A republican conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Gevorg Tiratsyan, opened at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography

On October 22, a republican conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Gevorg Tiratsyan, a distinguished Armenian scholar and historian, opened at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (IAE) under the title Urartu – Armenia (Issues of Statehood and Culture). The conference brought together prominent scholars in the field, including archaeologists, historians, philologists, and other specialists interested in the topic. Among those attending was the renowned French-Armenian historian Claude Mutafian.

Before the conference began, Garegin Tumanyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences and chair of the first session, briefly outlined Gevorg Tiratsyan’s scholarly achievements and personal qualities. Welcome addresses were delivered by Pavel Avetisyan, Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA); Levon Abrahamyan, Corresponding Member of NAS RA and Head of the Department of Cultural Anthropology at the IAE; and Armen Petrosyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences and IAE researcher. In their speeches, they highlighted Gevorg Tiratsyan’s significant contribution to the development of scholarship, emphasizing his role as an outstanding scholar, leader, and colleague.

The first session was chaired by Garegin Tumanyan. Pavel Avetisyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences (IAE), presented a paper entitled "On the Characterization of Polycentric Political Systems: The Political Landscape of Etiuni Based on Archaeological Evidence". The paper "Armavir: Name, Myth, and History", presented by Armen Petrosyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences (IAE), examined the history of the ancient Armenian city of Armavir and the etymology of its name. Simon Hmayakyan, PhD in Historical Sciences and IAE researcher, presented the paper "An Episode in the Religious Policy of the Kingdom of Van (Based on Two Armavir Inscriptions)", co-authored with Nvard Tiratsyan, also an IAE researcher. For many years, Hmayakyan has been studying and conducting excavations at the tombs located in the vicinity of the village of Nor Armavir. Hrach Martirosyan, PhD in Philology and a representative of the University of Würzburg, Germany, delivered a paper entitled "The Goddess Anahit-Astghik: Ancient Origins and Surviving Traditions".

The second session was chaired by Ashot Piliposyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences (Armenian State Pedagogical University, Department of Ethnography). The opening paper of the session, "Metsamor during the Period of the Kingdom of Van (Urartu), 8th–6th Centuries BC", was presented by the session chair himself and focused on the archaeological site of Metsamor. Hakob Simonyan, Doctor of Art History, archaeologist, and researcher at the Scientific Research Centre for Historical and Cultural Heritage, presented a paper co-authored with Meri Safaryan entitled "Tombs 101 and 101a at Karmir Blur Containing Etiuni and Urartian Ceramic Vessels within a Single Cromlech". Artak Gnuni presented the paper "The Pithos Chamber at Aramus", co-authored with Hayk Avetisyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Atom Ananyan, representing Yerevan State University and the IAE. The paper focused on the fortress of Aramus. The presence of the Scythians in Armenia and the associated archaeological evidence were the subject of the paper "Tombs in Armenia with Numerous Diagnostic Scythian Features and their Interrelationships", presented by Garegin Tumanyan, Doctor of Historical Sciences. The second session of the first day concluded with a paper entitled "The Newly Discovered Cemetery at Kajaran in the Context of the Iron Age Culture of Syunik", co-authored by young IAE researchers Tigran Aleksanyan (PhD in Historical Sciences), Artak Haghverdyan, and Harutyun Badalyan. The paper was presented by Harutyun Badalyan. During his presentation, H. Badalyan reported that one of the tombs located within the Kajaran mining area had been relocated and reconstructed in its original form in the courtyard of the Kapan Geological Museum.

At the end of the day, the papers presented were discussed. The conference will continue on October 23.