ABOUT MUSEUM

The idea to present a comprehensively researched history of Armenian winemaking, rich in centuries-old traditions of growing grapes and making wine, has matured over the years. Archaeological monuments, bibliographic, and ethnographic data became the basis for creating the Museum of Winemaking History in Armenia.
Here, the development of viticulture and winemaking in the Armenian Highlands is represented not only by artifacts and interpretation but also by innovative, interactive solutions. Such a structure of the museum allows the visitors to get an exact idea of millennium-old Armenian culture as a whole.
The main exhibition hall, located at the level of underground basalt rocks with a depth of 8 meters, presents the chronological stages of the development of wine in Armenia in detail, as well as the relationship of wine with various areas of Armenian history and culture.

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Art & Science

28 March, 2025
WINEMAKING CULTURE IN ASHTARAK ACCORDING TO ETHNOGRAPHIC DATA

Ashtarak is one of the important regions of Armenian winemaking culture, about which, along with numerous primary sources and researchers, significant data is also provided by the prominent writer, historian, and ethnographer Yervand Shahaziz in his book “History of Ashtarak” (Yerevan, “Hayastan” publ., 1987, 251 pages), and later supplemented by Gevorg Gevorgyan, whose manuscripts (HAI archive, Gevorgyan Gevorg, Ethnographic materials of Ashtarak, 1972, file 1, 99 pages) are kept in the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.

Shahaziz began writing his work in 1908, completing it in 1934. In the study, which lasted more than a quarter of a century, giving a special place to the winemaking of the Ashtarak region, relying on earlier sources, Shahaziz comes from the depths of history and reaches the period in which he lived. Particularly noteworthy are the testimonies related to the winemaking culture of a relatively new period, especially since the author himself witnessed all this.

He writes that starting from the 18th-19th centuries, the grape growers of Ashtarak first harvested the grapes and exchanged them with the herders coming down from the Aragatsotn mountains, thus storing their winter supplies (oil, cheese, butter, etc.), after which they immediately started the grape harvest intended for wine.

The ethnographer notes that in the early period, the people of Ashtarak built their wine presses[1] right in the vineyards, thus living for two to three months of the year in temporary shelters made in the gardens. “…he, on the one hand, harvested the grapes, carried out with large milking pails the roof of the winepress, and poured right through the yerdik (roof opening) to the aragast (pressing floor), where they were pressed, and the muz (must) going like a stream, was poured into takars (large earthenware jars), on the other hand, the must be more or less settled in the takars, the clarified juice, or, as they say, kaghtsu, was carried with leshks (untanned calfskins), to his shiratun (wine cellar) and poured into karases (large earthenware jars, pitchers), on the third hand, the women have taken their share of kaghtsu, they cooked mat (a sweet grape preserve), they conserved and prepared shpot, dipped the rows of walnut, almond, melon seeds, made shudzhukh (churchkhela). There remained the remains of the grapes, the kncher (pomace), from which the Ashtarak resident used to distill oghi (fruit vodka) …” (Shahaziz 1987, 216).

After the beginning of the 20th century (that is, the time when Shahaziz started to create his work), the people of Ashtarak no longer had wine presses in their gardens. Instead of the former wine presses, at that time they built three-walled, open-faced, light, temporary structures in the gardens – “dagans”, in which the gardeners in the gardens during the months of fruit and grape harvest sheltered from the rain. “…long ago the grapes are no longer pressed in the vineyards, but during the harvest, on the one hand, the grapes are harvested, and on the other hand, they are transported by horses, donkeys and carts to the village, where aragasts and takars are built in the houses, everywhere” (Shahaziz 1987, 218).

Those buildings were called hndzanabags, but Shahaziz finds it difficult to specify their structure. P. Proshyan describes the hndzanabag as follows: “It is a ruin, the surfaces of the square hewn stones along its approximate length are pitted in places by the eroding force of time. The archaeologist would date it to at least 700-800 years” (P. Proshyan, Tsetser, Tiflis, 1889, publ. M.D. Rotinyants, p. 48).

The writer-ethnographer presents with special luxury and colorful images the Ashtarak resident who “entered the house” after the grape harvest, already in winter, when his revelry began and “he put the new wine on the table, which had not even fermented and, one might say, was machar – “a tart, sweet and mild, cloudy kaghtsu, which has been in the process of fermenting, of becoming a real wine” (Shahaziz 1987, 219).

