Boris Gasparyan
Biographic Data
| ID | 82090 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Boris Gasparyan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Boris |
| FAMILY NAME | Gasparyan |
| SIGNATURE | GASPARYAN B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography |
| ORCID | 0009-0004-9118-9175 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 49 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 420 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 49 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
An Early Bronze Age, Orontid and High Medieval site in the Arpa River Basin: Preliminary report on the first three seasons (2017–2019) of excavations at Mokhrot-1, Vayots Dzor, Armenia
Small Tools, Big Moves: Navigating the Upper Paleolithic Landscape of Armenia with New Data from Solak-1
Controlling the north. The Bandivan fortress, a protohistoric (Kura-Araxes), Urartian, Orontid and medieval site in the Amasia Depression, Shirak Region, Armenia
This article is dedicated to presenting to the scientific community a significant new fortified complex located in the Amasia Depression, in the Shirak Region of modern Armenia. The site, locally referred to as the “Bandivan fortress,” is situated near the contemporary village of Bandivan, on an extensive plateau naturally protected by valleys carved by the courses of two rivers. The site showcases remarkable architectural evidence that can be cl…
The shape of technology to come: An examination of evolutionary relationships between bifacial and core technologies at the Lower-Middle Palaeolithic boundary across regions in Eurasia
A high-resolution paleoenvironmental record based on phytoliths from the Armenian Highlands: The Upper Paleolithic of Aghitu-3 Cave
Snakes and Ladders: A technological approach to tool maintenance byproducts using module flake categories
The study of retouching, reshaping, and rejuvenation in lithic technology has traditionally focused on finished tools, overlooking the byproducts of these processes, particularly microdebitage. This emphasis has led to an incomplete understanding of the dynamic behaviours associated with tool maintenance and a lack of crucial information about prehistoric technological strategies. In this study, we address this knowledge gap. Specifically, we int…
Contextualizing the Upper Paleolithic of the Armenian Highlands: New data from Solak-1, central Armenia
Defending the Vedi River Valley of Armenia: The Fortification and Refortification of a Flatland-Mountain Interface
The mountainous topography of the Armenian Highlands and the South Caucasus accentuates the importance of valleys as areas of habitation and as conduits among these interspersed settlement areas. The Vedi River Valley of Armenia, located along the southeastern edge of the Ararat Plateau (Plain), serves as one such important transportation route in and through these highland areas. At the center of the mouth of this valley sits the prominent Vedi …
The environmental and cultural background for the reoccupation of the Armenian Highlands after the Last Glacial Maximum: The contribution of Kalavan 6
The geoarchaeology, chronology and environment of Lusakert-1, a Late Middle Palaeolithic rockshelter (Kotayk Province, Armenia)
Lusakert-1 (LKT-1) is a key site in any discussion of the Palaeolithic of the Armenian Highlands. This is in large part because of a long-running campaign of excavation in the 1970–1980s which recovered an obsidian artefact assemblage that was then interpreted as spanning the Lower–Upper Palaeolithic. Our reinvestigation in 2008–2012 revealed evidence of occupation in the interior of the LKT-1 rockshelter comprising spreads of ash, obsidian artef…
Palaeoenvironmental and chronological context of hominin occupations of the Armenian Highlands during MIS 3: Evidence from Ararat-1 cave
Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence from the Armenian Highlands and wider southern Caucasus region emphasises the significance of Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 (c. 57–29 ka) as a crucial period for understanding hominin behaviours amidst environmental fluctuations. Ararat-1 cave, situated in the Ararat Depression, Republic of Armenia, presents potential for resolving emerging key debates regarding hominin land use adaptations during t…
