Armenian Trip 2001 – Reports and Pictures

Report #1 - 01-2/05/01
Report #2 - 03/05/01
Report #2 Supplement - 01/05/01
Report #3 - 04/05/01
Report #4 - 06/05/01
Report #5 - 07/05/01
Report #6 - 08/05/01
Report #7 - 09/05/01
Report #8 - 11/05/01

Report no. 1, 01-2/05/01
In the evening the group arrived in Yerevan and was met by Hussik Melkonian of the Institute of Archeology of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. The group was composed of David Amit (archeologist), Yoav Loeff (Armenologist and photographer), Sheila Bishop (member of expedition).

Michael Stone was in Holland for 24 hours and met with the leading Dutch Armenologists, Professor J.J.S. Weitenberg, who is also president of the International Association of Armenian Studies, and Dr. Th.M. van Lint. I made a presentation of the Report on the First Expedition and discussed particularly the Armenological aspects of the Report and we particularly discussed the question of the interrelationships between the Jews of Eghegis and the surrounding Armenian society. This issue is of the greatest importance.



Report no. 2, 03/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

This morning the first order of the day was a meeting at the Archeological Institute of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. We coordinated our work with the Director, Prof. Adam Kalantarian and Hussig together with Niwra Hagopian, the other archeologist who will work with us. The group then went to Dvin, which was capital of Armenia in antiquity and where there was a report of a Jewish settlement in antiquity. Niwna had, in fact, been responsible for the excavation of Dvin in the 60's. A careful study of the site showed that the excavations, that have centered around the main public buildings, including the Cathedral, have never reached the parts of the city where a Jewish community might be expected to live.

M. Stone remained in Erevan at this time and met with the following persons, to advance the work of the expedition: Ricardo Soto, with whom he visited Hovig Kizoghian, and worked on problems of the internet communications. The project, at AUA that Hovig and Merujan Karapetian head, is to enter all classical and medieval Armenian Literature into digital form and mount it on Interned. He also met with Prof. Ruben Djrbashian, Director of the Geological Institute and arranged for a geologist to come to Eghegis on Tuesday to study the rocks from which the tombstones were made.

The video group accompanied the expedition to Dvin.
Report no. 2 Supplemental, 01/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Visit to Dvin. Visit led by Ms. Niwra Hagopian, the archeologist who dug the site.
1. Guided thorough survey of the the Catholicossal center of the 5th to 10th centuries. This is the western, lower ares of the old Tel (site). At its center is a church combining elements of three-apsidal basilica and a cruciform church in the Armenian style. The main remains are large bases of pillars in (?) Sasanian style. In front of the church, the Catholicos' second residence built in the eighth century and destroyed at the end of the ninth. After the Moslem conquest it became a mosque. Bases of pillars, made of dark stone, and slabs of polished stone (orthostats) of the walls.
2, Visit to the acropolis. According to Hussig, here the remains of the fortress of the citry were found. Remains of public buildings in the most eastern part of this area. There were no remains of fortifications observed and the remains were less than those of the Catholicossal area.
3. Visit lead by Niwra to the local museum, containing pottery vessels, metal object, glass, and other finds from this site. The most important finds are in the Historical Museum in Yerevan.
4. The main residental parts of the city extended through the adjoining valley. These have not been excavated. Today, villages exist there and extensive agricultural regions. The Jewish community's remains are likely to be in this region. .

Report no. 3, 04/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

This day we went to Eghegis for a first visit and consultation with Bishop Abraham.
Participants: M.E. Stone, David Amit, Sheila Bishop, Yoav Loeff, Hussik Melkonian, Aram Topchyan (expedition researcher); Gohar Muradyan.

New Tombstones Identified in Eghegis
On the site of Eghegis, we identified, with the help of Bishop Abraham, three new tombstones in a different area. This is extremely important for possible ramifications.We also finalized a work plan for next week.

