0:00:21.154,0:00:27.288 I'm very excited to be here,[br]proud to be speaking at TEDxYerevan today. 0:00:28.828,0:00:32.296 My topic today is archaeological tourism, 0:00:32.296,0:00:36.676 which I think has tremendous potential,[br]tremendous potential for Armenia. 0:00:38.535,0:00:41.656 Now don't guess what this picture is, [br]don't think about this picture. 0:00:41.656,0:00:42.990 (Laughter) 0:00:42.990,0:00:45.303 It is not hamburger meat, 0:00:45.303,0:00:48.697 it is nothing worse than hamburger meat, [br]I assure you that. 0:00:48.697,0:00:51.307 More about this picture in a minute. 0:00:51.307,0:00:53.507 What I want to start with is a question, 0:00:53.507,0:00:57.045 to set the concepts [br]for my presentation today. 0:00:57.045,0:01:00.769 The question is this,[br]how long do you think, 0:01:00.769,0:01:05.752 how many years do you think, [br]soft tissue, tissue from a body, 0:01:05.752,0:01:10.401 can last in an archaeological setting [br]in a cave. 0:01:10.401,0:01:12.540 How many years? 0:01:12.850,0:01:15.556 My friend Boris Gasparyan, 0:01:15.556,0:01:18.876 who runs the archaeological institute [br]here, he's here today, 0:01:18.876,0:01:24.019 tells me that soft tissue normally[br]can last about 500-600 years 0:01:24.019,0:01:28.058 in an archaeological setting. 0:01:28.058,0:01:30.920 So you can imagine his surprise 0:01:30.920,0:01:35.486 when Boris and his team open up a skull, 0:01:35.486,0:01:40.343 that they found at an archaeological site [br]here in Armenia, 0:01:40.343,0:01:47.136 and out drops brain tissue. [br]Brain tissue from a skull 0:01:47.136,0:01:51.959 that Boris and his team found [br]in the Areni Cave in Vayots Dzor Marz 0:01:51.959,0:01:54.402 here in Armenia. 0:01:54.402,0:02:01.605 And they found this skull [br]on the six thousand year level. 0:02:01.605,0:02:05.809 So what does that mean? [br]That means that this brain tissue 0:02:05.809,0:02:11.615 that normally would only last about [br]500, 600 years in such a setting, 0:02:11.615,0:02:18.440 somehow lasted six thousand years [br]in the Areni cave. 0:02:18.440,0:02:21.650 There’s something really unique [br]happening here in Armenia, 0:02:21.650,0:02:24.147 and the Armenian people [br]need to know about it; 0:02:24.147,0:02:28.266 the world needs to know about it. 0:02:28.956,0:02:32.959 So how do we, how does our media [br]take better advantage 0:02:32.959,0:02:36.340 of these archaeological sites, [br]and archaeological treasures, 0:02:36.340,0:02:40.189 both in the area [br]of education and research, 0:02:40.189,0:02:44.398 but also in economics and tourism? 0:02:44.608,0:02:47.282 So we have some tourists here, 0:02:47.282,0:02:49.430 standing in the entrance of Areni cave. 0:02:49.430,0:02:54.355 Well, actually a handsome man [br]in the middle is Boris, and not a tourist. 0:02:54.555,0:02:56.555 So we have these tourists standing 0:02:56.555,0:03:00.425 at the entrance to the Areni cave [br]on this dirt path. 0:03:01.255,0:03:04.605 But what do you see [br]in front of that dirt pathway? 0:03:04.605,0:03:07.932 You see various vessels and artifacts, 0:03:07.932,0:03:12.161 that I understand are about [br]5000 years old, maybe 5500. 0:03:13.742,0:03:17.680 So the danger is that everybody [br]that walks on that pathway 0:03:17.680,0:03:23.645 is going to damage [br]some of these artifacts below. 0:03:23.645,0:03:29.167 One possible solution is [br]to install an elevated walkway 0:03:29.167,0:03:32.993 along the wall behind those tourists, 0:03:32.993,0:03:38.409 and more about that elevated walkway [br]in a minute. 0:03:42.659,0:03:46.688 5500 year old shoe from the Areni Cave 0:03:46.688,0:03:52.334 is currently on exhibit[br]at the History Museum here in Yerevan. 