Papers by Hasmik Simonyan
Interdisciplinary Research on the Antiquity of the Black Sea. Światowit Supplement Series C: Pontica et Caucasica. Volume II, 2021
Wydanie zawiera m.in. Materiały prezentowane na konferencji pt.: Pontica et Caucasica II. Interdi... more Wydanie zawiera m.in. Materiały prezentowane na konferencji pt.: Pontica et Caucasica II. Interdisciplinary research on the antiquity of the Black Sea, która odbyła się na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim w dniach 14-17.05.2019. Druk książki został sfinansowany przez Uniwersytet Warszawski w ramach "Programu Wsparcia Działalności Publikacyjnej Pracowników Uczelni" Prace wydawnicze były finansowane przez Wydział Archeologii UW oraz Instytut Polski w Tbilisi.
ARAMAZD: Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies
The archaeological site of Metsamor is situated in the southwestern part of Taronik village (form... more The archaeological site of Metsamor is situated in the southwestern part of Taronik village (formerly Zejva), 35km southwest of Yerevan, in the Ararat Valley. The coordinates of the site are 40°07′36″N 44°11′11″E. The convenient location, fertile soil and favourable climatic conditions allowed people to develop their activities in this territory from very ancient times.The site has, over time, developed around several volcanic hills. The left-bank tributaries of the Metsamor River originate at the artesian springs at the foot of those hills. The site is conventionally named after the river.
Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia)
Introduction. An attempt to divide, according to the territorial origin, a single data array made... more Introduction. An attempt to divide, according to the territorial origin, a single data array made up of the sizes of the skulls of the Iron Age series using multidimensional statistics has become the goal of this work. Materials and methods. Individual data on male skulls from the territory of the South Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) and the Steppe region of Eastern Europe (Srubnaya culture of the South Russian steppes, Moldavia and the Lower Don, the Saka of Turkmenistan) were used in the work. Materials from Armenia were measured by the author, data on other series were obtained from literary sources. The sample size was 187 individuals. Statistical data processing was carried out by the method of discriminant canonical analysis based on a common covariance matrix. The results of the analysis are presented graphically. Results and discussion. In the coordinate field of the first and second canonical variables, the skulls were distributed so that the polarization of the tw...
Fieldwork and Research, 2019
Archaeological exploration of the eastern part of the settlement in Metsamor in 2018 uncovered se... more Archaeological exploration of the eastern part of the settlement in Metsamor in 2018 uncovered several rectangular structures. Most of these structures were dated to the early Iron Ages I and II. Roman-period graves were recorded in the ruins of the Iron Age settlement. An anthropological assessment of human remains from three of the burials (sex, age, cranial and postcranial measurements as well as the selected paleopathologies) is presented in the appendix.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2020
OBJECTIVES To investigate the biological diversity of the late Bronze and Iron Age populations in... more OBJECTIVES To investigate the biological diversity of the late Bronze and Iron Age populations in the Armenian Highland by nonmetric cranial traits, evaluate the genetic continuity in the development of the modern Armenian gene pool, and compare the results obtained with genetic data. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-eight nonmetric cranial traits were scored on 498 adult crania from different late Bronze and Iron Age cemeteries, as well as from modern Armenians and other European populations. We carried out a biodistance analysis between populations using the mean measure of divergence (MMD) statistics, tested the spatial-temporal model of population structure, and assessed the diversity within the late Bronze and early Iron Ages by using the values of variability index (Fst). RESULTS The biodistance analysis revealed a close relationship among different ancient Armenian populations and between the average frequencies of the three sequential periods (late Bronze Age, early Iron Age I and II) and modern Armenians. A gradual increase of variability (Fst) within the three successive periods was observed. DISCUSSION The analysis of nonmetric trait data reflects deep roots and continuity in the formation of the Armenian population. Since at least the Late Bronze Age, owing to permanent isolation, no significant changes have occurred in the Armenian gene pool. An increase in variability over the successive periods reflects the process of population differentiation from a single gene pool while maintaining average trait frequencies. The congruence of the results obtained with the genetic data confirms, once more, the possibility of using nonmetric cranial traits as a proxy for genetic markers.
Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean, 2017
The Metsamor excavation project is a Polish–Armenian effort to investigate a Bronze Age citadel s... more The Metsamor excavation project is a Polish–Armenian effort to investigate a Bronze Age citadel site located about 35 km west of Yerevan, on a hill dominating the Ararat plain. Fieldwork started in 2013 and was aimed during the first three seasons at clarifying site chronology in the citadel as well as the northern lower town. An unbroken sequence from the Kura Araxes culture (Early Bronze Age) to medieval times was confirmed. Settlement remains of Early Iron Age buildings included an almost square structure NSB 2 and a dwelling NSB 1, furnished with a relatively large storage room. Four human skeletons, two of young men, were also recorded, suggesting they were victims of a raid on the settlement. The results of recent field observations coupled with pottery analysis postulate occurrence of two destructive events, first during the Urartian invasion led by Argishti I and the second one at the beginning of the 6th century BC.