Beyond European boundaries: Neanderthals in the Armenian Highlands and the Caucasus
Recent investigations on the Early Bronze Age sites in the Marmarik River Valley as part of the Kotayk Survey Project
Since 2013 an Armenian - Italian archaeological mission has been working in the Kotayk Province in Armenia with multiple purposes. One of these is the systematic investigation of the valley of the River Marmarik, the main tributary of the River Hrazdan, which is the main watercourse in the Central Armenia. The Marmarik valley is an area of great interest, both for its geographical characteristics and for the archaeological remains that have been …
Sedimentary ancient DNA metabarcoding as a tool for assessing prehistoric plant use at the Upper Paleolithic cave site Aghitu-3, Armenia
Current knowledge about Paleolithic human plant use is limited by the rare survival of identifiable plant remains as well as the availability of methods for plant detection and identification. By analyzing DNA preserved in cave sediments, we can identify organisms in the absence of any visible remains, opening up new ways to study details of past human behavior, including plant use. Aghitu-3 Cave contains a 15,000-yearlong record (from ∼39,000 to…
Evidence for Middle Palaeolithic occupation and landscape change in central Armenia at the open-air site of Alapars-1
Here we report the findings from excavations at the open-air Middle Palaeolithic site of Alapars-1 in central Armenia. Three stratified Palaeolithic artefact assemblages were found within a 6-m-thick alluvial-aeolian sequence, located on the flanks of an obsidian-bearing lava dome. Combined sedimentological and chronological analyses reveal three phases of sedimentation and soil development. During Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages 5–3, the manner of …
Foregrounding Daily Data Collection on Archaeological Fieldwork
Overview Daily data collection during archaeological fieldwork forms the basis for later interpretation and analysis. Across the world, we observe a wide variety of digital data collection methods and tools employed during fieldwork. Here, we detail the daily practices at four recent survey and excavation projects in the South Caucasian country of Armenia. As archaeology continues to become ever more digital, it is useful to consider these day-to…
Geochemical changes in obsidian outcrops with elevation at Hatis volcano (Armenia) and corresponding Lower Palaeolithic artifacts from Nor Geghi 1
The Techno-typological and 3D-GM Analysis of Hatis-1: A Late Acheulian Open-Air Site on the Hrazdan-Kotayk Plateau, Armenia
A Monumental Horse Burial in the Armenian Highlands
Here we report on the unprecedented discovery of the complete skeleton of a ritually interred adult stallion with a bronze ring in its mouth. The horse was buried in a unique 15-meters diameter monumental stone-built tomb excavated in the Aghavnatun necropolis located on the southern slopes of Mt. Aragats, in the northern fringes of the Ararat Depression, Republic of Armenia. The tumulus was roughly circular; the horse’s remains were found in sit…
An Early Bronze Age Hoard of Bronze Tools from Dvin, Central Armenia
We describe a hoard found in 2018 on a hilltop near the village of Dvin, Armenia, and comprising seven daggers and six adzes. Similar pickaxes and adzes were found in caches at Dzhrashen, Yerevan, and at Nahal-Mishmar, Israel. A peculiar feature of the Dvin adzes is that their blades are sharply rounded, resembling those of the Bronze Age battle axes. All the Dvin daggers belong to a single type, similar to tangless daggers of the Maikop culture,…
Study of the Stone Age in the Republic of Armenia (Part 1 – Lower Palaeolithic)
The area encompassing the modern Republic of Armenia lies within the Armenian highlands and is situated at the very core of a dynamic corridor between Africa and Eurasia. As such, Armenia proves critical for understanding the initial stages of human settlement and the formation of ancient civilisations in the Near East and beyond. Stone Age artefacts have been known to exist within the territory of Armenia since the end of the 19th century, and t…
The Vayots Dzor Project (VDP): A preliminary overview of the first three years’ activities (2016-2018)