0:03:52.334,0:03:54.811 Now, Nike Shoe Company [br]does not know about this shoe yet, 0:03:54.811,0:03:56.047 (Laughter) 0:03:56.047,0:03:58.087 and I think when Nike finds out [br]about this shoe, 0:03:58.087,0:04:00.411 it’s going to make a great commercial. 0:04:00.411,0:04:01.871 But most Armenians [br]know about this shoe. 0:04:01.871,0:04:07.970 But the shoe is really something [br]much more than a single artifact 0:04:07.970,0:04:14.053 that brings a few hundred more people [br]to the History Museum every year. 0:04:14.053,0:04:16.772 If you go to the source of this shoe,[br]to the Areni Cave, 0:04:16.772,0:04:22.000 you will really see, experience, [br]and feel something really amazing. 0:04:22.821,0:04:24.484 Here’s Dina, I think she’s here today. 0:04:24.484,0:04:28.542 Here’s Dina. [br]Dina’s on the research team here. 0:04:28.542,0:04:31.486 She’s the one, I think it was in 2008, 0:04:31.486,0:04:37.217 who uncovered that shoe in that small pit [br]in the first level of the Areni Cave. 0:04:37.217,0:04:40.845 She uncovered the shoe in 2008, [br]but the cave, the Areni Cave 0:04:40.845,0:04:44.394 has so much more to offer than the shoe, 0:04:44.394,0:04:46.936 and there’s so much in the Areni Cave, 0:04:46.936,0:04:50.442 so much in the cave that [br]hasn’t even been explored yet. 0:04:50.442,0:04:53.881 The potential is really immense. 0:04:54.181,0:04:56.783 In other highlights of the cave, [br]this one’s also pretty well-known. 0:04:56.783,0:05:01.686 This is the 6000 year old [br]wine-making equipment from the cave, 0:05:01.686,0:05:05.275 6000 year old wine vessels. 0:05:05.275,0:05:10.410 And where the white arrow is where [br]the people would stomp on the grapes 0:05:10.410,0:05:13.503 and the juice would run down[br]into that vessel, 0:05:13.503,0:05:15.879 that round vessel in the middle. 0:05:15.879,0:05:17.440 And then the juice would be fermented 0:05:17.440,0:05:21.812 and stored in the vessels [br]along the outside. 0:05:21.812,0:05:23.508 6000 year old equipment. 0:05:23.508,0:05:29.053 That means that these vessels [br]have been there since about 4000 BC. 0:05:29.053,0:05:37.332 4000 BC is 3000 years [br]before ancient Hellenic Greece. 0:05:37.332,0:05:40.731 So that means that in this part [br]of the region, this part of Armenia, 0:05:40.731,0:05:42.917 there was a civilization and culture 0:05:42.917,0:05:48.288 that was sophisticated enough[br]to make wine and to enjoy wine, 0:05:48.288,0:05:54.278 3000 before ancient Hellenic Greece. 0:05:54.278,0:05:57.864 Another wine story from Areni.[br]This is the Zorah wine. 0:05:57.864,0:05:59.988 You probably know [br]Bloomberg recently named 0:05:59.988,0:06:02.956 this Armenian red wine, Zorah wine, 0:06:02.956,0:06:05.488 one of the top ten wines in the world. 0:06:05.488,0:06:12.127 (Applause) 0:06:12.127,0:06:14.640 The vineyard here is [br]in the shadows of the Areni Cave, 0:06:14.640,0:06:18.801 those hills beyond the vineyard[br]is where the Areni Cave is. 0:06:18.801,0:06:25.185 Zorik, the Italian Armenian [br]who runs the vineyard and the winery, 0:06:25.185,0:06:28.856 is committed to making this wine [br]using traditional Armenian methods, 0:06:28.856,0:06:31.367 the grapes and the vessels, [br]the ceramic vessels 0:06:31.367,0:06:34.094 that we saw in the earlier slide. 0:06:34.094,0:06:36.433 Now Zorik is becoming [br]pretty famous now, right? 0:06:36.433,0:06:38.888 He’s got one of the top ten wines [br]in the world. 0:06:38.888,0:06:43.768 So he is often invited now [br]to wine-tasting events all over Europe. 