Papers by Samvel Nahapetyan
Archaeopress Publishing Ltd eBooks, Mar 2, 2023
... Morphogénèse et paléoenvironnements quaternaires en Arménie (Petit Caucase) : une analyse mul... more ... Morphogénèse et paléoenvironnements quaternaires en Arménie (Petit Caucase) : une analyse multiproxies. Paul Roiron 1 , Vincent Ollivier 2 , Samuel Nahapetyan 3 , Ivan Gabrielyan 3 , Jean-Jacques Cornée 4, 5 , Sébastien Joannin 4, 6, 7 , Christine Chataigner 3. ...
The southern Caucasus is home to a particularly rich record of Middle Paleolithic (MP) occupation... more The southern Caucasus is home to a particularly rich record of Middle Paleolithic (MP) occupation. However, the potential contribution of the southern Caucasus to broader discussions of MP behavior and adaptations has remained largely unfulfilled because many key archaeological assemblages, deriving as they do from either surface scatters or sites that were excavated without the benefit of modern archaeological techniques, lack critical contextual information. What is more, the relatively small sample of sites where such data are available has been heavily biased towards caves and rockshelters. Here, we present a preliminary report on Bagratashen 1, an open-air MP site stratified within an ancient terrace of the Debed River in northeastern Armenia. While no faunal material has yet been recovered, site formation analysis suggests that the lithic assemblage, although subjected to subaerial exposure and some degree of post-depositional alteration, is neither severely biased nor substan...
The open-air site of Kalavan 1 is located in the Aregunyats mountain chain (at 1640 m above sea l... more The open-air site of Kalavan 1 is located in the Aregunyats mountain chain (at 1640 m above sea level) on the northern bank of Lake Sevan. It is the first Upper Palaeolithic site excavated in Armenia. Led by an Armenian-French team, several excavations (2005-2009) have revealed a well preserved palaeosoil, dated to around 14,000 BP (years before present), containing fauna, lithic artefacts, as well as several hearths and activity areas that structure the settlement. The initial studies enable placement of the site in its environment and justify palaeoethnological analysis of the Epigravettian human groups of the Lesser Caucasus.
Pinhasi wishes to recognize the fi nancial support provided by the Irish Research Council for the... more Pinhasi wishes to recognize the fi nancial support provided by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI). The geoarchaeological survey is supported by funds from the British Academy awarded to Pinhasi and Wilkinson and funds secured by Adler and Pinhasi. Finally, thanks are due to the numerous students and volunteers who participated in the fi eldwork and laboratory analyses, and to our Armenian colleagues who provided their great expertise and energy to our survey of the Hrazdan Gorge.
Quaternary Science Reviews
Journal of Quaternary Science
Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology
Barozh 12 is a late Middle Paleolithic open-air locality in western Armenia dating from ~ 60,000 ... more Barozh 12 is a late Middle Paleolithic open-air locality in western Armenia dating from ~ 60,000 to 31,000 years ago. Stratified deposits with high densities of obsidian artifacts permit the analysis of diachronic trends in manufacture, reduction, discard, and toolstone provisioning as related to technological organization in the context of hunter-gatherer mobility and land use. Throughout much of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, the occupants of Barozh 12 employed consistent unidirectional-convergent and unidirectional Levallois and “para-Levallois” core reduction techniques. Site occupation intensity varied over time, with changing emphasis on local core reduction and tool discard. Obsidian artifact sourcing indicates predominantly local toolstone exploitation, while blanks bearing retouch were intermittently transported to Barozh 12 over distances up to ~ 190 linear km. As a repeatedly visited, persistent place in regional settlement systems, this site records a range of mobility strategies and differential use of diverse eco-geographic zones. This study—a detailed analysis of late Middle Paleolithic technological organization at an open-air site in the Armenian highlands—broadens the regional record of Late Pleistocene hominin technological behaviors and settlement dynamics during a crucial period of human evolution.
