‘Looking for the tombs of dragons’: preliminary results of archaeo-geochemical prospecting studies at Tirinkatar - Karmir Sar area, southern slopes of Mt Aragats, Armenia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32028/ajnes.v14i1-2.970Keywords:
Aragats, Tirinkatar, Karmir Sar, vishap, archaeo-geochemical prospecting, interdisciplinary studies, geochemical anomaly of phosphorusAbstract
An interdisciplinary archaeogeochemical research on vishaps (stone stelae also known as dragon stones) has been carried out for the first time in Armenia. The survey area is situated in the neighborhood of Tirinkatar and Karmir Sar volcanoes on southern slopes of Mt. Aragats. The geochemical prospecting studies have been realised on a high mountain meadow (2850 m asl) with 12 vishaps and numerous circular stone structures known as cromlechs. Five cromlechs excavated until now did not yield any human remains and the main aim of the geochemical prospection was to check whether other cromlechs detected by archaeological surface survey and by ground-penetrating radar contained burials. The geochemical haloes of some chemical elements indicate their anthropogenic character and a very high probability that some of the cromlechs were tombs.
References
Аmaryan, V.М. 1972. Geologičeskaja karta Aragackogo vulkaničeskogo masiva Armjanskoj SSR. Masštab 1:50 000. Otchet N 01271, Geol. Fondy RA (Geological Map of the Aragats Volcanic Massif of the Armenian SSR, Scale 1:50 000, Report N 01271, Geological Archives of Republic of Armenia). Yerevan (in Russian).
Аslanyan, А.T. 1950. Novye dannye o proisxoždenii masiva g. Aragac (New Data on the Origin of the Massif of the mt. Aragats). Doklady Akademii nauk Armjanskoj SSR (Reports of Academy of Sciences of Armenian SSR) 12/1: 119-123 (in Russian).
Аslanyan, А.Т. 1956. O centrax izverženij novejšix tufov Armjanskogo nagor’ja (Toward the Eruption Centres of the Latest Tuffs of the Armenian Highland). Sbornik naučnyx trudov ErPI (Collection of Scientific Works of Yerevan Politechnical Institute) 13: 3-10 (in Russian).
Batmaz, A., Bedianashvili, G., Michalewicz, A., Robinson, A. (eds) 2018. Context and Connection: Essays on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in Honour of Antonio Sagona (OLA 268). Leuven - Paris - Bristol.
Bobokhyan, A., Gilibert, A., Hnila, P. 2018, Karmir Sar: New Evidence on Dragon Stones and Ritual Landscapes on Mount Aragats, Armenia, in: Batmaz et al. 2018: 255-270.
Cook, S.R., Clarke, A.S., Fulford, M.G. 2005. Soil Geochemistry and Detection of Early Roman Precious Metal and Copper Alloy Working at the Roman Town of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester, Hampshire, UK). JAS 32/5, 805-812.
Gilibert, A., Bobokhyan, A., Hnila, P. 2012. Dragon Stones in Context: The Discovery of High-Altitude Burial Grounds with Sculpted Stelae in the Armenian Mountains. MDOG 144: 93-132.
Grigorian, S.V. 1992. Rudničnaya geoximija (Mineral Geochemistry). Moscow (in Russian).
Hovhannisyan, A.E., Bobokhyan, A.A., Arakelyan, D.G., Avetisyan, A.L., Harutyunyan, M.A., Siradeghyan, V.V. 2020a. Preliminary Results of Revealing and Estimation Works of Buried Archaeological Sites of Artanish Peninsula by Means of Geochemical Methods (in press).
Hovhannisyan, A., Bobokhyan, A., Arakelyan, D., Harutyunyan, M., Siradeghyan, V., Hnila, P., Gilibert, A. 2020b. Dragons under Microscope: Determination and Identification of the Geological Sources of Vishap Stone Stelae (in press).
Hovhannisyan, A.E., Hovakimyan, S.E., Harutyunyan, M.A., Siradeghyan, V.V., Harutyunyan, L.V. 2017. Ocenka zolotonosnostilitogeoximičeskix anomalij rudnogo polja Dastakert-2 (Assesment of the Gold-bearing Lithogeochemical Anomalies of the Ore Field Dastakert-2. Izvestija Akademii nauk RA: Nauki o Zemle (Proceedings of the National Academy of RA: Earth Sciences) 70/2: 3-12 (in Russian).
Lichkov, B.L. 1931. K xarakteristike geomorfologii i stratigrafii Alageza, ch. I, Trudy Soveta po izučeniju proizvodstvennyx sil (Serija Zakavkaz’e 3) /(On the Characteristic of Geomorphology and Stratigraphy of Alagez, pt. I. Works of Commission towards Investigation of Productive Forces (Transcaucasian Series 3)/). Moscow (in Russian).
Mann, A.W., Birrell, R.D., Fedikow, M., Hugh de Souza, H. 2005. Vertical Ionic Migration: Mechanisms, Soil Anomalies, and Sampling Depth for Mineral Exploration. Geochemistry Exploration Environment Analysis 5/3: 201-210.
Meliksetian, Kh.B. 2012. Geoximija vulkaničeskix serij Aragacskoj oblasti (Geochemistry of Volcanic Series of Aragats Region). Izvestija Akademii nauk RA: Nauki o Zemle (Proceedings of Academy of Sciences of Armenian SSR: Earth Sciences) 65/3: 34-59 (in Russian).
Oonk Stijn, A., Cappellini, E., Collins, M.C. 2012. Soil Proteomics: An Assessment of Its Potential for Archaeological Site Interpret. Organic Geochemistry 50: 57-67.
Solovov, A.P., Arkhipov, A.J., Bugrov, V.A., Vorobev, S.A., Gershman, D.M., Grigorian, S.V., Kvyatkovskij, E.M., Matveev, A.A., Milyaev, S.A., Nikolaev, V.A., Perelman, A.I., Shvarov, Ju.V., Jufa, B.Y., Yaroshevskij, A.A. 1990. Spravočnik po geoximičeskim poiskam poleznix iskopaemix (Handbook of Geochemical Prospecting for Mineral Deposits). Moscow (in Russian).
Sylvester, G.C., Mann, A.W., Cook, Rate, A.W., Wilson, C.A. 2017. MMI Partial Extraction Geochemistry for the Resolution of Anthropogenic Activities across the Archaeological Roman Town of Calleva Atrebatum. Geochemistry Exploration Environment Analysis 18/1: 58-74.
Von der Osten, H., Hnila, P., Gilibert, A., Bobokhyan, A. 2018. Integrated Archaeo-Geophysical Survey on Volcanic Terrain: The Case of Karmir Sar on Mount Aragats (Republic of Armenia). TÜBA-AR Special Issue: 197-206.
Zavaritskiy, А.N. 1944. Nekotorye čerty četvertičnogo vulkanizma Armenii (Some Features of the Quaternary Volcanism of Armenia). Izvestija AN Arm. SSR: Estestvennye Nauki (Proceedings of Academy of Sciences of Armenian SSR: Natural Sciences) 5-6: 73-90 (in Russian).
Zavaritskiy, А.N. 1947. Ignimbriti Armenii (Ignimbrites of Armenia). Izvvestija AN SSSR: Geologičeskie i geografičeskie nauki (Proceedings of Academy of Sciences of Armenian SSR: Geological and Geographical Sciences) 3: 3-18 (in Russian).