The Areni-1 cave complex ( hy, Արենիի քարանձավ) is a multicomponent site,
and late
Chalcolithic
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
/Early
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
ritual site and settlement, located near the
Areni
Areni ( hy, Արենի) is a village and the center of the Areni Municipality of the Vayots Dzor Province in Armenia. Areni is best known for its wine production, with the majority of wine produced locally from the nearby village of Getap.
The ...
village in southern
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
along the
Arpa River.
Findings
In 2008, Armenian PhD student and archeologist Diana Zardaryan of the country’s Institute of Archaeology discovered the
earliest known shoe at the site.
In January 2011, the
earliest known winery in the world was uncovered in the cave.
[Owen, James.]
Earliest Known Winery Found in Armenian Cave
" '' National Geographic''. January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011. Later, in 2011, the discovery of a straw skirt dating to 3,900 years BCE was reported.
In 2009, the oldest humanoid brain was discovered in the cave.
Recent archaeological investigations demonstrate that
Genetics
Three individuals who lived in the
Chalcolithic
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
era (c. 5700–6250 years
BP), found in the Areni-1 ("Bird's Eye") cave were identified as belonging to haplogroup
L1a. One individual's genome indicated that he had red hair and blue eyes.
Gallery
File:Chalcolithic leather shoe from Areni-1 cave.jpg, Chalcolithic leather shoe from Areni-1 cave
File:Areni-1_cave_entrance.jpg, Entrance to the cave
File:Pathway to the Areni-1 cave.JPG, Pathway to the entrance
File:View from the Areni-1 cave.JPG, View from the cave
File:Areni-1 Cave Interior.JPG, The site in 2012, swallow nests on the ceiling of the entrance.
Areni-1-Vogelhoehle-16-Nester-2019-gje.jpg, Swallow nests 2019
See also
*
Areni-1 shoe
*
Areni-1 winery
The Areni-1 winery is an ancient winery that was discovered in 2007 in the Areni-1 cave complex in the village of Areni in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia by a team of Armenian and Irish archaeologists. The excavations were carried out by ...
Notes
{{Prehistoric technology, state=expanded
Archaeological sites in Armenia
Geography of Vayots Dzor Province
Caves of Armenia
Areni
Kura-Araxes culture