The Vayots Dzor Project (VDP) is an Armenian-Italian archaeological research project involving both survey and excavation activities, conducted in accordance with an agreement between IAE NAS RA (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography NAS RA) and ISMEO-International Association of Mediterranean and Oriental Studies, co-funded by IAE NAS RA, Gfoeller Renaissance Foundation of USA, ISMEO and MAECI (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Internat…
Economic and symbolic role of animals during the Late Chalcolithic period of Areni-1 Cave, Armenia
Middle Pleistocene Cave Bear Genome Calibrates the Evolutionary History of Palaearctic Bears
Comparing lower and middle Palaeolithic lithic procurement behaviors within the Hrazdan basin of central Armenia
The earliest evidence for Upper Paleolithic occupation in the Armenian Highlands at Aghitu-3 Cave
Chemical evidence for wine production around 4000 BCE in the Late Chalcolithic Near Eastern highlands
Middle Palaeolithic toolstone procurement behaviors at Lusakert Cave 1, Hrazdan valley, Armenia
The Upper Palaeolithic site of Kalavan 1 (Armenia): An Epigravettian settlement in the Lesser Caucasus
The altitudinal mobility of wild sheep at the Epigravettian site of Kalavan 1 (Lesser Caucasus, Armenia): Evidence from a sequential isotopic analysis in tooth enamel
Ten seconds in the field: Rapid Armenian obsidian sourcing with portable XRF to inform excavations and surveys
Kalavan-2 (North of Lake Sevan, Armenia): A New Late Middle Paleolithic Site in the Lesser Caucasus
International audience
Upper Palaeolithic Settlement and Mobility in the Armenian Highlands: Agent-Based Modeling, Obsidian Sourcing, and Lithic Analysis at Aghitu-3 Cave
Late Middle Paleolithic Technological Organization and Behavior at the Open-Air Site of Barozh 12 (Armenia)
Sourcing geochemically identical obsidian: Multiscalar magnetic variations in the Gutansar volcanic complex and implications for Palaeolithic research in Armenia
Angeghakot 1 (Armenia) and the identification of the Mousterian cultural facies of « Yerevan points » type in the Southern Caucasus
Au Caucase, dans la vallée du Vorotan (sud-est de l’Arménie), la découverte en 2003 par une équipe pluridisciplinaire arméno-française d’un gisement situé à 1 800 m d’altitude dans la commune d’Angeghakot, atteste la fréquentation de la région par des groupes de chasseurs-cueilleurs au Paléolithique moyen. L’industrie lithique, élaborée principalement sur l’obsidienne et récoltée en surface, a permis d’identifier le faciès moustérien typique du «…
Palaeoenvironmental and chronological context of hominin occupations of the Armenian Highlands during MIS 3: Evidence from Ararat-1 cave
Archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence from the Armenian Highlands and wider southern Caucasus region emphasises the significance of Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 (c. 57–29 ka) as a crucial period for understanding hominin behaviours amidst environmental fluctuations. Ararat-1 cave, situated in the Ararat Depression, Republic of Armenia, presents potential for resolving emerging key debates regarding hominin land use adaptations during t…
Ptghni: A new obsidian source in the Hrazdan River basin, Armenia
The limits and potential of paleogenomic techniques for reconstructing grapevine domestication
Upper Paleolithic animal exploitation in the Armenian Highlands: The zooarchaeology of Aghitu-3 Cave
Comparing lower and middle Palaeolithic lithic procurement behaviors within the Hrazdan basin of central Armenia
Geochemical changes in obsidian outcrops with elevation at Hatis volcano (Armenia) and corresponding Lower Palaeolithic artifacts from Nor Geghi 1
New insights into desert kites in Armenia: The fringes of the Ararat Depression
The Armenian kites are the northernmost known kites in south‐west Asia. In contrast to those in the deserts further south, their research has only recently begun. The Armenian kites are situated at high elevations, mostly between 900 and 1500 m above mean sea level, in steppic conditions where Artemisia is at present the dominant shrub on the landscape. In our ongoing project we excavated three V‐shaped kites and one enclosure kite. The two kinds…