HOMO, 2019
An excavation of a burial mound at Norabak site (Southeast Armenia) unearthed four burial chamber... more An excavation of a burial mound at Norabak site (Southeast Armenia) unearthed four burial chambers, the central one contained a single skeleton radiocarbon dated to about 1400-1200 BCE. The skeleton was observed to have a polyarticular erosive arthropathy, primarily affecting the spine, with diagnostic features of ankylosing spondylitis. The antiquity of ankylosing spondylitis is questioned in the literature, because there are few reliable and descriptive reports from prehistoric sites. Excellent preservation of the skeleton from Norabak made it possible to perform a detailed analysis of the pathologic changes and to support the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis in this 3000-years-old individual. Apart from the main pathology, the skeleton had a dens axis fracture of the C2 vertebra a few days before death, as well as a likely associated fracture of the C1 vertebra. This type of fracture has a high risk of displacement into the vertebral canal with severe neurological consequences. Thus, we were presented with an opportunity to reconstruct a possibly fatal event in the life of this individual. The described case provides further evidence that ankylosing spondylitis is a disease of fairly great antiquity.
Constructing Kurgans. Burial Mounds and Funerary Customs in the Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia During the Bronze and Iron Age, Studies on the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean (SANEM4), 2019
The Metsamor archeological site is located in the north-western part of the Ararat plain, on the ... more The Metsamor archeological site is located in the north-western part of the Ararat plain, on the left bank of the Metsamor river, 35 km west of Yerevan. The site consists of the Cyclopean fortress and lower town located on the Large Hill (Mets Blur), “the Observatory” area situated on several free-standing rocks (Pokr Blur) and a large cemetery that extends eastward. Although most of the archaeological remains are dated to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age I periods (15th-9th century B.C.), the stratigraphic sequence revealed in the fortress mound can be traced back to the mid-4th millennium B.C., while the latest structures were built in the 17th century A.D. The long-lasting excavations and subsequent studies carried out by the Armenian (E. Khanzadyan) and the Armenian-Polish (A. Piliposyan and K. Jakubiak) archaeological expeditions provided rich and unique information on the history and socio-cultural traditions of the southern Caucasus as well as its relationship with Anatolia and Mesopotamia during the second and frst millennia B.C. Two monographs, several feld reports and over a dozen articles constitute the results of these efforts. The second monograph, particularly important for this paper, is a study of 38 tombs (kurgans and cist graves with stone walls) in the Metsamor cemetery dated exclusively to the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) and the Late Bronze Age (LBA) periods. The
Iron Age tombs are only partially published – nine of the smaller cist graves were described in the frst volume, whereas only one kurgan (no. XI) was presented as a case study in an article. In all around sixty tombs were published by Khanzadyan, this being only fifty per cent of the total number of excavatedtombs - 119 smaller cist graves and 19 kurgans so far. Fortunately, it is possible to reconstruct unpublished graves and kurgans with their grave objects due to the fact that the bulk of the archaeological material unearthed inside the tombs as well as Khanzadyan’s unpublished archives (journals, photos, drawings etc.) are presently stored and exhibited in the historicalarchaeological museum reserve “Metsamor”. With these sources available, the accurate reconstruction of particular elements of burial traditions in Metsamor during the Bronze and Iron Age periods is facilitated.
Uploads
Papers by Hasmik Simonyan
Iron Age tombs are only partially published – nine of the smaller cist graves were described in the frst volume, whereas only one kurgan (no. XI) was presented as a case study in an article. In all around sixty tombs were published by Khanzadyan, this being only fifty per cent of the total number of excavatedtombs - 119 smaller cist graves and 19 kurgans so far. Fortunately, it is possible to reconstruct unpublished graves and kurgans with their grave objects due to the fact that the bulk of the archaeological material unearthed inside the tombs as well as Khanzadyan’s unpublished archives (journals, photos, drawings etc.) are presently stored and exhibited in the historicalarchaeological museum reserve “Metsamor”. With these sources available, the accurate reconstruction of particular elements of burial traditions in Metsamor during the Bronze and Iron Age periods is facilitated.
Iron Age tombs are only partially published – nine of the smaller cist graves were described in the frst volume, whereas only one kurgan (no. XI) was presented as a case study in an article. In all around sixty tombs were published by Khanzadyan, this being only fifty per cent of the total number of excavatedtombs - 119 smaller cist graves and 19 kurgans so far. Fortunately, it is possible to reconstruct unpublished graves and kurgans with their grave objects due to the fact that the bulk of the archaeological material unearthed inside the tombs as well as Khanzadyan’s unpublished archives (journals, photos, drawings etc.) are presently stored and exhibited in the historicalarchaeological museum reserve “Metsamor”. With these sources available, the accurate reconstruction of particular elements of burial traditions in Metsamor during the Bronze and Iron Age periods is facilitated.