Areni Cave Is The Best Thing That God Provided To Us
By Karina Manukyan
Arminfo – 13/12/2011
Boris Gasparyan, Head of the Armenian Expedition, tells about the secret of
Areni-1 in an interview with ArmInfo.
Areni-1 has become known in the world after a 5500-year-old shoe was found
there in 2010. The excavations in the Areni-1 cave were started in 2007 and
are being carried out by the Archeology and Ethnography Institute of the
National Academy of Sciences of Armenia jointly with UCLA's Cotsen (LA,
USA) and Ireland's University College Cork.
Over the past years significant archaeological cultural strata spanning
from the Neolithic to late medieval times have been found at Areni-1 cave.
Artifacts related to household activities, such as hearths, grindstones,
obsidian and chert tools, and animal bones and other things have been found
in the cave. Thanks to the microclimate, all the artifacts are in a state
of nature.
What makes Areni-1 unique?
First is the special micro-climate of the cave that has preserved leather,
wood, textile and human remains in a state nature. In addition, the cave
has not been affected by the following civilizations. It is a special
monument, a certain cultural and ritual complex with burials. There are
signs of certain cultural and religious activity that reflects the religion
and cults of that epoch.
All these aspects make the monument unique.
Large-scale research will allow to find out the life in the Neolith epoch.
Have you made any steps in that dimension?
The Areni-1 cave will give an opportunity to trace development of ancient
textile production of different epochs. This is evidence of co-existence of
the Neolithic
textile and middle ages textile in the cave. At present we have been
studying the textile and got very interesting results. There are the Middle
Ages layers in the cave and we have managed to find many middle ages
textiles. We have very little information about the Middle Ages everyday
clothes, as the textile simply did not withstand the ravages of time.
If to speak about the Neolithic layers, a mat made of reed grass as well as
very tender textiles made of linen were found. All our wool textiles were
dated the middle ages epoch. Wool was not used in the Neolithic epoch,
though peoples of that ancient epoch kept cattle, goats and sheep. But the
diggings still say only about availability of mats made of reed grass and
very thin linen textile which could be used for clothes as well.
It was said earlier that a common-reed grass skirt was found in the cave...
It wasn't a skirt. It was a mat.
Areni cave became popular after the ancient shoe was found there. What was
the fate of that unique show?
After being treated for preservation, the shoe is displayed at the History
Museum of Armenia. Specialists from Art History Laboratory, Oxford, will
arrive in Armenia in March 2012 to study the textiles and the leather
finds. We may study the future of our shoe as well.
Unfortunately, we did not study it properly. It remains for specialists to
discuss conservation of the shoe.
If I am not mistaken, the famous shoe is not the only shoe found in Areni.
We have dated another shoe, which is the same age as the first one.
But unfortunately, it was not fully kept because of fire and only its sole
was left. It differs from the first shoe by the technology of making: two
layers of leather were connected with each other with a thread and it has
straw inside. We can suppose that in the late Neolithic age people were
wearing shoes of various styles.
The experts have fixed the age of the goat mummy found in the Armenian
Areni cave. They said that the goat may prove to be older than the Egyptian
mummies.
This was not proved. The analysis showed that the remains date the period
of the Late Middle Ages. But there is an interesting aspect - the microclimate of the cave promotes mummification even of not so old things which
appear there. I want to study the micro-climate of the cave and learn the
secret of mummification of things but not their breakdown, irrespective of
their age - 3 centuries or 60 centuries ago.
By the way, human bones have been found in the vessels in Areni.
In some vessels there are not only human bones but also tools, animal
bones, seeds. There are also vessels containing only the upper parts of
human skulls, which were supposedly used as bowels in black magic rites.
Our ancestors were farmers and they sacrificed human beings for
propitiating the gods and collecting goods harvests.
The people who lived in the Areni-1 cave practiced ritual cannibalism.
Some of the bones were cut, bitten and boiled. We have also found a place
where those people sharpened knives and nearby there were lots of human
bones. All of the local burial sites date back to 4,000 BC, a time when
ritual cannibalism was a usual practice.
