ishtartv.com-ancient-origins.net
6
March, 2016 by Lilit Mkhitaryan
Since
ancient times, demand for metals has been a big part of commercial exchange
between countries separated by great distance. The Armenian Highland is
situated between the Anatolian and Iranian plateau, and has played a
significant role in ancient times in metal casting and processing.
A
view of the mountains in the Armenian plateau at the Turkey-Iran border. In the
center background is Mount Ararat. (CC BY 3.0)
In
the second to first millennium BC, the exchange of metals was characterized by
very specific features: Iran was exporting lazurite; Armenia, copper, tin,
gold, silver, iron; Middle Asia, turquoise; Sinai, copper and onyx; and Egypt
was known for the export of lead, silver, and glass.
Since
the fifth to fourth millennium BC, the Armenian Plateau territory has processed
and exported almost all types of minerals. Among them are: copper, tin, gold,
silver, iron, lead, zinc, magnesium, antimony, arsenic, quartz, salt, and more.
This is evidenced by findings from different corners of the region. Those
findings are also evidence that our ancestors knew how to use minerals and how
establish trade relations, including the exchange of valuable minerals.
The
Role of Metals
The
earliest evidence of use of metals in Armenian Highland can be found in ancient
records of Hittites (second millennium BC).
Tin
was the rarest metal in ancient world. Tin has been the cause of some long term
invasions as far reaching as the British Isles and Iberian Mountains.
Armenian
Highlands, Historical Atlas (Public Domain)
In
ancient Armenia tin was discovered in several places, such as Aghdznik, Syunik.
ing
rich minerals, Armenia played an important role in ancient world in relation to
processing and exporting metals. Initially, Armenia exported tin, copper, gold,
and large amounts of iron into Egypt, India, Greece and Scythia.
Mountain
of Iron and Lead
Armenian
historians Faustus the Byzantine, Moses Khorenatsi, and Lazarus Pharpensis have
written about various minerals processed in the region. According to Faustus,
the Byzantine part of Armenian Taurus and part of the ancient Kingdom of
Armenia from 189 BC to 387 AD, the region of Turuberan, was called “the
mountain of iron and lead” by the ancients.
According
to ancient Greek writers Homer, Hesiod, Euripides and others, “copper, silver
and iron were first invented in Armenian Highland and then exported to other
countries.”
World
renowned archaeologists such as Henri Frankfort, Jacques de Morgan, Leonard
Woollay and others, studying Aegean islands, Asia Minor, and metallurgical
samples of North Eastern regions of Northern Persia, came to the conclusion
that the Armenian Highland was one of the cradles of metallurgy, and for the
first time in history iron was casted in Armenian Highland in the second millennium
BC.
In
Lchashen, in the basin of Sevan, iron casting furnaces were found dating back
to the second millennium BC.
Sevanavank
Monastery on the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan, Armenia. Iron casting
furnaces dating back to the second millennium BC have been found regionally.
(CC BY-SA 3.0)
According
to the British scientist Gordon Child and Indian archaeologist Kashinath
Narayan Dikshit, the first discoverers of iron foundries were Armenian
highlanders, and the “epicenter of the Iron Age revolution was the mountains of
Armenia”.
All
abovementioned scientists emphasized that Armenia constantly supplied metals to
Assyria and Babylonia, Egypt, India and Media. The necessary prerequisite for
the development of ancient civilizations was a supply from a country with
necessary minerals or metal products.
Ores
and Goods from Armenia
The
Assyro-Babylonian ancient protocols regarding Armenian metals are dated to the
13th century BC.
In
Assyrian King's Salmanassar I and Tukulti-Ninurta I protocols, there is
evidence regarding "mountains' heaviest tax," and "mountains of
wealth," which were exported from Armenia to Assyria every year.
Tiglath-Pileser
I chronicled evidence that Assyrians were considering copper, bronze, gold,
silver, as well as magnesium ore to be the best resources of Armenian Plateau.
Those materials were produced by Malatya residents.
Part
of a rock relief depicting Tiglath-Pileser I (c. 1114 -1079 BC). (Public Domain)
According
to the Tukulti-Ninurta II chronicles, processing and export of gold, silver,
lead and iron had already been widespread in the ninth century BC. They were
taken to Assyria either as castings or in form of pots, sculptures or statues.
King
Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria, (ninth century BC) during one of his invasions of
Tigranakert region, is said to have taken "67 kg silver, 67 kg of gold, 3
tons of lead and 6 tons of bronze, 9 tons of iron, 1000 bronze receptacle, 2000
bronze cup, wheelchairs made of ivory and gold." From the metal-rich
Mountains of Sasun, great amounts of silver, gold, lead and iron were delivered
to the king.