0:06:43.768,0:06:48.064 He goes to these events now, and [br]as soon as these European vintners, 0:06:48.064,0:06:51.633 who've been making wine [br]for generations hear 0:06:51.633,0:06:59.232 that Zorik’s first vintage was in 2010,[br]three years ago, 2010, 0:06:59.232,0:07:05.478 they turn up their nose at this newcomer [br]to the wine-making business. 0:07:05.478,0:07:08.442 Zorik has a response now[br]when he’s teased this way. 0:07:08.442,0:07:13.701 He now says I may be the newest [br]wine-maker in this room today, 0:07:13.701,0:07:21.918 but my next door neighbor in the Areni Cave [br]is the oldest wine-maker in the world. 0:07:21.918,0:07:28.624 (Applause) 0:07:28.624,0:07:30.812 So why don’t more people come here? 0:07:30.812,0:07:33.518 Why aren’t there students, PhD students, 0:07:33.518,0:07:36.582 researchers, and tourists[br]all over this country? 0:07:36.582,0:07:38.920 There’s a lot of reasons, [br]there’s limited access – 0:07:38.920,0:07:42.698 some of these sites are hard to reach, [br]there’s not much promotion going on, 0:07:42.698,0:07:45.122 there’s inadequate resources, [br]there are lots of reasons. 0:07:45.122,0:07:48.794 But one specific reason I want [br]to show with this slide, 0:07:48.794,0:07:51.820 again from the Areni Cave. 0:07:51.082,0:07:53.632 This is also the 6000 year old level. 0:07:53.632,0:07:55.606 I think on the right side of your screen 0:07:55.606,0:07:58.076 you can probably see a couple of vessels 0:07:58.076,0:08:01.339 that are a part of that [br]wine-making equipment. 0:08:01.339,0:08:06.527 But what do you see on the left side [br]of that screen, in that red circle? 0:08:06.527,0:08:13.141 I see a passageway that is [br]totally filled with dirt and rocks. 0:08:13.141,0:08:15.623 There’s no way to know what’s [br]on the other side of that passageway 0:08:15.623,0:08:19.109 because the excavators, [br]the archaeological teams here, 0:08:19.109,0:08:23.744 can’t continue their digging in Areni Cave [br]because they can’t get the dirt out. 0:08:23.744,0:08:25.630 When you dig, [br]you’ve got to do something with the dirt. 0:08:25.630,0:08:29.480 They can't get the dirt out[br]without walking on that pathway 0:08:29.480,0:08:33.475 and damaging those artifacts below. 0:08:33.475,0:08:35.256 I see on the other side of that passageway 0:08:35.256,0:08:37.951 a big cavern with goodness knows[br]what kind of treasures, 0:08:37.951,0:08:41.515 what kind of artifacts there might be [br]on the other end of that pathway. 0:08:41.515,0:08:44.251 But right now we have no way to know 0:08:44.251,0:08:46.977 what’s on the other end [br]of that passageway. 0:08:46.977,0:08:49.561 Armenia needs to fix this, 0:08:49.561,0:08:54.352 and Armenia’s international partners[br]would like to help. 0:08:54.352,0:08:56.831 Here’s Boris again, [br]this is at the institute, 0:08:56.831,0:09:00.008 the Archaeological Institute[br]here in downtown Yerevan. 0:09:00.008,0:09:03.332 And he’s showing off some [br]of the treasures from the Areni Cave. 0:09:03.332,0:09:07.324 In fact, there are hundreds[br]of artifacts and treasures 0:09:07.324,0:09:11.190 that have been excavated[br]from sites all over Armenia, 0:09:11.190,0:09:14.104 that are currently sitting[br]in cardboard boxes and shoe boxes, 0:09:14.104,0:09:17.326 wrapped in tissue paper[br]in warehouses and basements, 0:09:17.326,0:09:20.217 because there’s no place[br]to display these treasures. 0:09:20.217,0:09:21.889 There’s no place to do research on them, 0:09:21.889,0:09:24.224 there’s no place to display[br]them in institutes 0:09:24.224,0:09:27.299 and small buildings in downtown Yerevan. 0:09:27.299,0:09:30.006 So here’s Boris,[br]he’s showing off this textile. 0:09:30.006,0:09:36.704 This is a 6000 year old textile[br]from the Areni Cave. 0:09:36.704,0:09:41.884 It has no business being around [br]so long, six thousand years. 