MODERN CHALLENGES OF ARTSAKH AND THE ROLE OF ARCHAEOLOGY
Thursday, 16 April 2015 14:05
Archaeology is a science studying the past of the mankind, based on
material sources.
In fact, any field archeology aims to obtain new data, and each
detected finding is an undisputed material argument defining the
ethno-cultural or socio-economic character of a particular historical
era.
In the modern world, the role of the most important donor of
historiography is assigned just to archeology, as it is exceptional in
its methods of research by science, the science of researching the
primary sources, necessary for the study of history, spiritual and
material culture, economy and way of life.
With the formation of the Soviet Union, archeology in Armenia was put
on a scientific basis. Already in the 60-70s of the last century, the
Armenian archeology made significant progress in the study of
different periods in the history of the Armenian people and the issues
of material culture. In the framework of the field studies,
excavations were periodically conducted in Artashat, Dwin, Garni,
Armavir, Amberd, and a number of other ancient settlements, which
enriched the history of Armenia with new and unique data.
Unfortunately, this cannot be said about Artsakh. After the annexation
of Karabakh to Soviet Azerbaijan, as it happened in 1923, no objective
archaeological research was carried out here. Since these issues were
the exclusive prerogative of the corresponding republican structures,
in particular the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, it becomes clear
why extensive researches were not carried out here. As a result,
Nagorno Karabakh as part of historical Armenia became a closed zone
for Armenian scientists, and for the entire period of Baku’s dictates
Artsakh was left out of the process of development of Armenian
studies.
The Artsakh Movement and the creation of an independent state opened a
new page in the annals of the historical and cultural heritage of our
region. From the earliest days of our liberation struggle, among the
urgent tasks was the issue of comprehensive study of Armenian
monuments on the territory of the former Azerbaijani SSR. When the
active hostilities in the war imposed on us were completed, some
researchers immediately began to study the historical monuments of
liberated Artsakh.
The excavations of some monuments are underway so far. Among them is
the Azokh cave. The researches held jointly with foreign specialists
allowed to collect unique data about the flora and fauna of the
prehistoric period of the reserve. More important are the excavations
of the ancient settlement of Tigranakert, which have been held since
2006 through state funding. As a result of these studies, we have got
a lot of new information about the history of the Armenian people, the
culture, the art of building, etc. The scientific value of the
excavations of the city, built by the Armenian King Tigran the Great,
is great and the interest towards the monument is increasing every
day.
Equally important is the study of the artifacts of Shushi. The
researches conducted in 2004 aimed to find out who and when founded
the town of Shushi, how it was built, the ethnicity of some monuments,
as well as to evaluate the historical and cultural heritage in
conjunction with the natural-landscape elements, because just this
factor is decisive in the reconstruction and development of the
historic city. Also important are the excavations of some cemeteries,
monasteries and churches, the Togh Melik Palace – one of the oases of
the Armenian statehood.
Naturally, any archaeological research conducted on the territory of
Nagorno Karabakh annoys Azerbaijan. After all, all the artifacts
discovered on the territory of Nagorno Karabakh refute the Azerbaijani
historians’ invented theory that all the historical monuments located
on the territory of Nagorno Karabakh (and in some cases – also in
Armenia) are the result of the “Azerbaijani culture”. Moreover, trying
to deprive the Armenians of their cultural heritage, the Azerbaijani
party presents many Armenian monuments as “Agvan ones”.
Today’s Azerbaijan, which has no fact justifying its territorial
challenges to Artsakh, especially no opportunity to publish a
, has chosen the tactics of .
Books, albums, and atlases, in which all the ancient Christian
monuments are described as Azerbaijani, are annually published through
the funding by different state- and private funds (mainly belonging to
the Aliyevs’ clan).
Surely, anyone who knows even a little bit about the world history
will immediately understand the scientific inconsistency and the
hidden political subtext of these works. However, one thing is clear:
the role of historical and cultural arguments is also important in the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, and Azerbaijan realizes this
well. The intentional and targeted destruction of the monuments,
confirming the residence of the Armenian ethnic group in the region
for thousands of years, is also conditioned by the important role of
the stone witnesses of history.
Surely, from a purely financial point of view, it is impossible and
senseless to respond to all such initiatives of Azerbaijan. Thus we’ll
confirm the existence of a non-existent issue in reality, which
continues to be speculated by Azerbaijanis. On the other hand, in the
existing situation, when an attempt is made daily to assign different
values of our spiritual and material culture, the archaeological
researches, along with solving a scientific issue, also fulfill a
protective function.
One of the most important tasks of the Armenian studies, particularly
archeology, is the expansion of the researches sphere, the attraction
of foreign experts to the study of the ancient monuments located in
the territory of Artsakh, so that their works are presented to the
academic community, the public and state structures and the
international community and become neutral sources on the history, the
spiritual and material culture of the people living in this territory.
Tigran ALEXANYAN
Archaeologist, Chief Expert of the Department of Tourism and
Protection of the Historic Environment under the NKR Government
From: A. Papazian
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