Areni-1 Cave

Areni-1 (also known as Birds’ Cave) is a three-chambered karstic cave located on the left-hand side of the Arpa River basin, a tributary of the River Araxes, within the eastern portion of the modern village of Areni in the Vayots Dzor Region of southern Armenia (Figure 1). Excavations at the site began in 2007 and were directed by Boris Gasparyan (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, National Academy of Sciences, Armenia) and co-directed by Ron Pinhasi (School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Ireland) and Gregory E. Areshian (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, USA). The major signifi cance of the site was abundantly clear during the initial excavations when very well preserved Chalcolithic (4,300–3,400 Cal BC) and Medieval (4th–18th centuries AD) occupations were exposed (Areshian et al. 2012; Pinhasi et al. 2010; Wilkinson et al. 2012). Chalcolithic fi nds within the fi rst gallery of the cave include numerous large storage vessels, some of which contain human skulls of adolescent females. Grape remains and vessels typical of wine storage, associated with chemical analyses of the contents of the vessels, point to Chalcolithic wine production at the site (Barnard et al. 2011). It appears that from the end of the 5th millennium BC onwards, people used the cave for different purposes—as a habitation, for keeping animals and storing plant foods, for the production of wine, as well as for ritual purposes. The data from the cave demonstrate clear evidence for incipient social complexity. The workshops, wine producing complex, and the funerary features or “burials” represent a common ritual and production oriented complex.

Medieval finds in the cave span the entire Medieval period from the 4th to the 18th centuries AD. Remains of a well preserved circular dwelling span the 7th to 9th centuries AD. Later fi nds dating to the 11th to 14th centuries AD include structures, a fragment of an Armenian manuscript, two well-preserved ovens, a wine-storage jar, associated pottery, fragments of glass, and other small fi nds (Areshian et al. 2012; Pinhasi et al. 2010; Wilkinson et al. 2012). A group of limited small fi nds dated via 14C dating document early usage of the cave between the 4th and the 7th centuries AD as well as later during the 15th to 18th centuries AD.

Very limited, and what appear to be short-lived, Middle and Late Bronze Age and Iron Age occupations are also evident at Areni-1. Roughly a dozen artifacts dating to these time periods (ceramic sherds, a bronze axe, and jewelry fragments) were recovered from Trenches 1 to 5. A lack of associated architecture and an overall scarcity of finds underscores the brevity of these occupations.

Minimal temperature oscillations and constant levels of low humidity within the cave have provided an ideal environment for preservation of organic remains. As a consequence of this constant microclimate, Areni-1 has yielded large quantities of exceptionally well-preserved organic remains including the world’s oldest leather shoe (Pinhasi et al. 2010) along with basketry and clothing (Stapleton et al. this volume). Large volumes of Late Chalcolithic and Medieval desiccated plant remains have also been preserved, presenting a rare opportunity to better understand plant use in Armenia during a period of increasing social complexity. The main goals of archaeobotanical research at the site are to: 1) determine the range of species and plant parts present within the cave and assess their economic importance to the inhabitants of the site; 2) consider the range of plant husbandry techniques used; 3) assess the domestication status of a number of fruit crops and better understand the nature and timing of domestication events at a regional level; and 4) explore the ritual use of plants within the cave. Owing to the volume of plant material at Areni-1, the analysis and identification of plant remains is a tremendous task and research is ongoing. This report provides preliminary results of the study of Chalcolithic and Medieval plant use at Areni-1 and presents the main genera identifi ed to date.