Nimrud
Relief: King Ashurnasirpal II Hunting Lions, (883-859 BCE) (Fair Use)
Shamshi-Adad
V (ninth century BC) chronicled that “the great amount of silver, red gold and
bronze items” were exported from Armenia.
Assyrian
and Babylonian sources pointed to "countries" in the region of
Armenian Taurus, and in the basins of Van and Urmia lakes (The three largest
lakes in Armenian Highland are Lake Sevan, Lake Van and Lake Urmia).
In
their trade and conquests, Assyrians rarely reached far North or West.
According to Salmanassar III, (ninth century BC) silver, gold, lead, and bronze
pots were taken to Assyria from the provinces of the western shore of Urmia
lake.
During
the invasion into Lesser Armenia, Tiglath-Pileser III (eighth century BC)
appropriated three tons of gold and 300 kilograms silver. From the
Armenian Highland, he also took got gold, silver, tin, iron and magnesium ore
on yearly basis.
Interesting
data on the export of metals by Sargon II (end of the eighth century BC) was
found in his chronicles and his address to the god Ashur.
Sargon
II, from the royal palace of Ardini Musasir (The Musasir temple, built in 825
B.C., Musasir was the holy city of Kingdom of Urartu, and the temple was
dedicated to the Supreme God of Haldi) is written to have stolen more than one
ton of gold, about five tons of silver, "white copper" (bronze),
lead, carnelian, various kinds of precious stones, "countless numbers"
of copper and metal items, golden swords, daggers, precious stones, silver
spears, cups and other items, copper boilers, fire-places, ladles, lamps, iron
furnaces, and more. Accordingly, this shows that in the Armenian Highlands from
the end of the second millennium BC until the beginning of the first millennium
BC, metal casting was widespread.
Metsamor:
Metal Casting and Ancient Observatory
Talking
about metal casting, it is also important to mention the archaeological site of
Metsamor, Armenia, where archeologists have found a large mineral and
metallurgical complex dated to between the third and first millennium BC. Until
recently, Palestinian metal casting furnaces were considered to be the oldest
in the Middle East (13th century BC), but the big and small smelters found at
Metsamor site are older.
Mining
and metallurgical complex at Metsamor, Armenia. (Photo courtesy author)
An
ancient observatory was also discovered at the Metsamor site, thought to be
established between the third and second millennium BC. The general location of
observatory coincides with the Zodiacal belt direction, in which the average
line of length stretches along the sun's annual path. The tracks of the moon
and planets are also lying along the belt.
The
Metsamor Observatory (Photo courtesy author)
Standing
stones at the ruins of the Metsamor site. (CC BY SA 3.0)
Weapons
and Wealth
So
during the middle of the second millennium BC, gold items, and the moldings of
gold, silver, copper and bronze were exported from Armenia to many other
countries. Since the 17th century BC great amounts of iron from Armenia was
exported to the Hittites Kingdom, Egypt, Assyria, North Caucasus and Central
Russia in the form of weapons and decorations designed for daily use.
During
that time period Armenia was supplying almost all neighboring countries with
ferrous (or iron) chariots and horses. In addition to this, according to
Manetho, who was priest in Egypt, horse domestication first occurred in the
Armenian Highland.
So
Armenia's natural resources contributed significantly to the development of
neighboring countries’ economies and military preparedness. Because of this,
ancient countries of the Middle East sought to control Armenia, or establish
permanent trade relations.
These
trade relations with distant countries contributed to the development of the
geological and geographical knowledge of Armenians.
Mineral
and metallurgical traces at Metsamor site, Armenia. (Photo courtesy author)
Is
it possible that the development of metal ore and metallurgical production of
metals—primarily, the production and export of iron—was the basis of the development
of astronomical knowledge in the Armenian Highland? Perhaps the simultaneous
existence of a metallurgical complex and observatory at ancient site of
Metsamor is not accidental, but has a very clear and reasonable explanation.
Featured
image: Metal belt from Metsamor site, Armenia. Second century BC. Photo
courtesy author, Lilit Mkhitaryan
By Lilit Mkhitaryan
References
Manetho,
“History of Egypt”
Lehmann
Haupt
Budge
and King, “Annals of the Kings of Assyria”
Faustus
the Byzantine, “History of the Armenians” (4th-5th century)
S.
Ayvazyan, “Ancient Armenia culture history”