Speaker
Description
Ancient monuments attract people from almost every profession with their magical power. They have always drawn the curious to them. However, to understand the essence of archaeological sources, methods from the exact sciences—especially physics—are increasingly being applied. The connection between archaeology and physics lies in the application of precise physical methods to locate, date, and analyze ancient artifacts. Physics helps archaeologists “look” beneath the ground without excavations and determine the age of finds using isotope analysis. New physical research methods (radiocarbon, tomographic, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and other types of analysis), which have increased the accuracy and depth of scientific investigations, are like a magic wand for explaining the ancient mysteries hidden within ancient artifacts. The analysis of materials using physical methods helps determine the composition of metals, ceramics, and stones. Interdisciplinary methods of comprehensive research reveal the secrets of ancient technologies, the scientific skills of those times, methods of artifact production, the connection between ancient mines and artifacts, and, at the same time, the trade and cultural ties of ancient societies and peoples. The latest research methods are transforming the humanities into an exact science.
Archaeological research conducted in the Republic of Armenia over the past few decades has led to remarkable discoveries that significantly expand—and at times even redefine—our understanding of ancient civilizations and the role of the Armenian Highlands in the history of the Ancient Near East. Among these discoveries, the following stand out: the oldest settlement with early Holocene stone architecture within the city limits of Yerevan—the Silikyan settlement; the oldest Eneolithic necropolis in Voskhat, where gold artifacts and evidence of iron use were found; the Shengavit settlement—a city with an ancient Eastern appearance; a large Early Bronze Age burial mound with clear signs of connections between the Yamnaya and Catacomb cultures of the Great Steppe; the earliest horse breeders and chariot makers in the Aragatsotn region at the turn of the 3rd–2nd millennia BCE; the forgotten kingdom and royal tombs of Verin-Naver and their connections to Elam; the necropolis of the northern capital of Teyshebain, where more than 250 burials from the Van Kingdom period have been excavated, as well as, likely, the tomb of the king’s governor, etc.
Ultimately, physics helps archaeologists uncover deep layers of ancient artifacts, and archaeology—drawing on the findings of the exact sciences in its research—is reshaping our understanding of the ancient world, the role of individual civilizations and peoples in human development, and, ultimately, the very nature of humanity. This is one of the most promising fields of modern science, which is under close scrutiny in our joint research with physicists.