BORIS GASPARYAN: ARENI CAVE IS THE BEST THING THAT GOD PROVIDED TO US
by Karina Manukyan
arminfo
Tuesday, December 13, 10:49
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 micro-climate 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 is no sense in developing tourism without conservation
of the monument and creation of relevant infrastructure. This project
must be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, to industrialists and
investors. It will work, I think. Areni is the best thing that God
provided to us.