Areni 1 cave

Name: Areni 1 cave
Monument type: Cave
Region: Vayots Dzor Province
Periods: Prehistoric

Name: Areni 1 cave

Other nomination: Bird cave

Monument type: Cave

Region: Vayots Dzor

Community: Areni

Residence: Areni

Location: It is located about 2 km from the village of Areni, in the rock on the left bank of the Arpa River, rising from the Yerevan-Meghri highway to Noravank.

Preservation: The upper layers of the western hall of the cave were destroyed while turning it into a restaurant. The cave has now been turned into a museum, with necessary maintenance and care.

Coordinates: N 40օ 17′ 71,4” E 044օ 16′ 65,0”

Altitude: 1085 m

Era and chronology: From the New Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages, VII millennium BC – XVIII century.

Areni 1 Cave: Unveiling Millennia of History in Stone

As you explore the ancient depths of Areni 1 cave, you’ll find yourself transported to a realm where time echoes through the very rocks and sediments, and a subterranean world rich with traces from ages past unfolds before you.

Here, amidst the cool, dimly lit chambers of this extraordinary cave, you’ll embark on a journey through history. It’s a place where the secrets of wine-making, the ancient lives of its inhabitants, and the enduring legacy of human civilization come to life.

Nestled amidst the stunning landscapes of Vayots Dzor, Armenia, the Areni 1 Cave, also affectionately known as the “Bird Cave,” is a living testament to the profound tapestry of human history that unfolds within its hallowed chambers. Situated a mere 2 kilometers from the village of Areni, this subterranean wonder beckons explorers to delve into its depths, offering echoes of bygone eras and ancient mysteries waiting to be unraveled.

The Areni 1 Cave’s chronological significance stretches across millennia, revealing its occupation from the New Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages, spanning a vast timeline from the 7th millennium BC to the 18th century AD. Within its crevices, it has retained the secrets of human existence through the ages.

This karst-type cave, composed of three vast halls, presents a unique landscape waiting to be explored. The first and second halls are interconnected by winding passages, each offering its own allure and distinctive features. The first hall, a space of considerable size, houses an intricate network of passageways and alcoves, many leading to concealed chambers affectionately referred to as “secret rooms.” In the present day, some entrances to these intriguing chambers have been blocked by the accumulation of sediment, preserving the mysteries contained within.

The cave’s total area encompasses more than 850 square meters, expanding into the adjacent square that stretches down to the banks of the Arpa River, enveloping approximately 0.8 hectares. The stratified remnants within the cave’s confines are nothing short of a treasure trove for archaeologists and historians, offering a vivid glimpse into the multifaceted lives of the cave’s inhabitants over the ages.

Of particular note are the astounding archaeological findings in the cave’s sediment, unveiling the final stages of the Eneolithic culture. These ancient treasures include earthen structures, wells of both economic and ritual significance, and most notably, an extraordinary wine production facility dating back to the early 4th millennium BC, unique in the annals of human history. This ancient winemaking estate remains unparalleled, echoing the echoes of ancient rituals and offering invaluable insight into the earliest winemaking techniques. The cave also holds a compendium of burial sites, underscoring the spiritual and cultural facets of life in these times.

The microclimate within the cave has been instrumental in preserving organic materials with unparalleled efficacy. Fabrics, leather, wood, bone, and metals found in the cave offer a comprehensive panorama of the ancient inhabitants’ agricultural practices, craftsmanship, and artistic expressions, as well as their spiritual beliefs and worldviews. The find of a complete leather shoe, estimated to date back to the mid-4th millennium BC, stands as a testament to the ingenuity of our ancestors.

In the Middle Ages, the cave continued to serve as a hub of human activity, housing remnants from the 4th to the 14th century. Fragments of fabrics, costumes, manuscript pieces, and even seed storage containers serve as echoes of a time long past.

While the upper layers of the western hall of the cave have borne the brunt of transformation, being converted into a restaurant, the majority of the cave has been diligently preserved. Today, it has been transformed into a museum, offering a window into the past, ensuring its continued care and maintenance.

FACTS

❈ The Areni 1 Cave, located in Vayots Dzor, Armenia, is a testament to human history spanning from the New Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages.

❈ The cave is composed of three vast halls, each with unique features, interconnected by winding passages and “secret rooms.”

❈ It covers more than 850 square meters and is a treasure trove for archaeologists and historians, offering insights into the lives of its inhabitants.

