresses and Defense Systems in the Near East” opened in the round hall of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. The three-day event is organized by the Department of Medieval Archaeology of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (IAE) of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, with the support of the All-Armenian Fund for Financing Armenian Studies. The Director of the IAE, Arsen Bobokhyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, delivered the opening and welcoming remarks, highlighting the significance of the conference and the participation of scholars from various countries. The first session was chaired by Diana Mirijanyan, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Medieval Archaeology of the IAE. Three sessions were held on the first day. In the first session, Hakob Simonyan, Doctor of Arts, Ph.D.б from the Research Center for Historical and Cultural Heritage presented a paper entitled “Ancient Defense Systems of Armenia,” focusing on the Shengavit archaeological site and nearby monuments from the same period. Mkrtich Zardaryan, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Ancient Archaeology of the IAE, delivered a report on “Armavir – Artashat – Garni: The Fortification of Ancient Armenia and Its Phased Transformations.” Hamlet Petrosyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Historical and Cultural Heritage Study Group of the NAS RA, presented “The Fortification System of Tigranakert in Artsakh” (co-author: Lyuba Kirakosyan, Doctor of Architecture). During his presentation, he also announced that the launch of a new book dedicated to the capital Tigranakert will take place on October 24, in the same conference hall. The second session was chaired by Hamlet Petrosyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences. Independent researcher Ara Zaryan presented a report titled “The Defense System of the Capital Kapan of the Syunik Kingdom (970–1170)”, focusing on archaeological research conducted in recent years. At the same time, archaeological excavations were also carried out in Baghaberd, located not far from the capital Kapan. Avetis Grigoryan, archaeologist, head of expedition, and representative of the Service for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Reserves-Museums and Historical Environment” SNCO of the RA MoESCS, together with Aram Stepanyan, researcher at the Center for Geospatial Technologies, jointly presented a report entitled “The Role of Baghaberd Fortress in the Defense System of Medieval Syunik.” They discussed the results of recent excavations and the construction phases of the fortress. The session also featured restoration architect Levon Vasilyan, who collaborated with the teams excavating and studying the mentioned monuments. Alexan Hakobyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the NAS RA and former head of the Kashatagh Regional Administration of the Republic of Artsakh, presented a paper titled “Karnakash and the Fortresses of the Berdzor Province of Artsakh in the 10th Century.” He discussed the features of the region’s fortification system and their historical significance, as well as earlier studies of the Karnakash fortress and their scientific value. The last session of the day was chaired by Hasmik Hovhannisyan, Ph.D., researcher at the IAE of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Armen Ghazaryan, Assistant Professor from the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, delivered a presentation in Russian titled “The Smbatian Walls of Ani: New Architectural and Archaeological Stratigraphic Research.” Arman Nalbandyan, Ph.D., archaeologist and researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography and the Service for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Reserves-Museums and Historical Environment SNCO, presented a paper titled “The Wall of Lori Fortress as an Independent Element of the Fortification System.” Artak Hakhverdyan, Head of the Architectural Modeling Group of the Academy of Sciences, together with researchers Tigran Aleksanyan and Harutyun Badalyan, delivered a joint report titled “Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Tavush Fortress by Construction Stages,” presented by Artak Hakhverdyan. The final presentation of the day, “From Ruins to Museum: Challenges of Restoring the Dashtadem Fortress and Creating a Museum,” was delivered by independent researcher Anna Barseghyan (co-authors: Arev Samuelyan (Candidate of Architecture), Astghik Babajanyan (Ph.D.), and archaeologist Sose Aghayan and researchers at the IAE NAS RA). The next sessions of the conference will take place on October 24–25 in the reading hall of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
2025-10-23
Participation of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the NAS RA in the International Conference held in Thessaloniki
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Italian National Research Council – Institute for Heritage Sciences (CNR-ISPC) jointly organized the international conference “Music, Dance, and Soundscapes in the World of Alexander the Great”, held from October 15 to 19. Among the 24 selected participants was Victorya Vasilyan, PhD, Head of the Scientific and Organizational Group at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. The conference program also featured a concert of reconstructed ancient music, organized by the Ministry of Culture, as well as an archaeological excursion to the tombs of the Macedonian kings in Vergina and Pella. Outside the framework of the conference, a meeting was held with Professor Manolis Manoledakis, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the International Hellenic University of Thessaloniki, during which the possibilities for further cooperation were discussed.