0:09:41.884,0:09:43.610 So he’s describing to his visitors -- 0:09:43.610,0:09:46.664 he’s had some visitors[br]from the Smithsonian Institution 0:09:46.664,0:09:49.420 in Washington, D.C. and [br]Carnegie Corporation in New York, 0:09:49.420,0:09:51.719 some really important[br]potential international partners, 0:09:51.719,0:09:55.739 they are very interested[br]in what the institute is doing. 0:09:55.739,0:09:58.490 So he describes[br]the preserving capabilities of the cave. 0:09:58.490,0:10:10.517 He says the secret is a unique combination[br]of temperature, humidity, and dung. 0:10:10.517,0:10:14.098 Dung, yes, cow and goat dung, 0:10:14.098,0:10:18.893 which apparently has remarkable [br]preservative properties. 0:10:18.893,0:10:22.084 My wife Libby is trying to get Boris [br]to bottle up some of that dung 0:10:22.084,0:10:23.424 (Laughter) 0:10:23.424,0:10:24.674 into a commercial face cream. 0:10:24.674,0:10:26.450 (Laughter) 0:10:26.450,0:10:28.097 We’ll see how that sells, [br]Boris, we’ll see how that sells. 0:10:28.097,0:10:31.544 (Laughter) 0:10:33.694,0:10:37.308 Areni Cave is not alone,[br]there are many sites all over Armenia. 0:10:37.308,0:10:39.446 This is a place called Kakavadzor, 0:10:39.446,0:10:43.244 it’s a newly discovered site, [br]it’s on the road to Gyumri. 0:10:43.244,0:10:45.682 A magnificent open site,[br]it’s a promontory, 0:10:45.682,0:10:47.531 I hope you can see on the picture 0:10:47.531,0:10:50.901 there are magnificent gorges[br]on both sides. 0:10:50.901,0:10:53.692 And the promontory points directly[br]at Mountain Ararat 0:10:53.692,0:10:56.003 a magnificent, a magnificent sight. 0:10:56.003,0:11:01.084 And the promontory [br]is full of dozens of altars 0:11:01.084,0:11:06.896 and different kinds of carved-out beds[br]you can see here. 0:11:06.896,0:11:09.861 Sacrifices, rituals, goodness knows [br]what these were used for 0:11:09.861,0:11:13.001 because this site[br]has not been excavated at all. 0:11:13.001,0:11:14.908 And look at the picture on the right. 0:11:14.908,0:11:20.247 The picture on the right [br]are two magnificent snake petroglyphs 0:11:20.247,0:11:23.671 on flat stone in somebody’s driveway. 0:11:23.671,0:11:27.125 There’s a house at the entrance[br]to this promontory 0:11:27.125,0:11:29.621 and these petroglyphs [br]are sitting right on the ground, 0:11:29.621,0:11:31.323 I guess this guy drives [br]through these things 0:11:31.323,0:11:32.926 on his way to work every day. 0:11:32.926,0:11:37.447 Where else but Armenia would you have [br]two snake petroglyphs, 0:11:37.447,0:11:39.967 from, I don’t know,[br]5500 years old, 0:11:39.967,0:11:43.248 that’s what this site is,[br]in somebody’s driveway. 0:11:43.248,0:11:44.933 It’s really quite, quite amazing. 0:11:44.933,0:11:47.820 So, Kakavadzor, newly discovered site, 0:11:47.820,0:11:51.342 5500 years old, [br]no excavations yet. 0:11:51.342,0:11:55.938 University students, PhD students, [br]universities, all over the world 0:11:55.938,0:11:58.470 would salivate to have a chance[br]to work with the team 0:11:58.470,0:12:02.703 from the institute to excavate this site. 0:12:02.703,0:12:06.152 What can we do to make this happen, [br]how can we make this happen? 0:12:06.152,0:12:09.084 Wait, hold on, there’s more. 0:12:09.084,0:12:13.260 I hope you can see this picture. [br]This site is in Armavir Marz. 0:12:13.260,0:12:17.815 Some of us recently visited this site, [br]it’s from Google Earth, 0:12:17.815,0:12:19.779 the picture is from thousands of feet up, 0:12:19.779,0:12:22.537 I don’t know how far away the camera is. 0:12:22.537,0:12:25.235 So you can tell this is a huge structure, 0:12:25.235,0:12:31.051 a tremendous structure, stone structure. [br]4500 years old or so. 0:12:31.051,0:12:34.321 It’s used for hunting,[br]or was used for hunting. 