❈ Remarkable archaeological findings include an ancient wine production facility from the early 4th millennium BC, showcasing the earliest winemaking techniques.

❈ The cave preserves organic materials due to its microclimate, revealing insights into agricultural practices, craftsmanship, and spiritual beliefs.

❈ In the Middle Ages, the cave continued to be a hub of human activity with remnants dating from the 4th to the 14th century.

❈ While part of the cave has been converted into a restaurant, the majority has been preserved and transformed into a museum, offering a window into the past and ensuring its maintenance.

🔍 Research history

The monument excavations and complex studies of the materials and data started in 2007 and continued until 2014. The excavations were carried out by the joint expeditions of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia and the University of Cork (Ireland), the Kotsen Institute of Archeology of the University of California (US) and other scientific institutions (University of Connecticut, University of Haifa, etc.).

🧱 Archaeological description

It is a karst type of cave, consisting of three halls: two of them – the first and the second – are connected to each other by passages. The first hall has various passageways or alcoves (“secret rooms”) that open into different parts of the hall. Nowadays their main entrances are blocked by sediments. There are also alcoves or so-called “basement” and “upper” floors opening downwards and upwards from the level of the first hall.
The total area under the roof of the cave is more than 850 square meters and along with the adjacent square reaching the Arpa River and going down the slope, about 0.8 hectares. The excavations show that the cave was used from the Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages. Unprecedented data and materials have been documented in the sediments related to the final stages of the Eneolithic culture. This layer, dating from the last quarter of the V millennium BC to the middle of the IV millennium, is represented by earthen structures and wells with production-economic and ritual significance. Among the clay structures, the one documented inside the first hall of the cave stands out: the wine production estate dating back to the first quarter of the IV millennium, has no parallels in the world yet and is considered the oldest. It is accompanied by unique complexes of burial and ritual significance. In general, due to the special microclimate of the cave, materials of organic origin are very well preserved here. As a result, the study of fabrics, leather, wood, bone, metal objects, as well as archaeobotanical and anthropological remains found in the monument creates an opportunity to fully reconstruct the agricultural and production-domestic and other economic activities of the ancient inhabitants of the cave, craft and art, as well as ritual ideas and worldview details. Among the mentioned items, the one discovered from the first Eneolithic horizon is the oldest in the world considered a complete leather shoe dating back to the middle of the IV millennium BC.
The cave was also used in the Middle Ages. IV-XIV century fabric remnants, costume fragments, manuscript fragments, seed storage, etc. were found from here.

🌍 Significance

It is of republican significance.

📚 Sources

Areshyan G.E., Gasparyan B., Avetisyan P.S, Pinhasi R., Wilkinson K., Smith A., Hovsepyan R., Zardaryan D., The Chalcolithic of Near East and the South-Eastern Europe: Discoveries and New Perspectives from the Cave Complex Areni-1, Armenia. – Antiquity, 86, 2012, pp. 115-130.
Wilkinson K., Gasparyan B., Pinhasi R., Avetisyan P., Hovsepyan R., Zardaryan D., Areshian G.E., Bar-Oz G., Smith A., Areni-1 Cave, Armenia: A Chalcolithic – Early Bronze Age Settlement and Ritual Site in the Southern Caucasus. – Journal of Field Archaeology, vol. 37, No. 1, 2012, pp. 20-33.
Barnard H., Dooley A.N., Areshyan G., Gasparyan B., Faull K.F., Chemical Evidence for Wine Production Around 4000 BCE in the Late Chalcolithic Near Eastern Highlands. – Journal of Archaeological Science, 38, 2011, pp. 977-984․
Pinhasi R., Gasparian B., Aresyan G., Zardaryan D., Smith A., Bar-Oz G., Higham T., First Direct Evidence of Chalcolithic Footwear from the Near Eastern Highlands. –
Plos ONE, JUNE 2010, vol 5, Issue 6: e10984. doi: 10.137
Areshyan G.E., Neolithic and Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic) periods in Armenia. – “Archaeological Heritage of Armenia”, Editor H. Simonyan, “Hushardzan”
Publishing House, Yerevan, 2012, pp. 8-12․
Areshyan G.E., Neolithic and Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic) periods in Armenia. – “Archaeological Heritage of Armenia”, Editor H. Simonyan, “Hushardzan” Publishers,
Yerevan, 2013, pp. 18-23.

List of monuments
Vayots Dzor: state indicator.