Arshavir Hovhannisyan

Red slip pottery represents one of the most technologically and morphologically distinctive ceramic traditions of the South Caucasus. Its appearance and initial phase of development, known as Urartian Red Burnished Ware, are closely linked with the existence of the Urartian Kingdom during the Middle Iron Age. This study examines patterns of production and distribution of red slip pottery in the northeastern provinces of the Urartian Kingdom, covering the area between the Ararat Plain and Lake Sevan. The analysis is based on a technological and provenance study of 87 potsherds from ten archaeological sites dated to the 8th–6th centuries BCE. The analytical framework combines thin-section petrography, ICP-MS geochemical analyses of ceramic fabrics, and SEM-EDS investigations of the microstructure and chemical composition of the red slip. The results point to the existence of at least four production centers within the region, characterised by a broadly standardised slip technology and more variable recipes of the ceramic bodies. These findings indicate that the availability of suitable raw materials for red slip production likely played a major role in constraining both the scale of manufacture and the spatial distribution of red- slip pottery. Moreover, access to this pottery appears to have been influenced by the position of individual settlements within the regional economic system, particularly their administrative, political, or economic significance within the Urartian Kingdom.

Bioleaching of Cu from the copper concentrate of Armanis gold-bearing polymetallic ore (Armenia) was investigated. The main objective was revealing high active bacteria and their association, as well as optimizing the bioleaching process with their application to ensure the most efficient recovery of copper from the tested concentrate. To obtain optimal bacterial associations, bottom-up and top-down approaches were used. Bioleaching of copper concentrate was carried out using pure cultures of iron- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and their mixed culture, as well as indigenous bacterial consortium. Comparative studies of copper bioleaching by mixed cultures of Acidithiobacillus caldus, Leptospirillum ferriphilum CC, Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans 6, and indigenous consortium Arm of iron-oxidizing bacteria were performed. At the beginning of bioleaching, the amounts of extracted copper by mixed culture and Arm consortium were equal; afterward, between 20–27 days, the Arm indigenous consortium showed significantly higher activity in terms of copper extraction. In parallel, mineralogical and liberation analyses of feed material and bioleaching residues were performed.

Within the framework of an Armenian–German research project, taking place between 2019 and 2021 on the Artanish Peninsula at Lake Sevan (Armenia), in addition to numerous (geo‐) archaeological investigations, methods of geochemical prospection have been carried out. The ancient burial grounds of Artanish 23 and Artanish 29 have served as model sites to successfully test the well‐known method of geochemical prospection and evaluation of metal deposits in geology (mineral sector). As a result, a new experimental archaeo‐geochemical prospecting and evaluation method has been developed, which has been adapted for the exploration of archaeological monuments. It is planned to use this experimental method (which we consider new and important in archaeogeochemical investigation, but not a conclusive and comprehensive work per se), which has already proven its work capacity, in archaeological research, in the prospective areas of Armenia and other countries. In addition to these investigations, research on the transformations in the landscape of the ancient tombs related to Lake Sevan fluctuations has also been carried out. The anthropogenic impact of humans on the environment (geochemical halos formed in the soil on the surface of the tombs) has been studied, as well as the problem of the impact of geological environment on human life activities, that is, the relocation of the burial grounds to more elevated areas due to the rise in the lake level. Based on the results of geochemical sampling and high‐resolution magnetometer surveys, excavations have been performed at the site. Here, we present the results of an experimental study exploring the potential of combined magnetometer prospection and chemical soil analyses to locate and characterize the burial ground of Artanish on Lake Sevan, Armenia. The results have demonstrated the capability of these analyses to detect the sites, outline hotspots and interpret the features identified in the magnetometer results.