Agreeing with all the claims of the Ashtarak resident’s security, Shahaziz, however, opposes the wording “wine-drinking Ashtarak resident”, noting that, yes, a lot of wine is created in Ashtarak, but the people of Shirak and Pambak drink more Ashtarak wine and oghi than those who make them. “…he drank and drinks, his table was not without wine and oghi, but he drank in moderation, drunkenness has always been an unfamiliar passion to the Ashtarak resident.” … The old Ashtarak resident liked to be happy, to have fun, but those “entertainments never had a hooligan character” (Shahaziz 1987, 220).

G. Gevorgyan writes about the wine-making culture of Ashtarak in more detail and vividly. He writes that the karases in Ashtarak were washed with water, then the inner walls were smeared with melted fat, after which they were filled with must, which had to be filled to a special extent, because in case of filling it completely, the karascould burst during fermentation. In order to avoid all this and to be safe, people placed the karases on cemented aragasts, thanks to which, in case of breaking the karas, the must would not be absorbed into the soil, but would flow and fill the takar.

Gevorgyan writes that after gaining the possibility of using sulfur, Ashtarak winemakers disinfected the barrels more easily. They burned sulfur-coated papers in an empty barrel, which perfectly cleaned it of all the bacteria and fungi that could remain and spoil the wine. “After filling the karases with must, after a few days it starts to boil, producing carbon dioxide gas, so if the number of karases is large, it is terrible to enter the cellar at that moment, a person can be suffocated by the gas. There have been cases when a person has suffocated while removing the knjir (pomace) from the takar” (Gevorgyan 1972, 70).

About a month later, it is necessary to “krtel” the wine, which means to separate the dirt (lees) from the clear wine. This is also an important and interesting operation, which the ethnographer presents in full detail and mentions the dialect names of all the tools used in the whole process (aragasttakarguptikkarasabigardanjujum (a measure equal to half a bucket), parchkereghan (for drinking)).

It was necessary to insert the long stick into the barrel, to understand how much part is sediment, how much part is clear wine, then to remove the clear wine with the abigardan and pour it into another, already cleaned and prepared karas. “Later, when the barrel entered use in Ashtarak, the siphon, a rubber tube, also entered use with it, since the abigardan would not fit into the barrel, then, when they measured the amount of sediment in the karas or the barrel full of wine, one end of the rubber tube was tied to the measuring stick from where the wine and sediment separate from each other, then the stick was lowered into the karas or barrel with the tube, the wine was drawn by mouth from one end of the tube, and when the wine started to flow, they put it into an empty karas or barrel, the pure wine was transferred to an empty barrel or karas. In this way, the barrel was filled to the top and the mouth was closed with a wooden stopper, sulfur powder was poured around the stopper… to protect it from vinegar flies” (Gevorgyan 1972, 70).

It is also noteworthy that the Ashtarakians strictly forbade placing cheese, pickles, kerosene or dried spices near the wine karas or barrel, because wine is sensitive to smells and tastes and can absorb them. “…imagine that you are drinking wine and smell kerosene” (Gevorgyan 1972, 71). G. Gevorgyan also refers to the famous grape variety “Kharji” and notes the history of obtaining a “Sherry” type wine from it. “An Ashtarakian noticed early on that a membrane had formed on the surface of the wine in his karas, he thought that the wine had gone bad, but when he drank it, he saw that it was tastier and more aromatic, not realizing that this membrane on the surface of the karas was nothing other than a sherry fungus. … The first study of this fungus was conducted by the winemaker Afrikyan, who visited Ashtarak. She found it better than Spanish sherry, and thanks to the Soviets, a winery was built in Ashtarak. It was thanks to the winery that at the 1970 international wine tasting [the wine] won first place in the world, receiving a gold medal” (Gevorgyan 1972, 71-72

[1] On the wine press culture of the Ashtarak region, see G.S. Tumanyan, Wine Press Culture in Armenia, Yerevan, “Zangak-97”, pp. 31-32, 40, 44, 50-54; H.L. Petrosyan, S.G. Hobosyan, H.P. Hakobyan, Medieval Wine Presses of Ashtarak, Yerevan, 1989, 90-92; E.N. Hakobyan, The Architecture of the Folk Dwelling of the Ashtarak Region, Yerevan, pp. 34-39.