We then did survey work in the village of Eghegis, with the following results:

1. Examined a group of Khatchkars at the entry of the village.
2. Examined a disused mosque which had in it tombstones containing writing in both Armenian and Persian. Photographed.
3. Examined the tombstone concentrations in the churchyard of the village. Some of them, presumably of the thirteenth-fourteenth century, are of the same morphology as those from the Eghegis cemetery. This is true both of the layout and  of the shapes.
4. Just out of the village and above the road, we examined a cemetery containing mainly Moslem tombs, presumably in Arabic or Persian. A number of these were photographed. The major thing was the uncovering of the new tombstones. Our knowledge of the area was             enriched and much comparative material uncovered.

Report no. 4, 06/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Today was the first day of field work. We had the following persons working on the site:
Michael Stone (Expedition Director); David Amit and Hussig Melkonian (Archeologist team leaders); Niwra Hagopian (archeologist); Yoav Loeff (photographer); Sheila Bishop (Archeological assistant); Igor Dorfmann (former student of M. Stone: volunteer); Bishop Abraham Mrktchyan; Engineer Mayis Mkrtchyan (srpazan's brother); 10 workers from the village of Eghegis. In addition the mayor of Eghegis joined us and some representatives of Etchmiadzin.

Major Finds; The group divided into a number of teams, basically four. One team worked in the excavation of the previously known cemetery; one term worked on the flour mill in which tombstones had been seen; one worked on a large rubble heap in which tombstones had been observed; one team worked in the Orbelian cemetery of Eghegis. The simultaneous work by a number of teams makes everything very efficient.

Results: Results beyond our wildest expectations: two new inscribed tombstones, one of which bears a date of (as now read) 1276. Beyond the very interesting content of the inscription, this takes our knowledge back by another twenty years. The second inscribed one has not yet had even preliminary decipherment. Two new tombstones with significant ornamentation. In addition about 10 complete and fragmentary tombstones were found, taking us up to about 50. In addition an Armenian Khatchkar with a secondary date of 1303 was discovered.

The survey of the Orbelian cemetery was completed and is ready for inputting and checking.

Implications:
1. The nature and importance of the site are becoming even more significant. With Bishop Abraham, M. Stone has started planning for the questions of security of this valuable material, conservation, and presentation. As plans develop they will be forwarded.
2. It is now necessary to spend the whole week with the full team at this site. We had thought that we had more or less exhausted its riches. However, it seems that we have barely started to uncover its secrets.
Report no. 5, 07/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1. The excavation of the empty spaces between the concentrations of graves in the main graveyard continues. In the course of this activity yesterday  a new tombstone was discovered.
2. Work continues in the area of the eastern flour mill, in which two complete tombstones were discovered yesterday. At lunch-time today a third tombstone started to be uncovered here.
3. In the area of the middle flour mill, where one tombstone was discovered yesterday, a large mill-stone was uncovered today.
4. In the bank of the flour mill two women's tombstones were discovered yesterday. These bore inscriptions. Work on decipherment continues. The following are very provisional decipherments:

Inscription no. 1
Side 1: The engaged woman Esther, daughter of Michael; may her portion be with our matri[archs ŠŠŠ. her pure tomb Š.
Side 2: Grace is a lie and beauty is vanity. The woman, God-fearing, and moreover give her Š Written on the 18th of the month of Tishre in the year  (date, ca. 1250)

Inscription no. 2
Blessing of ??? ABBREVIATION. Amen
This second tombstone is covered with geometric ornaments including an inscription on one side.
Rachel daughter of Eli; may her repose be in the Garden of Eden.

5. The procedure of cleaning the lichen with the special chemicals brought from Jerusalem has commenced with promising first results.
6. Professor Beit-Arie went to Eghegis on Sunday morning. We await the results of his analysis of the script.
7. M, Stone arranged in Yerevan for a geologist to be sent to the site to analyze the stones. He will take him there on Wednesday. This analysis may solve some problems relating to the origin of the rock, and the relationship of the Jewish and Orbelian cemeteries.
8. M. Stone met with the Pro-Rector for international affairs of Yerevan State University, Rafael Matevosian, to discuss continued cooperation. The University houses the expedition in Yerevan.
9. M. Stone met with the Secretary of the Academy of Sciences, Academician Vladimir Barkhoudarian to discuss further cooperation.
10. M. Stone met with Prof. Ruben Djrbashian, head of the geological institute, to discuss the translation and publication of a book on earthquakes in Armenian historical sources. This is a very important work.
11. Hovig Kizoghian and his project have been awarded the first place in the Presidential Competition for a creative computer-based/internet-based project. The prize will be awarded on the 8th.
12. M. Stone met with Aram Topchyan to commence discussion of publication of an article on the Jewish Communities of Siwnik and Vayots Dzor, utilizing a variety of sources, including the Eghegis inscriptions.

