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The Rock Art of the Mt. Aragats System

  • ️https://sci.academia.edu/AnnaKhechoyan

2007, XXII International Valcamonica Symposium Rock art in the frame of the Cultural Heritage of Humankind L’arte rupestre nel quadro del Patrimonio Culturale dell’Umanità,Centro Congressi - Darfo Boario Terme (Bs) ITALY 18th - 24th May

Abstract The majority of known rock art in Armenia consists of engravings, which are widely distributed along the slopes of volcanic mountain systems. Main concentrations of engravings can be found on the peaks and the slopes of the Aragats,Gegham, Vardenis, Djermouk and the Syunik mountains. In this paper we are introducing the results of the studies of rock art at Aragats volcano complex.Until 2002 there was no exact documentation of rock art, especially concerning rock paintings in Armenia. Recent scientific studies and surveys were carried out by the Armenian-French joint archeological mission, together with the Institute of Archaeology of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences and Maison d’ Orient (France), as well as the Armenian branch of the Gfoeller Foundation of USA (project directors Boris Gasparian and Christine Chataigner). As a result a series of open-air rock engravings were discovered at Voskehat, Aghavnatun, Lernamerdz, Amberd, Vardenut etc. on the Western and Southern slopes of Mount Aragats, as well as a shelter with new rock paintings in the canyon of the Kasakh River. Riassunto La maggior parte dell’arte rupestre armena è costituita d’incisioni situate lungo i pendii delle catene montuose vulcaniche. Il maggior numero d’incisioni si trova sulle sommità e sui pendii dell’ Aragats, del Gegham, del Vardenis, del Djermouk e del Syunik. Nell’articolo abbiamo inserito i risultati tratti dallo studio dell’arte rupestre del complesso vulcanico dell’Aragat. Sino al 2002 non vi era un’esatta documentazione, specialmente relativa alle pitture rupestri armene. Recenti studi ed indagini scientifiche sono state condotte dalla missione archeologica franco-armena con la collaborazione dell’Istituto di Archeologia dell’Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze Armena, la Maison d’ Orient (Francia) e dalla sezione Armena della statunitense Gfoeller Foundation (direttori del progetto Boris Gasparian e Christine Chataigner). Durante la missione sono state scoperte una serie d’incisioni rupestri en plain air sui monti Voskehat, Aghavnatun, Lernamerdz, Amberd, Vardenut etc., sui pendii occidentali e meridionali del monte Aragats,insieme ad una serie di ripari sottoroccia con delle nuove pitture rupestri nel canyon del fiume Kasakh.