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Armenia in the Middle Bronze Age (2400/2300-1500 BC)

The culture of Shengavit
At the depth of the Shengavit civilization, a new, early burial mound culture was formed, which yet preserved separate pottery traditions. In the middle of the 3rd millennium BC major changes took place in the socio- cultural, as well as political life of Armenia. The Shengavit social-cultural wholeness, that was experiencing a deep economic crisis, finaly collapsed. Indo-European tribes settled in the central and northern regions of the Armenian Highland. As a result of the fusion of newcomers and locals, archaeological cultures of early burial mounds, Treghk-Vanadzor, Karmir Berd, Sevan-Artsakh and Karmir Vank were formed. Acting as a group of related cultures, they occupied almost the entire territory of the Armenian Highland-the range of the basins of Urmia, Vana and Sevan lakes and the neighbouring areas, up to the Great Caucasus mountain range. In contrast to the Shengavit civilization, the economy of the Middle Bronze Age was dominated by animal husbandry. This is witnessed not only by the osteological materials, but also by the abundance of burial grounds, which make up 70% of the monuments known to us. The earliest samples of domestic horse sacrifice are attested (Nerkin Naver, 23rd-21st centuries BC).

The role of Trophy
Trophy also played an important role in the economy of the Middle Bronze Age. After successful wars, huge funds were accumulated in the hands of the leader-kings and councils, which became the basis for the flourishing of art and crafts. In the “Palace” workshops, skilled craftsmen prepared exceptional pieces of art. Armenia was involved in the international trade network, the evidence of which is the similarity of luxury items, weapons, and precious metalware with archaeological artifacts found in the center of Southwest Asia. In architectural forms dominant were the construtions with rectangular floorplan (Yerkaruk Blur, Metsamor, Ashtarak fort). Immense burial mounds appeared intended for individual burials, consiting of a stone armour, with cromlech lined around its perimeter and with earthen, rockhewn or stone-covered burial cells with rectangular, sometimes rounded corners, dug in the centeral part. The deceased were laid in the grave with their limbs bent, men lying on their right, women on their left. Deceased members of the elite were cremated. This ritual, as in the Hittite kingdom, was the monopoly of the council of elders and priests. The diameter of royal tombs reached 50 m, with depth of 7 m and with the area of the tomb halls of 150 square meters. In the Middle Bronze Age, the cremation ritual specific to the elite of Armenia, the huge sizes of tombs, the luxurious as well as gold and silver dishes, imported items, human sacrifices matched with the Hittite and Mesopotamian royal tombs. Such tombs were excavated in Treghk, Martkopi, Alazani Valley, Javahkq, Aruch, Mayisyan, Karashamb, Vanadzor, Nerkin Naver, Gorayk and elsewhere.

Zorats karer
Exceptional is the Zorats karer (Karahunj) monument near the city of Sisian. The stone path of circular and straight lined menhirs (upright standing stones) stretches for hundreds of meters. Some scientists believe, that it was once an ancient observatory.

Art
The cultural heritage of the Middle Bronze Age of Armenia, the exquisite masterpieces of applied art and artistic metalwork (toreutics) are among the brightest pages of the centuries-old creativity of the Armenian people, when the tribal creative spirit bursts with indescribable power, creating masterpieces of art inspired with barbaric grandeur (gold cups covered with precious stones, and doule-layers of Treghk, with heraldicly positioned lion sculptures of Vanadzor, silver, episodic decorated cups of Karashamb and Koruktash with ancient sayings of Indo-European mythology depicted son them). There was a great variety of jewels and luxury items: dressers, necklaces, beads, cufflinks, mirrors and others, made of gold, silver, bronze, semi-precious stones (cornelion, jasper, jet stone, onyx, obsidian, amethyst, etc.), multicolor glasses and tin-glazed pottery. In the applied art, noteworthy was the multicolor and single-color pottery, the ornamentation of which almost resembled to painting, with its play of colors and expressiveness (Nerkin Naver, Treghq, Getashen, Elar, Aparan, Aruch, etc.). Vessels with black polished, relief zones and dotted decorations are also highly valuable artistic pieces, which together with colorful pottery formed the festive tableware.