Are there any opportunities to decipher the DNA of these people?
Danish and Australian researchers are currently deciphering the DNA of the
people who lived in Areni-1 and they have already found out that all the
three skulls found in the cave belong to sisters, which means that it was a
kind of caste, a family
enjoying the privilege of being sacrificed to gods.
Ancient, six thousand year old winemaking facility has been found in Areni
cave. Have you tried to analyze and learn the sort of the grapes used in
winemaking?
The sort of the ancient grape found in the Armenian cave Areni-1 will be
determined in 2012. In the cave, everything was found to make wine,
including grapes (both the seeds and remains of pressed grapes were found),
a rudimentary wine press, a fermentation vessel of clay, wine-soaked
pottery chards and even a cup and a drinking bowl.
The grapes are currently being studied in Copenhagen and we will have the
results approximately in 2012. Part of the grape remains was burnt and
specialists could not determine the DNA. It turned out later that DNA is
better preserved in the spur.
"We have got certain DNA sequence in the Neolithic vessels, but they
belonged to the Middle Age. It turned out that the mice had brought those
spurs to the cave. We selected new samples for examination. We selected
ticker spurs that the mice couldn't bear and made sure that they were not
burnt either. In fact, Armenian specialists learn where to select the best
samples to reveal DNA. Earlier we used to determine DNA and than the date
of the samples. Now we do everything on the contrary not to spare time on
the middle age samples.
Nowever, no lab would spend its grant funds to determine DNA of the Middle
Age grape. Now we have got a Middle Age grape. If we have also a Neolithic
grape and compare with the contemporary samples, we will find out if there
has been any mutation or the six thousand year old Areni grape has not
changed by present.
The ancient winemaking can be promoted as a brand. The idea is that the
world has got bored of Bourgogne and Chateau wines. We can produce a wine
that would belong to a specific place. The brand "Wine made in the Ancient
Areni" can be sold.
Laboratory examinations are not cheap. How did you manage to carry out
some?
Foreign labs have grants, for instance, for the grapes in Eurasia and we
join those projects. However, they receive the right to publish the data
revealed. But we have no other choice so far. We have no such funds. None
of our leadership representatives have visited Areni-1yet, though our show
has made our country much more popular than football and chess together.
Have you conducted excavations in Areni in the current year?
I avoid large-scale digging. The cave is very popular and many people visit
it. Every time when tourists visit it, the monument is certainly damaged.
In addition, there is very rich material to study. I want to study part of
the finds and let other generations study the remaining materials. If
excavations in Areni were conducted 50 years ago, the results would be
different. I am sure, in 50 years new technologies will open new
opportunities. This is the right method to work. In addition, conducting
excavations and not having an opportunity to publish the results is
senseless.
Are you going to make the cave the center of tourism?
I have already appealed to some organizations for funding. The area must be
fenced, but it should not damage the general scenery. Special paths and
lighting in the cave in needed for tourists. Clay structures and vessel
must be conserved. It requires big funds and I hope we will start doing
something already in 2012.
When my colleagues from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Turkey arrive in Armenia, the
only thing that surprises them is Areni-1.
Do you think of promoting the brand of ancient winemaking?
It is the best brand. Some winemakers would take an interest in it. In
Europe winemakers every year fund excavations and then use that brand and
lead tourists to the site. They care for the monument. So, winemakers,
tourist companies can fund the monument and further excavations and study
of the artifacts.
The idea is that the world has got bored of Bourgogne and Chateau wines. We
can produce a wine that would belong to a specific place.
The brand "Wine made in the Ancient Areni" can be sold," the archaeologist
said
What holds you from realizing that idea?
Money. There
monument and
submitted to
will work, I
is no sense in developing tourism without conservation of the
creation of relevant infrastructure. This project must be
the Ministry of Culture, to industrialists and investors. It
think. Areni is the best thing that God provided to us.