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 Fortunately, it is possible to reconstruct unpublished graves and kurgans with their grave objects due to the fact that the bulk of the archaeological material unearthed inside the tombs as well as Khanzadyan’s unpublished archives (journals, photos, drawings etc.)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.
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Papers by Mateusz Iskra
data for defining the patterns of household activities and refuse disposal as well as their changes trough the time. In
case of Metsamor presented research was focused on distribution and deposition of pottery during four main habitation
phases of the lower town dated between 10th and 5th centuries BC. The results of analysis of pottery assemblages found on
floor surfaces, inside shallow pits or backfilling layers indicating secondary deposition of Bronze Age pottery during the
building activity dated to Iron III period, gradual abandonment of Iron II structures as well as existence of “intramural
dumps” in abandoned part of still occupied buildings.
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.
data for defining the patterns of household activities and refuse disposal as well as their changes trough the time. In
case of Metsamor presented research was focused on distribution and deposition of pottery during four main habitation
phases of the lower town dated between 10th and 5th centuries BC. The results of analysis of pottery assemblages found on
floor surfaces, inside shallow pits or backfilling layers indicating secondary deposition of Bronze Age pottery during the
building activity dated to Iron III period, gradual abandonment of Iron II structures as well as existence of “intramural
dumps” in abandoned part of still occupied buildings.
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.