Modern Stone Age of Armenia

Abstract

: The research studies the archaeological remains dating back to the Neolithic period in the Republic of Armenia; Through a review of the architectural remains, pottery, Lithic industry, burials, and the fauna and flora that were spread in during the End of Mesolithic/Epipaleolithic - Early Neolithic Era in Armenian highlands which were characterized by Lithic industry; and the Agricultural sites that belong to the middle and the end of the Neolithic which spread in the Ararat plain and constitutes the Southern part of Shulaveris Shomutepe culture. Today, the South Caucasus region includes three Republics (Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia). It is bordered from the East by Caspian Sea, from the West the Black Sea, from the North by Federal Russian and the Greater Caucasus Mountains, and from the south by Iran and the Lower Caucasus Mountains. This region is considered as a passageway between Asia and Europe. Mesolithic is the first step towards stability, which followed by the Neolithic or the "agricultural revolution" which brought changes in different aspects of life as a result of stability. The Neolithic was divided into two phases, the pre-Pottery phase (in which man achieved all this period activities except pottery production) and the pottery phase (include all activities and the pottery production). Many archaeological sites in the South Caucasus, in general, lack accurate chronological dating, which added difficulty to determine the exact Neolithic age. It is noted that although the archaeological excavations in Armenia still need a lot of examination and dating, it was possible to identify two types of sites; The first belongs to the early Neolithic era and spread in the highlands of Armenia, and the second is the agricultural villages in the “Ararat” plain, which is considered the southern part of the “Shulaveri Shomutepe” culture.