0:12:34.321,0:12:40.897 You can maybe see on the right side [br]of your screen an opening 0:12:40.897,0:12:46.473 which is where the people would entice[br]or drive the animals into that opening. 0:12:46.473,0:12:52.132 The animals would instinctively [br]run along the inside of that stone wall 0:12:52.132,0:12:57.928 and at this point on the left side [br]of your screen there’s a big pit. 0:12:57.928,0:13:01.017 Animals fall into the pit, whalla, dinner. 0:13:01.017,0:13:04.199 This is a hunting structure[br]from 4500 years old 0:13:04.199,0:13:07.291 on a hillside in Armavir Marz. 0:13:07.291,0:13:10.563 There are also petroglyphs all over. 0:13:10.563,0:13:13.761 As exciting as this site is to see, 0:13:13.761,0:13:15.640 there’s something[br]even more exciting about it. 0:13:15.640,0:13:22.205 This site and the analysis of this site[br]is changing the way, 0:13:22.205,0:13:26.972 changing the conversation among[br]anthropologists and archaeologists 0:13:26.972,0:13:31.272 about the origin of human communities. [br]It’s a pretty big deal. 0:13:31.272,0:13:34.184 Why did people come together[br]into communities or villages, 0:13:34.184,0:13:37.105 why did they start working together? 0:13:37.105,0:13:40.460 The traditional thought is maybe [br]it was the introduction of agriculture. 0:13:40.460,0:13:46.584 It caused hunters and gatherers[br]to come together into a village. 0:13:46.584,0:13:47.933 But this demonstration, 0:13:47.933,0:13:51.536 this was before the introduction [br]of agriculture in this region, 0:13:51.536,0:13:55.178 this demonstrates that people worked [br]together on communal projects 0:13:55.178,0:13:57.613 in communities of one sort or another, 0:13:57.613,0:14:02.291 before the introduction of agriculture [br]is changing, potentially changing, 0:14:02.291,0:14:03.876 a revolutionary idea, [br]changing the way 0:14:03.876,0:14:07.622 anthropologists are looking [br]at this really important point. 0:14:07.622,0:14:15.001 And this site is right in our backyard.[br]in Armavir Marz. 0:14:15.001,0:14:19.267 There are many other sites, [br]there’s Ukhtasar mountain, 0:14:19.267,0:14:22.113 there’s Sisian,[br]magnificent petroglyphs all over, 0:14:22.113,0:14:25.024 just to demonstrate again [br]that the potential is enormous. 0:14:25.024,0:14:26.455 There are sites all over Armenia, 0:14:26.455,0:14:28.866 a dozen or so [br]that are being worked on now, 0:14:28.866,0:14:31.436 many more than that [br]not being worked on. 0:14:31.436,0:14:35.485 The potential is really enormous. 0:14:36.055,0:14:39.287 So here’s my challenge,[br]the challenge is the Embassy, 0:14:39.287,0:14:44.068 we’ve just now received [br]from Washington about $50,000 0:14:44.068,0:14:47.740 to begin work on Areni Cave,[br]working with the Institute. 0:14:47.740,0:14:50.183 We’re going to put a perimeter fence, 0:14:50.183,0:14:52.836 protective fence,[br]around the outside of the cave, 0:14:52.836,0:14:56.855 we’re going to begin to install[br]that elevated walkway 0:14:56.855,0:14:59.331 that we talked about on that earlier slide. 0:14:59.436,0:15:03.617 Hopefully it will improve access[br]to the cave, 0:15:03.617,0:15:06.788 and that’s a start. 0:15:06.798,0:15:12.751 (Applause) 0:15:12.751,0:15:15.619 Get more tourists in to appreciate[br]the sites and the cave, 0:15:15.619,0:15:18.946 maybe bring more resources[br]to the institute, 0:15:18.946,0:15:21.905 and allow the resumption [br]of the excavation, 0:15:21.905,0:15:26.647 so we can get the dirt out and see what’s [br]on the other end of that passageway. 