Quaternary Science Reviews
The Southern Caucasus lies at the intersection of Africa, the Levant and Eurasia, and is thus a r... more The Southern Caucasus lies at the intersection of Africa, the Levant and Eurasia, and is thus a region of considerable interest in the study of Pleistocene hominin population dynamics and behaviour. While Palaeolithic archaeological sites in the region such as Dmanisi and Nor Geghi 1 attest to such palaeogeographic significance, a greater understanding of the chronology and nature of climatic and geomorphic changes in the region is needed to fully understand hominin settlement dynamics. The Hrazdan river valley, central Armenia, has the potential to offer such insights given its rich Palaeolithic record and complex history of Pleistocene infill as a result of alluvial, lacustrine, aeolian, and volcanic processes. We therefore present a stratigraphic framework for basin infill and hominin activity during the Pleistocene, based on extensive geomorphological and geological mapping, published chronometric results (40Ar/39Ar and K-Ar), and archaeological survey. We demonstrate that the onset of Pleistocene volcanism in the Gegham Range to the immediate east of the Hrazdan valley occurred around 700 ka BP, after which there were several phases of effusive eruption lasting until 200 Ka. Interbedded with lava emplaced by these eruptions are alluvial and lacustrine sequences, some with evidence of pedogenesis and several of which have yielded Palaeolithic artefacts. Taken together these sequences suggest a cyclical model of infill whereby lava flow along the valley resulted in the blockage of the palaeo-Hrazdan river and lake formation in the lea of the lava dams. Breaching of these dams resulted in a shift to predominately fluvial deposition, and the consequent development of floodplain soils. Hominin populations exploited the floodplains at times when the last of these phases coincided with interglacial and interstadial climates, but they also occupied the surrounding valley sides during the same warm, humid phases. Submission Files Included in this PDF File Name [File Type] Cover Letter_Pleistocene geomorphology and geology of the Hrazdan valley.pdf [Cover Letter] Reply to Reviewers 1 comments.pdf [Response to Reviewers] Reply to Reviewer 2 Comments.pdf [Response to Reviewers] Highlights_Pleistocene geomorphology and geology of the Hrazdan Valley.pdf [Highlights] Hrazdan QSR Final.pdf [Manuscript File] Hrazdan QSR conflict of interest.pdf [Conflict of Interest] To view all the submission files, including those not included in the PDF, click on the manuscript title on your EVISE Homepage, then click 'Download zip file'.
Archaeological Research in Asia, 2016
The southern Caucasus is home to a particularly rich record ofMiddle Paleolithic (MP) occupation.... more The southern Caucasus is home to a particularly rich record ofMiddle Paleolithic (MP) occupation. However, the potential contribution of the southern Caucasus to broader discussions of MP behavior and adaptations has remained largely unfulfilled because many key archaeological assemblages, deriving as they do from either surface scatters or sites that were excavated without the benefit of modern archaeological techniques, lack critical contextual information. What is more, the relatively small sample of sites where such data are available has been heavily biased towards caves and rockshelters. Here, we present a preliminary report on Bagratashen 1, an open-airMPsite stratifiedwithin an ancient terrace of the Debed River in northeastern Armenia.While no faunal material has yet been recovered, site formation analysis suggests that the lithic assemblage, although subjected to subaerial exposure and some degree of post-depositional alteration, is neither severely biased nor substantially reworked. The presence of numerous cores and primary flaking debris indicate that at least some reduction occurred on-site. It appears that a majority of the raw material was probably procured locally from the nearby river channel, although a handful of obsidian pieces reveal raw material movements on the order of 80 km. The Bagratashen 1 lithic assemblage also includes several elongated points that recall early MP artifacts from the Levant and other sites in the southern Caucasus that date to between 250 and 90 ka BP. Optically Stimulated Luminescence samples from within the find horizon, however, returned dates of ~34 ka BP. While a terminal MP date requires confirmation, Bagratashen 1 provides an interesting case with which to test the utility of formal lithic artifacts as chrono-cultural markers.
Paléorient, 2013
L'article livre le résultat d'une série de prospections (2003-2007), doublées le cas échéant de s... more L'article livre le résultat d'une série de prospections (2003-2007), doublées le cas échéant de sondages pour une zone d'Arménie jusqu'à présent quasi-inédite quant aux modalités de peuplement pléistocène. La région correspond à la haute vallée du Kasakh avec des sites s'étageant entre 1855 et 2302 m d'altitude entre différents édifi ces volcaniques. Malgré l'altitude, elle est remarquable par la présence de facteurs propices aux occupations pléistocènes : abondance d'une excellente matière première (obsidienne), structures d'accueil naturelles avec une géomorphologie favorable aux établissements humains, paléolacs et omniprésence de l'eau. Le paramètre biotique est hélas absent, de même que les données chronostratigraphiques, mais la densité de sites, leur originalité et la qualité des séries recueillies signent une discrète présence de l'Acheuléen s.l., mais surtout une ou plusieurs phases du Paléolithique moyen. Le Paléolithique supérieur est absent. Pour le Paléolithique moyen, les schémas de production sont largement dominés par les méthodes Levallois avec plusieurs modalités : unipolaire convergent-y compris à pointe-, laminaire, centripète, etc. L'outillage cadre assez bien avec le bilan connu pour le Paléolithique moyen du Sud Caucase et les rapprochements nous mènent vers des schémas comparatifs contemporains de phases clémentes de l'OIS 5, éventuellement de l'OIS 3.