 

Gevorg Gyulumyan

National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia

Institute Archaeology and Ethnography

 

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29 January, 2025
UNIT OF MEASUREMENT OF WINE KARASES IN KINGDOM OF VAN

In the Ancient Near East, pithos of various sizes and capacities were widely used in multiple sectors of the economy. In Egypt, Assyria, the Hittite, and Urartian kingdoms, grain and different agricultural products, especially wine, beer, and oils, were stored in jars. Thousands of potteries were discovered during excavations in Van, Argishtikhinili, Erebuni, Ayanis, Toprak-Kale, Teishebaini, and pre-Hellenistic Artaxata.

Among the archaeological discoveries made in Karmir Bloor, 8 wine cellars founded in the 50s of the last century are very important for studying the economy of the Van kingdom. They contained more than 400 massive clay vessels.[1].

A significant amount of karas, partly from Karmirblur, marked with wedge-shaped or hieroglyphic digital marks, was also found in other Urartian monuments: more than 100 karases were found in the Erebuni[2] cellars, more than 70 in Altyn-Tepe[3], 68 in one of the wine cellars of the western fortress of Argishtikhinili[4], in Ayanis, Adldzhevaz, etc. The largest and good preserved were cellars N 25 and N 28 in Teishebaini, excavated in the 1950s, which contained 82 and 70 karases[5]. All karases are identical in form, but differ in size, which is indicated by the wedge-shaped or hieroglyphic markings in the Urartian measures of liquid volume, “akarki” and “terusi”. Published by B. B. Piotrovsky[6], these inscriptions had a broad variation: from 1 akarki 4½ terusi up to 5 akarki 5 terusi. Cuneiform and hieroglyphic signs were used in parallel, with cuneiform initially written in full, and later in the form of abbreviations of letters.

According to a number of researchers, the pithos discovered in Karmir-Blur were in different workshops, and most likely, they were made by 8 or more masters in Teyshebaini.[7] This proves that the national standardization system was implemented in the cities, which made the economy of the state manageable and accountable, which contributed to its progress.

Comprehensive metrological studies of karases of various capacities, discovered from several archaeological sites, show that they were made according to pre-fixed, standardized sizes. Standardization of ceramic ware by state decree of its main linear dimensions known in the ancient world. This is how the government achieved the unification of container volumes both for storing stocks of products and for their transportation and sale. As is evident from the Thasian decree of the second half of the 5th century BC, the standardization of the production of Thasian pithos to achieve uniformity and volumes was strictly regulated by the state by decreeing the sizes in units of length measures—dactyls (fingers)[8]. The red-glazed, spherical, three-leafed rimmed jugs with one handle (Oinochoia), found in several Urartian archaeological sites, also meet the standards. They were intended for serving wine and are almost identical in size. Thus, there is reason to believe that the origins of standardization of ancient pottery production originated in the Ancient Near East.

It is known that in the case of a reduction in the size of ceramics of different groups as a result of drying and firing, it is on average 8–12%. Probably, the potter was given two different sizes: a preliminary one, which the master had to use as a guide when forming the product, and a final one, to which the final dimensions of the product had to correspond. Moreover, it was impossible to produce pithos of such volumes in ideal standard sizes, and it was obvious that karases needed to be labeled with an indication of their capacity. Hieroglyphic and cuneiform inscriptions were made only after the jars were fired, transferred to the cellar, and filled with wine[9][10]. This is also evidenced by the fact that the inscriptions on the karases were carved into vessels that were already half buried in the ground so that they would be visible when walking through the depths of the wine cellar[11]. It should be noted that the dimensions of the jugs are indicated three times, the difference between which reaches several terusi.

According to B. Piotrovsky, 1 “akarki” was equal to 250 liters, and “terusi” was equal to ⅒ of “akarki”. Marking of the capacity on the karasakh is slightly different from each other. Probably, 1 “akarki” was divided into 10 “terusi”, based on the hypothesis that the Urartian number system was based on the decimal system[12]. Brashinsky believed that the simplest solution to the problem was metrological calculations since any measurement of volume is based on cubic units of some basic measure of length[13] (for example, the Phoenician kor is the volume of three cubic cubits, the Urartian cubit /53.1 cm/).

The cellars of Karmir Blur contained about 400,000 liters of wine /1,500 akarki/, which is a very impressive figure by the standards of the ancient world. The cellars of the monument surpass all the wine cellars of the Urartian period excavated to date, even near Manazkert, in an inscription erected by Menua, where a wine warehouse with 900 “akarki” is mentioned.

The fact of state standardization of pottery production in the Kingdom of Van is of great interest, especially in the context of studying the origins of standardization in general and its influence on the development of subsequent civilizations.

