Events
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
"Science Week: Armenia 2025" Launched in Armenia
The "Science Week: Armenia 2025" event was launched on September 30. It is dedicated to promoting science and technology. Under the motto "Developing Through Science," the six-day program will feature events that present science, technology, and art fields. Leading specialists from Armenia’s state and academic, educational, technological, and creative organizations are participating in the event, which aims to make science more accessible to the broader public. The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (NAS RA) also actively participates in the week’s activities. The institute is represented through its remote laboratories, including: “Interdisciplinary Armenian Cultural Heritage Studies” (Project No. 23RL-6A006), “Armenian Highland and Bronze Age World System. Ancient technology in the prism of experimental archaeology (Project No. 23RL-6A041). The laboratories present their research, organize quiz contests, showcase archaeological reconstructions, and hold interactive games to foster visitors’ interest in science and heritage.
2025-10-02
Lecture: “The Guide and the Staged Cultural Heritage: Building Authentic Guiding in Post-Soviet Armenia.”
On September 29, 2025, the first autumn seminar was held at the Department of Anthropology of Social Processes and Institutions of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, NAS RA. The seminar featured a presentation by Garik Atanesyan, a researcher at the department, on the topic “The Guide and the Staged Cultural Heritage: Building Authentic Guiding in Post-Soviet Armenia.” The head of the department, Mihran Galstyan (PhD), introduced the theme and highlighted its importance for contemporary guiding practices. In his talk, G. Atanesyan addressed challenges facing the guiding sector in Armenia, drawing comparisons with the experience of Western countries. The presentation was followed by an active discussion, both during and after the seminar
2025-09-29
Lecture: “The Untypical Heritage of Hrachya Acharyan: Hayardzan.”
On September 25, the Departments of Epigraphy and Medieval Archaeology of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, NAS RA, held a seminar in the Institute’s reading room as part of the “Medieval Studies Discussions” series. The presentation was delivered by Susanna Adamyan (PhD), a researcher in the Department of Epigraphy, on the topic “The Untypical Heritage of Hrachya Acharyan: Hayardzan.” The event was attended by the Institute’s Deputy Director, Tork Dalalyan, scholars from various departments, and invited guests. The speaker was introduced by Arsen Harutyunyan (PhD), Head of the Department of Epigraphy, who noted that this was the first seminar of the autumn cycle. He highlighted the significance of Acharyan’s monumental, though unpublished, work, which has drawn the attention of many epigraphers since the time of Sedrak Barkhudaryan. In her lecture, Adamyan first presented the biography of the eminent Armenian linguist Hrachya Acharyan, underlining his exceptional contribution to Armenian and world linguistics. She placed particular emphasis on Acharyan’s work “Hayardzan,” an extraordinary collection of Armenian epigraphic inscriptions comprising around 2,000 samples and 1,753 manuscript pages. The collection encompasses materials from Constantinople to Caucasian Albania, as well as from Iran, Georgia, and Russia. Adamyan pointed out that none of Acharyan’s biographers had mentioned the existence of this work, though epigraphers are now actively studying it. She also noted that the Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Art has supported research on the manuscript. According to Adamyan, one of the key motivations for compiling “Hayardzan” was an award competition announced in 1912 by the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages. The lecture concluded with a lively discussion. Participants posed questions, shared additional insights into Acharyan’s scholarly activities, and underscored the urgent need to publish this invaluable work.
2025-09-27