Report no. 6, 08/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1. Work with Professor Beit-Arie, the expert on history of writing, has gone extremely well. As a result of his examination of the new inscriptions, we have new readings, which make them even more important. As a result of his verification of the previously-known inscriptions our readings have been improved at a number of places.
2. Heavy rain and some cold have made work on the site difficult in a number of ways.
3. In the southern pillar of the footbridge across the Yeghegis river, Hussig Melkonian discovered 8 (EIGHT!!!!!) tombstones embedded. This seems to call for a decision about how to handle them, and anyway that bridge is very unstable.(Addition by M.E. Stone: This information is strengthened by discussion today with an archeologist friend in Yerevan: he also informs me that there are tombstones embedded in the walls of houses in the village. If Bishop Abraham wishes to see this area developed, the bridge, which is in any case in bad shape, will have to be partly reconstructed.)4. We shall have to gradually remove the stone supporting walls of the flour mills,.
5. Plans should be made according to the needs now coming to the fore.

Report no. 7, 09/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

This day was very important for the following reasons.

1. M. Stone arranged a visit by the Geologist Dr. Sergey Karapetyan (Geological Institute, Yerevan). He examined the rock in the cemetery of the Orbelian family in Eghegis and of the Jewish cemetery of Eghegis. He took comparative samples from the surrounding mountains. The preliminary results are that the tombstones in the two cemeteries are made from the same type of rock. After chemical and perhaps spectrographic analysis, it will be possible, perhaps, to discover the site of the quarry. A technical geological description will be prepared to include in the final report.
2. The work of uncovering the second of the three water-mill complexes continued under the leadership of Hussig Melkonian and Niwra Hagopian. This second water-mill yeilded numerous potsherds, the oldest of which are of the thirteenth century. Gravestones had been taken out of it earlier in the week.
3. The excavation of the cemetery itself is at an end. No particular results were taken this day. Certain tombstones were set upright and some centralization of finds was done.
4. The work on the third water-mill continues. One new tombstone was uncovered. but no inscriptions.
5. A total of 62 complete tombstones has now been reached and a number of other fragments. We are convinced that at a slightly later stage, many tombstones were used in the foundations of the retaining walls. In addition, there are clear reports of tombstones re-used in the walls of the houses.
6. The work of M. Beit-Arie led to the clarification of a number of different points in the readings of the inscriptions and in their scribal habits. This visit was extremely important.
7. Consultations were held by M. Stone with D. Amit, H. Melkonian, Abraham srpazan and engineer Mayis Mkrtchyan about the continuation of the work and about various issues of conservation and development.
8. The work of the Israeli group on the site is concluded. Hussig Melkonian will head a continuing excavation and there are hopes for further major finds of Jewish and Armenian material.

Report no. 8, 11/05/01
Study of Jewish Cemetery in Eghegis sponsored by Charles and Agnes Kazarian Eternal Fund and support of the Ben Tzvi Institute for Study of Oriental Jewish Communities, the Foundation for Biblical Archeology, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1. Friday am M. Stone, D. Amit, S. Bishop met with "Virtual Armenia" project team. We examined photographs of tombstones in their collection. Patterns of cooperation were explored and await further execution.
2. Hussig Melkonian returned from the additional day's work in Eghegis. No new finds of tombstones were made. Most of the bank of earth by the third water-mill was excavated. Plans were laid for further excavation by the Armenian team for one month on the site and security and other requirements were considered.

The work of the expedition in Armenia is now concluded. Reports will be posted from time to time as work in Jerusalem continues and as the additional month's work by Hussig Melkonian and his team is carried out.