The Areni-1 cave complex () is a multicomponent site,
and late
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
/Early
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
ritual site and settlement, located near the
Areni village in southern
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
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 September 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 Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
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
Notes
{{Authority control
Archaeological sites in Armenia
Geography of Vayots Dzor Province
Caves of Armenia
Areni
Kura-Araxes culture
Populated places established in the 5th millennium BC
Leyla-Tepe culture