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2015
The Armenian kites are the northernmost known kites in south-west Asia. In contrast to those in t... more The Armenian kites are the northernmost known kites in south-west Asia. In contrast to those in the deserts further south, their research has only recently begun. The Armenian kites are situated at high elevations, mostly between 900 and 1500 m above mean sea level, in steppic conditions where Artemisia is at present the dominant shrub on the landscape. In our ongoing project we excavated three V-shaped kites and one enclosure kite. The two kinds are similar in construction details, but they differ in size and location: the former run down into gullies, while the latter were placed on the plateau. Six OSL ages suggest terminal Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age construction dates, while geomorphological considerations and surface artefacts suggest earlier dates. A preliminary palynological study suggests a gradual increase in grazing-resistant vegetation since the mid-Holocene, probably reflecting human impact on the natural vegetation through the herding of grazing animals.
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The Excavation of a Small Church Adjacent to the Entrance of the National Park of Butrint, Albani... more The Excavation of a Small Church Adjacent to the Entrance of the National Park of Butrint, Albania (by Skënder Bushi) ……………………………………………………………13 The Harbour of Proconnesus in Greco-Roman and Early Byzantine Times: The Marble Trade, a Source of Financial and Cultural Development (by Alexandra Karagianni)….17 The Research Project 'Vegetable Resources During the Paleolithic' (by Biancamaria Aranguen)……………………………………………………………………………………………23 Travertinization and Holocene Morphogenesis in Armenia: A Reading Grid of Rapid Climatic Changes Impact on the Landscape and Societies Between 9500-4000 cal. BP in the Circumcaspian Regions? (by Vincent Ollivier et al.)………………………………..26 The Contribution of 3D Scanning and Virtual Modelling to the Reconstruction of the East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (by A. Patay-Horváth)………………..32 Excursion Report: Excursion to the Viking County of Vestfold: A Postscript (by Estella Weiss-Krejci)…………………………………………………………………………………..…....38 Conference Report: Fingerprinting the Iron Age-Approaches to identity in the European Iron Age. Integrating SouthEastern Europe into the Debate (by Staša Babić)…………………………………………………………………………………………………45
Résumé L'analyse des travertins caucasiens donne une grille de lecture de la variabilité envi... more Résumé L'analyse des travertins caucasiens donne une grille de lecture de la variabilité environ-nementale. Vers 12900 cal. B.P. (11000 cal. B.C.), les paysages connaissent le dévelop-pement des feux et une dynamique de remblaiements alluviaux. L'Holocène voit une hausse des taxons forestiers entre 9900-9400 cal. B.P. (7900-7400 cal. B.C.) suivit de zones humides travertineuses. Postérieurement à 9200-9000 cal. B.P. (7200-7000 cal. B.C.), la carbonatation s'interrompt, une puissante incision intervient et la forêt recule face au Changement climatique rapide 9000-8000 cal. B.P. (7000-6000 cal. B.C.). Vers 4000 cal. B.P. (2000 cal. B.C.), la travertinisation et une riche ripisylve réapparaissent. La comparaison des données permet de cerner l'ampleur des mutations paysagères liées au climat et à la tectonique et leur éventuel impact sur les sociétés holocènes.
Excavations in 2009 and 2010 at Aghitu–3 Cave in the Syunik Province of southern Armenia yield ne... more Excavations in 2009 and 2010 at Aghitu–3 Cave in the Syunik Province of southern Armenia yield new insights into the Upper Paleolithic settlement of the Armenian Highlands. The site is situated at an elevation of 1601 m in a side valley of the Vorotan River. The river cuts down through Pleistocene basalt flows and provides a corridor for the movement of people and game through the region. Sediments that accumulated in this basaltic cave are composed mainly of silt, clay minerals and volcanic ash. The archaeological layers preserve evidence of periodic human occupations dating to ca. 35–27 000 cal BP. Caves from the Upper Paleolithic were not previously known in Armenia, although contemporaneous sites exist in neighboring Georgia and Iran. The lithic industry at Aghitu–3 is laminar with a strong focus on the production of bladelets made of obsidian and chert. While completely backed pieces are rare, the majority of tools are represented by finely retouched bladelets. The choice of ra...
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Papers by Samvel Nahapetyan