Recent investigations on the Early Bronze Age sites in the Marmarik River Valley as part of the Kotayk Survey Project

Abstract

Since 2013 an Armenian - Italian archaeological mission has been working in the Kotayk Province in Armenia with multiple purposes. One of these is the systematic investigation of the valley of the River Marmarik, the main tributary of the River Hrazdan, which is the main watercourse in the Central Armenia. The Marmarik valley is an area of great interest, both for its geographical characteristics and for the archaeological remains that have been found there over the years. In fact the area is characterised by the presence of gold, and some of the most important ores in Armenia, including iron and copper. This contribution presents and discusses the archaeological evidence relating to the first protohistoric phase, the Early Bronze Age, in the River Marmarik valley.