2025-10-21
Launch of the International Conference ‘Displacement and Memory: The Ongoing Crisis of Artsakh in Oral Histories
On October 16, the three-day international conference “Displacement and Memory: The Ongoing Crisis of Artsakh in Oral Histories” was launched at the conference hall of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA). The event was organized by the Department of Cultural Anthropology and the Research Group of Applied Anthropology of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of NAS RA, in collaboration with the Armenian Center for Ethnological Studies “Hazarashen” and INALCO (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales) of France. The conference opened with welcoming remarks from Academician Yuri Suvaryan, Academic Secretary of the Division of Armenology and Social Sciences of NAS RA, and Arsen Bobokhyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography. Both speakers emphasized the thematic importance of the conference as a platform for the scholarly analysis of recent events in Artsakh and for the preservation of oral histories. The first session was chaired by Professor Hamlet Petrosyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Research Group on the Historical and Cultural Heritage of Artsakh at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography. During this session, four speakers presented their papers. Hranush Kharatyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, ethnographer and researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, delivered the first report titled “Information from Medieval Sources on the Names, Locations, and Meanings of Arran, Aghvank, Ran, Khachen, and Karabakh.” Hakob Simonyan, Doctor of Art Studies, archaeologist, and Head of the Archaeology Department at the Research Center of Historical and Cultural Heritage, presented “Tsitsernavank in the Light of Excavations,” discussing the results of archaeological investigations and excavations carried out under his supervision in the Kashatagh region of Artsakh between 1997 and 2001. Lernik Hovhannisyan, ethnographer and researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, delivered a paper titled “The Forced Migration of the Armenian Population of Artsakh in the Late 18th – Early 19th Centuries in the Context of Regional Migration Processes.” The session concluded with a presentation by Nzhdeh Yeranyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Deputy Director for Research at the History Museum of Armenia, titled “Cultural Heritage as a Field of Conflict: The Case of Pre-Christian Culture in Artsakh.” At the end of the session, a discussion followed during which participants asked questions and shared their observations.
2025-10-16
Excavations at the “Voske Blur” archaeological site
In the southern part of the village of Hayanist, in the Masis region of the Ararat Province of the Republic of Armenia, at an altitude of about 840 meters above sea level, lies the archaeological site of Voske Blur (“Golden Hill”)—one of the best-preserved Early Bronze Age settlements associated with the Kura-Araxes (Shengavit) culture (3500/3350–2600/2500 BC). The site, located approximately 22 km southwest of Yerevan, is an artificial settlement mound covering an area of about 2.6 hectares. The first archaeological excavations were conducted here in 1975–1976 under the direction of archaeologist Emma Khanzadyan. Since 2020, the Armenian-French Archaeological Project has been active at Voske Blur, implemented within the framework of cooperation between the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Archéorient Laboratory (UMR 5133) of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Since that time, the joint Armenian-French expedition has carried out regular excavations and research at the site. The 2025 excavations began in September and are scheduled to conclude on October 8. The work is co-directed by Ruben Badalyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Head of the Department of Early Archaeology of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the NAS RA (representing the Armenian side), and Béranger Perello, Doctor of Historical Sciences and representative of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Lyon (representing the French side). The expedition team also includes researchers from the Department of Early Archaeology of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography —Armine Harutyunyan (PhD), Levon Aghikyan, and Lilit Ter-Minasyan, researcher of the Architectural Modeling Group of the Institute — as well as Aurélien Creusot, paleontologist and researcher of the Archaeological Service of Lyon, and Sona Hovsepyan, Chief Curator of the Collections of the History Museum of Armenia. This year, excavations continued in the 4th and 5th trenches of the site, and a new, 6th area was opened. During the fieldwork, raw brick walls of varying heights were uncovered, along with pottery fragments characteristic of the Kur-Araxes culture, stone tools, and other finds. Of particular interest are a well-preserved clay hearth and a medieval tonir constructed of baked bricks. According to Dr. Ruben Badalyan, co-leader of the expedition, excavations at Voske Blur are expected to continue in the coming years.
2025-10-09