[gallery ids="2477,2483,2474,2486,2480,2471"]

[1] B. B. Piotrovskiu, Kingdom of Van, М., 1959, pp. 145—147; same author, City of God Teisheba, С А, 1959, No 2, p. 172.

[2] Demskaya D., Erebuni Storerooms, “Communication of the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts”, issue IV, 1968, 176-182.

[3] Özgüç, T., Altintepe II, Ankara, 1969.

[4] A. A. Martirosyan, Excavations of Argishtikhinili, SA, 1967, No. 4, p. 228; cf. also, On the socio-economic structure of the city of Argishtikhinili, SA, 1972, No. 3, p. 46.

[5] B. B. Piotrovsky, Karmir-blur, II, Yerevan, 1952, pp. 16-40.

[6] B.B. Piotrovsky, Wedge-shaped Urartian inscriptions from excavations at Karmir-blur in 1954, – “Epigraphy of the East”, XI, 1956, p. 81

[7] Ghasabyan Z. “Historical and Philological Journal”, 1959, No. 4, p. 213.

[8] I. Brashiisky, Methodology for studying standards of ancient Greek ceramic containers, S. A., 1976, No. 3,

[9] Ghazabyan 1959, 215.

[10] B. B. Piotrovsky, Karmir-blur, III, p. 23.

[11] B. B. Piotrovsky, Karmir-blur, II, p. 65.

[12] M. A. Israelyan. Clarifications on the reading of Urartian inscriptions, I. On the Urartian number system, “Ancient East”, 2, p. 116.

[13] I. B. Brashiisky, Urartian karases, “Historical and Philological Journal”, Yerevan 1978, p. 152.

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23 January, 2025
WINE IN THE CULTURE OF CLASSICAL ARMENIA

It is known that winemaking and viticulture occupied a special place in the material and spiritual culture of the Hellenistic world, where creativity associated with wine is limitless. The influence of this culture, emphasized by local form, is also noticeable in Armenia.

Wine as a commercial commodity was made in ancient Armenia in large quantities and exported to the global markets. It is not incidental that wine from the “land of Armens” was in great demand during Herodotus’s times. He tells us that merchants transported red wine made in Armenia in karases (pithoi) down the rivers Euphrates and Tigris to Babylon. According to Strabo, there were fertile valleys in Armenia: Araks and Utik[1]. In the 4th century CE, the demand for Armenian wines was so high that the city of Vagharshapat became a center of the wine trade, as evidenced by the “Babylonian Gemara”[2].

Several important international trade transit routes passed through Armenia, both from China, Central Asia, and Northern India to the West, from the south to Mesopotamia, Syria, to the north, and the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. The cities of Armenia were mainly located on strategic trade routes and took an active part in this trade with their products.

Utensils for preserving and using wine are of great interest: clay karases of varying sizes, pitchers, goblets, rhytons, and ritual and utility items of bronze, silverware, and glassware were all discovered during excavations at various sites. Below we will consider some of them.

Thanks to archaeological research in Garni, Armavir, Artashat, and Sisian, it became possible to get acquainted with the toreutics of ancient Armenia. Armenia is one of the oldest cradles of metalworking, therefore artistic metalworking has been known since centuries immemorial. In this context the princely tomb excavated near the city of Sisian in the 1970s is remarkable. Without going deep in detail about the significance of the tomb within the study of the culture of Classical Armenia, we will note that, along with several objects, three silver bowls were discovered here, intended, for serving wine. The bowls differ little from each other in size. The rims of the vessels widen inward and become rounded. One of the bowls is distinguished by its luxurious decoration, and its surface is divided into eight equal parts, the first four of which are decorated with decorative flutes, and the remaining four with pointed, elongated leaves, probably Sagittaria and stylized grape vines. Similar hemispherical bowls, considered Hellenistic, were found in Avshan in southwestern Armenia[3]. Bowls of this type were used in sacred ceremonies dedicated to the gods. Of particular note is the silver bowl found in the tomb, which, instead of plant-geometric images, has a unique Aramaic inscription. From the inscription it becomes clear that one of the princes of Syunik was buried in the tomb, probably Pitiakhsh[4] (governor of the province), the name has been preserved, as well as additional information about the units of weight of ancient Armenia. “This cup belongs to Araxszat, the weight of the silver is 100 drachmas.” The Aramaic inscription in its written form is related to the Aramaic traditions of Northern Mesopotamia[5]. The appearance of such a font in Armenia occurred in the 1st century BC during the reign of Tigran II. The same style of writing is used in Aramaic inscriptions on a glass spoon and a lapis lazuli plate discovered on the first hill of Artashat, which date back to the 1st century BC[6][7]. According to researchers, the name Araxszat mentioned in the inscription on the bowl is the name of the cup’s owner, which is encountered for the first time. The materials of the tomb in Sisian once again testify that one of the four military leaders, in the eastern part, was the prince of Syunik. The name Araxszat is translated as “born under the protection of the gods.”