The geoarchaeology, chronology and environment of Lusakert-1, a Late Middle Palaeolithic rockshelter (Kotayk Province, Armenia)
Lusakert-1 (LKT-1) is a key site in any discussion of the Palaeolithic of the Armenian Highlands. This is in large part because of a long-running campaign of excavation in the 1970–1980s which recovered an obsidian artefact assemblage that was then interpreted as spanning the Lower–Upper Palaeolithic. Our reinvestigation in 2008–2012 revealed evidence of occupation in the interior of the LKT-1 rockshelter comprising spreads of ash, obsidian artef…
Lithic raw material units based on magnetic properties: A blind test with Armenian obsidian and application to the Middle Palaeolithic site of Lusakert Cave 1
Le Paléolithique moyen de la haute vallée du Kasakh (Arménie): Caractérisation Technologique Et Peuplement De Montagne
ENG: Southern Caucasus ; Armenian highlands ; Middle Palaeolithic ; Open-air sites ; Obsidian procurement ; Settlement patterns
Contextualizing the Upper Paleolithic of the Armenian Highlands: New data from Solak-1, central Armenia
Dog molars as personal ornaments in a Kura-Araxes child burial (Kalavan-1, Armenia)
The Techno-typological and 3D-GM Analysis of Hatis-1: A Late Acheulian Open-Air Site on the Hrazdan-Kotayk Plateau, Armenia
The chalcolithic of the Near East and south-eastern Europe: Discoveries and new perspectives from the cave complex Areni-1, Armenia
The archaeological exploration of a cave in the southern Caucasus revealed evidence for early social complexity, ritual burial and wine-making in the early fourth millennium. The marvellous preservation of wood, leather and plants offers a valuable contrast to the poorer assemblages on contemporary tell sites. The authors make the case that the Areni-1 cave complex indicates connections between the urbanisation of early Mesopotamia and the Maikop…
Angeghakot 1 (Armenia) and the identification of the Mousterian cultural facies of « Yerevan points » type in the Southern Caucasus
Au Caucase, dans la vallée du Vorotan (sud-est de l’Arménie), la découverte en 2003 par une équipe pluridisciplinaire arméno-française d’un gisement situé à 1 800 m d’altitude dans la commune d’Angeghakot, atteste la fréquentation de la région par des groupes de chasseurs-cueilleurs au Paléolithique moyen. L’industrie lithique, élaborée principalement sur l’obsidienne et récoltée en surface, a permis d’identifier le faciès moustérien typique du «…
Alt Paleoli̇ti̇k Çağ'da Ermeni̇stan'da Doğal Çevre Ve Hammadde Kaynaklarindan Yararlanma
This article is a preliminary attempt to explain the settlement of Armenia in the Lower Palaeolithic period, and to estimate the factors that played a decisive role in the 'exploitation' of specific ecological niches and natural landscapes. In recent years, new and highly interesting finds and sites of the Lower Palaeolithic have reinvigo-rated study in this field. A number of projects have focused on the study of the environment, the sources of …
Chemical evidence for wine production around 4000 BCE in the Late Chalcolithic Near Eastern highlands
Kalavan-2 (North of Lake Sevan, Armenia): A New Late Middle Paleolithic Site in the Lesser Caucasus
International audience
The chalcolithic of the Near East and south-eastern Europe: Discoveries and new perspectives from the cave complex Areni-1, Armenia
The archaeological exploration of a cave in the southern Caucasus revealed evidence for early social complexity, ritual burial and wine-making in the early fourth millennium. The marvellous preservation of wood, leather and plants offers a valuable contrast to the poorer assemblages on contemporary tell sites. The authors make the case that the Areni-1 cave complex indicates connections between the urbanisation of early Mesopotamia and the Maikop…
Ten seconds in the field: Rapid Armenian obsidian sourcing with portable XRF to inform excavations and surveys
Le Paléolithique moyen de la haute vallée du Kasakh (Arménie): Caractérisation Technologique Et Peuplement De Montagne
ENG: Southern Caucasus ; Armenian highlands ; Middle Palaeolithic ; Open-air sites ; Obsidian procurement ; Settlement patterns
The Upper Palaeolithic site of Kalavan 1 (Armenia): An Epigravettian settlement in the Lesser Caucasus