0:15:26.647,0:15:29.150 So it’s a start. 0:15:29.150,0:15:32.118 There’s another important partner [br]that’s been working with the Institute, 0:15:32.118,0:15:34.406 Michael Gfoeller, [br]who’s here today with us, 0:15:34.406,0:15:36.279 a retired US Ambassador, 0:15:36.279,0:15:37.583 he was the Deputy Ambassador. 0:15:37.583,0:15:42.205 (Applause) 0:15:42.205,0:15:45.685 He was number two here at the US Embassy[br]back in the late 1990s, 0:15:45.685,0:15:49.375 and since he left Armenia,[br]he and his brother Joe 0:15:49.375,0:15:53.373 have been raising funds[br]for archaeological digs 0:15:53.373,0:15:56.101 in the Republic of Armenia. 0:15:56.101,0:16:01.579 (Applause) 0:16:01.579,0:16:04.026 But they really have been [br]virtually alone in this effort. 0:16:04.026,0:16:07.303 There really is nobody else, [br]who has been working insistently 0:16:07.303,0:16:13.805 to support and work with the Institute [br]and Boris and his team on his digs. 0:16:13.805,0:16:15.822 Other countries about the size of Armenia, 0:16:15.822,0:16:19.810 Israel and Cyprus, even little Malta, 0:16:19.810,0:16:22.089 have done some pretty good work 0:16:22.089,0:16:24.921 to excavate their sites [br]and conserve their sites 0:16:24.921,0:16:27.524 and promote their sites[br]for education and tourism. 0:16:27.524,0:16:33.830 Why not Armenia? Why not Armenia? 0:16:34.400,0:16:37.722 So how can we help? 0:16:37.722,0:16:39.556 The Institute is working[br]with traditional partners, 0:16:39.556,0:16:41.844 with Embassies and[br]international organizations 0:16:41.844,0:16:44.132 and foundations and universities. 0:16:44.132,0:16:46.420 And again, making a bit of a start, 0:16:46.420,0:16:48.785 doing some important good work. 0:16:48.785,0:16:53.700 But there are lots of platforms out there,[br]new creative platforms, 0:16:53.700,0:16:56.137 where individuals can contribute [br]to efforts like this. 0:16:56.137,0:16:57.970 In fact, Armenia doesn’t make [br]very good use 0:16:57.970,0:16:59.803 of any of these platforms right now. 0:16:59.803,0:17:01.638 There’s huge potential for Armenia. 0:17:01.638,0:17:06.118 Crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, [br]microloans, social entrepreneurship, 0:17:06.118,0:17:09.640 huge potential including [br]in this area of archaeology. 0:17:09.640,0:17:12.685 And there’s one site that I gather [br]is about to do a campaign, 0:17:12.685,0:17:17.298 hopefully pretty soon, in archaeology, [br]a crowdfunding platform. 0:17:17.298,0:17:19.146 So my plea to you today, 0:17:19.146,0:17:21.957 I hope that everybody today[br]will be leaving Tumo Center, 0:17:21.957,0:17:25.185 they will all be committed [br]to doing what we can 0:17:25.185,0:17:26.800 through our organizations, 0:17:26.800,0:17:30.461 or individually, through one [br]of these crowdfunding sites, 0:17:30.461,0:17:33.983 to bring these archaeological [br]treasures to light 0:17:33.983,0:17:38.587 and to show off Armenia [br]as an archaeological treasure. 0:17:38.587,0:17:42.544 Armenia is starting to do some good work [br]in promoting its religious sites, 0:17:42.544,0:17:45.154 its historic sites, its cultural sites. 0:17:45.154,0:17:48.973 Why not the archaeological sites? 0:17:48.973,0:17:52.101 So again, I hope when we leave here 0:17:52.101,0:17:54.739 we do more than just imagine [br]all the great stuff 0:17:54.739,0:17:56.206 that you can see at the Areni Cave. 0:17:56.206,0:18:00.388 I hope we can go out and [br]we see it ourselves. 0:18:00.388,0:18:02.124 And I hope even more importantly 0:18:02.124,0:18:04.019 that we bring that story to the world. 0:18:04.019,0:18:05.237 Thank you very much. 0:18:05.237,0:18:09.237 (Applause)