The next evidence related to wine is known from excavations in the capital of Artashat – these are exclusive gold earrings depicting women’s faces. The earrings were discovered in the 1980s during excavations of a rock-cut tomb on top of a hill called “Golden Hill,” located in the northwestern part of the city. These are earrings depicting Maenads. It is known that Maenads were companions and admirers of Dionysus, the god of viticulture and winemaking in Greek mythology. Dionysus often appears surrounded by a jubilant crowd of Maenads and Satyrs. Around him, singing and shouting, dancing, young Maenads circle, tailed and goat-legged Satyrs jump, drunk with wine. The retinue ends with the old man Silenus, the wise teacher of Dionysus, who is very drunk. He sits on a donkey, leaning on a wineskin placed close to him.

Among the dozens of clay figurines found in Artashat, the figurine depicting a seated old man deserves special attention. Round head, bearded face, dense figure with pronounced muscles on the chest and stomach. With his right hand, he was hugging some object, perhaps a vessel or a wineskin. All this conveys the characteristic image of Silenus, who in Greek mythology is considered the mentor and teacher of Dionysus. Here, it is also necessary to mention the preserved head of a small clay statuette (height 5 cm), accidentally found in the city of Vagharshapat, depicting Dionysus. The statutes are exhibited in the History Museum of Armenia. A very interesting clay jug with the image of Dionysus is exhibited in the Shirak local history museum, it was discovered during the excavation in Benjamin and dates back to the 1st century AD. Here the deity is presented in a very interesting form: his face and hands were plastered to the inner side of the pitcher immediately after its manufacture, creating the impression that Dionysus is trying to get out of the vessel.

It is noteworthy that the historian of the 10th century Tovma Artsruni mentioned the sanctuary of Dionysus, built by King Artashes I in the province of Pokr Agbak of the principality of Korchayk of Greater Armenia[8]. Artashes I attached great importance to the development of horticulture and viticulture[9]. He planted “groves of lush trees, vineyards and various fruits” in the southern suburbs of the city of Van[10].

Of interest are three bear-shaped vessels found in Armenia, one of which was excavated in the Vayots Dzor region and the other two in different areas of the capital Artashat. The zoomorphic vessel from Vayots Dzor is similar to the vessel found in the room of the crafts quarter on the 8th hill of Artashat, with some differences in size and decor. The vessels are associated with the serving of wine and date back to the 1st-2nd centuries AD.

Excavations of monuments of the classical period of Armenia – Armavir, Garni, Artashat, and other places – testify to the great influence of the ancient period and, in particular, the Hellenistic world from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD on Armenian culture.

Thus, in the countries covered by Hellenistic cultural circles, including Armenia, several cultural communities emerged that were not so much borrowings as the fact of the existence of a certain common artistic atmosphere that formed a unique region that existed throughout the Hellenistic East.

[gallery columns="4" ids="2429,2432,2444,2450,2435,2441,2438,2447"]

[1] Strabo 1964, II, I, 14.

[2] Gasparyan B., Vine and Wine, Yerevan 2005, p. 145.

[3] Mithcell St., Asvan Kale, Anatolian studies, vol. XXIII, 1973, fg. 23, 3

[4]  Khachatryan Zh., The Tomb of Sisian, NAS RA “Gitutyun” publishing house, Yerevan, 2009.

[5] Perikhanyan A., Aramaic inscription on a silver bowl from Sisian, IFJ 1971, N3, p. 78-81.

[6] Khachatryan Zh.D., Glassmaking in Ancient Armenia, IFZ, 1971, N3, pp. 78-81.

[7] B. N. Arakelian, Artashat I, Main results of excavations 1970-1977, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1982.

[8] Tovma Artsruni, 1985, I, 8, 91.

[9] Palandjyan R., Archaeological finds related to winemaking in Ancient Armenia from Vayots Dzor, IAE, Yerevan 2023.

[10] Tovma Artsruni, 1985, I,7, 8, 85, 87-89.

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