Sourcing geochemically identical obsidian: Multiscalar magnetic variations in the Gutansar volcanic complex and implications for Palaeolithic research in Armenia
New insights into desert kites in Armenia: The fringes of the Ararat Depression
The Armenian kites are the northernmost known kites in south‐west Asia. In contrast to those in the deserts further south, their research has only recently begun. The Armenian kites are situated at high elevations, mostly between 900 and 1500 m above mean sea level, in steppic conditions where Artemisia is at present the dominant shrub on the landscape. In our ongoing project we excavated three V‐shaped kites and one enclosure kite. The two kinds…
The limits and potential of paleogenomic techniques for reconstructing grapevine domestication
Lithic raw material units based on magnetic properties: A blind test with Armenian obsidian and application to the Middle Palaeolithic site of Lusakert Cave 1
Micromammal remains from Areni-1 Cave, Armenia
The cave site Areni-1, located in south-eastern Armenia, which has been excavated during 2007-2013, yielded rich assemblages of micromammal remains from the Late Chalcolithic and Medieval sequences. In this research the tooth remains of found micromammals are reported.The tooth remains belong to (3) orders including; 1) Order Rodentia: fam. Muridae, fam. Cricetidae, fam. Gerbillidae, fam. Arvicolidae, fam. Dipodidae, fam. Soricidae and fam. Sciur…
The altitudinal mobility of wild sheep at the Epigravettian site of Kalavan 1 (Lesser Caucasus, Armenia): Evidence from a sequential isotopic analysis in tooth enamel
Middle Palaeolithic toolstone procurement behaviors at Lusakert Cave 1, Hrazdan valley, Armenia
Dog molars as personal ornaments in a Kura-Araxes child burial (Kalavan-1, Armenia)
Ptghni: A new obsidian source in the Hrazdan River basin, Armenia
The earliest evidence for Upper Paleolithic occupation in the Armenian Highlands at Aghitu-3 Cave
A comprehensive study of anthropological materials of the Late Eneolithic from the Areni 1 cave
Newly excavated materials from Areni 1 cave allowed characterizing for the first time the anthropological composition of the Late Eneolithic inhabitants of Armenia. Based on anthropological and paleopathological data, physical features and disease pathology of the bones were analyzed. Results of the intergroup statistical analysis identified close morphological affinities between the Eneolithic skulls from Areni 1 with groups from Tepe Hissar II,…
Living on the Edge: The Earliest Modern Human Settlement of the Armenian Highlands in Aghitu-3 Cave
Seasonal use of corrals and game traps (desert kites) in Armenia
Upper Palaeolithic Settlement and Mobility in the Armenian Highlands: Agent-Based Modeling, Obsidian Sourcing, and Lithic Analysis at Aghitu-3 Cave
Study of the Stone Age in the Republic of Armenia (Part 1 – Lower Palaeolithic)
The area encompassing the modern Republic of Armenia lies within the Armenian highlands and is situated at the very core of a dynamic corridor between Africa and Eurasia. As such, Armenia proves critical for understanding the initial stages of human settlement and the formation of ancient civilisations in the Near East and beyond. Stone Age artefacts have been known to exist within the territory of Armenia since the end of the 19th century, and t…
The Vayots Dzor Project (VDP): A preliminary overview of the first three years’ activities (2016-2018)
The Vayots Dzor Project (VDP) is an Armenian-Italian archaeological research project involving both survey and excavation activities, conducted in accordance with an agreement between IAE NAS RA (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography NAS RA) and ISMEO-International Association of Mediterranean and Oriental Studies, co-funded by IAE NAS RA, Gfoeller Renaissance Foundation of USA, ISMEO and MAECI (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Internat…
Economic and symbolic role of animals during the Late Chalcolithic period of Areni-1 Cave, Armenia
Geography (44 works) · Archaeology (40 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (38 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (32 works) · Geology (27 works) · Cave (20 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (20 works) · Paleontology (19 works) · Ancient history (17 works) · History (17 works)