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  • Armenians Bury Their History

    Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency, Iran
    Oct 2 2005

    Armenians Bury Their History
    Scientists say Syunik region sites are being destroyed, instead of
    preserved.

    ArmeniaNow, 2 October 2005 -- A joint Armenian-American-British
    archeological expedition has found another example of the destruction
    of ancient Armenian monuments. This time, though, it is neither in
    Georgia nor in Azerbaijan (where monuments and churches have been
    destroyed), but in the Syunik marz of Armenia.

    In the village of Shaghat, 22 kilometers from the town of Sisian, the
    archeologists from the Institute for Archeology and Ethnography of
    the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, University of Michigan
    and the Sheffield University in England discovered a rich
    archeological material while at a test excavation in 2004. The
    detailed examination of the finding was planned for 2005.

    But when the expedition returned to the village it found the 1
    hectare territory totally ruined by bulldozers.

    `The smallest piece of clay or stone of archeological interest is
    very important to us, so can you imagine what it means turning a
    hectare of territory upside down,' says archeologist, Professor Susan
    Alcock, regretfully pointing out to the pieces of decorated vase of
    Bronze Age that has narrowly escaped the bulldozer.

    Numerous monuments with cultural layers typical of different ages
    were found during the excavations on a territory of approximately 5
    square kilometers in Shaghat and neighboring Balak.

    `We are especially interested in the discovered settlements of Middle
    Bronze Age,' says senior scientist Mkrtych Zardaryan from the
    Institute for Archeology and Ethnography of the NAS. `There are many
    tombs that have been preserved from those times, but this is the only
    settlement until now discovered in the Middle East,'

    But rather than a fertile ground from which scientists might
    embellish history of the region, the site is being turned into a
    cemetery.

    Shaghat village head Hovik Mkhitaryan turned the tractors loose on
    the property to clear it for a graveyard, because the land in
    shifting in the village's old one. (Some charge, too, that the sudden
    interest in creating a new cemetery comes suspiciously close to
    election time, when the village head might need to curry favor among
    voters.)

    `I addressed the government for allotting land under the new
    cemetery. I have not done anything illegal. Moreover, I have suffered
    damages myself - who should pay for the fuel for my car?' says
    Mkhitaryan.

    According to Mkhitaryan he has proper permission by the government of
    RA. But the map, reduced several times on the submitted document,
    does not show the ruined territory at all.

    According to Hrahat Hakobjanyan, representative of the Syunik
    regional Service for Preservation of Historical Monuments, the
    Shaghat case happened due to a lack of proper mapping of monuments.

    Karen Tunyan, head of the Sisian regional branch of State Cadastre
    said new maps have been received only two weeks ago including
    `territories under state protection' highlighted with green.

    `But the lack of indication on the map also has no justification, for
    the head of the village is responsible for being aware of each stone
    in his community; besides the head of the village himself used to dig
    here and there with a spade in his hand in search of treasures, like
    all the rest of the village. That is to say, they knew clearly there
    were old settlements in the territory,' says Hakobjanyan.

    Syunik has long been known as a region rich in ancient historical
    remains, including a citadels settlement from the time of
    fifth-century Prince Andovk Syuni.

    `The northern slope and the foot of Shaghat are constantly destroyed
    by the residents; time after time people decide to find the treasures
    of Prince Andovk Syuni. People must understand that these old
    settlements and the castle are more precious than the imaginary
    treasures,' says Mkrtych Zardaryan.

    According to him the Shaghat case is one among hundreds.

    An Armenian-French archeological expedition making excavations in the
    Inner Godedzor ancient settlement in the village of Angeghakot 13
    kilometers from Sisian also has problems since part of the ancient
    settlement territory is a stone mining area.

    `We learnt about the ancient settlement in 2003 when the cultural
    layers were destroyed during mining. Fortunately, our expedition was
    working in the neighborhood. The test excavations showed that we deal
    with an interesting settlement of late Copper and Stone Age,' says
    senior scientist of the Institute for Archeology and Ethnography of
    the RA NAS Pavel Avetisyan.

    Archeologists from the Maison de l'Orient at Lyon University and the
    Institute for Archeology and Ethnography of the RA NAS found ceramics
    belonging to the Obeyid culture of the 5th millennium here.

    According to Avetisyan the close ties between historic Armenia and
    Mesopotamia and Syria are proved for the first time by material
    facts, although it has been mentioned in historical documents for
    many times.

    The upper layer of the ancient settlement has disclosed for the first
    a settlement of late Eneolithic era that has served as grounds for
    the creation and the development of Kura-Arax culture in these
    territories.

    `The Kura-Arax culture is a huge cultural phenomenon of early Bronze
    Age of 4-3 millennia BC typical to northern and sout Caucasus. Until
    today its origins and hotbed of formation were not found,' says
    Avetisyan.

    Archeologists are concerned that these and other important archeology
    sites are being carelessly destroyed.

    `We have appealed to all proper bodies, the case is in the marz
    prosecutor's office, but the stone mine works day and night,' says
    Avetisyan. `This is a state crime before everybody's eyes."

    Michigan University professor John Cherry who has worked in Greece,
    Turkey, Italy and other countries, says it is too bad that the
    Armenians show such disregard for the riches of their own past.

    `As far as I know, they try to develop the tourism industry here and
    such monuments are the best means to do that. Syunik is almost not
    studied and is very rich in historical monuments,' Cherry says. `If
    it continues this way many ancient settlements may be destroyed
    without being studied.'

    http://www.chn.ir/en/news/?id=5730&section=2
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