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Slide 1․ Good afternoon, everyone, my name is Avetis Grigoryan, I am from Armenia, Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences and an applicant from the same institute. I am going to defend a PhD dissertation dedicated to the medieval archaeology of the Lake Sevan basin. The title of my report was Sailing and Communication Networks on Lakes Sevan and Van during Medieval Period. Slide 2․ During the report I will return Monasteries of Lake Van and History of Sailing, Monasteries of Lake Sevan and History of Sailing, Sailing in Armenian medieval miniatures. Then I will present Lake Sevan in 20th century paintings, Then I will introduce the results of new archeological excavations on the shores of Lake Sevan, and at the end I will draw some conclusions․ Slide 3․ On this map we see the Van and Sevan Lakes, which my report is about, as well as the location of our conference in Vardzian. Slide 4․ In the next map we see Lake Van and the 4 islands of the lake, where are preserved medieval monastic complexes. Slide 5․ Archaeological studies show that sailing in Lake Van has a long history, starting at the latest from the 8th century BC, from the time of the Urartian kingdom․ Slide 6․ According to medieval Armenian historians, particularly Tovma Artsruni, navigation in Lake Van lived a great ascent in the 10th century. Slide 7․ King Gagik Artsruni built a port on Akhtamar Island of Lake Van, which had strong walls and doors, which was one of the best engineering structures in the world at that time. Slide 8․ According to the historian, King Gagik builds fortress about 1 km long and 4 m high in Akhtamar․ Slide 9-11․ In 921, King Gagik's courtier architect Manuel built the Holy Cross Church. Slide 12-13․ Gagik built a city on the Island and his luxurious palace․ Slide 14․ A high relief of King Gagiks is preserved on the wall of the church․ Slide 15․ The love story of a girl and a boy who lived in Akhtamar Island on Lake Van in the Middle Ages is one of the most beautiful folk romances in Armenia, at the end of which, unfortunately, the boy drowns in the water. Slide 16-19․ The next Island in Lake Van, famous for its monastic complex, was Ktuts Island. Slide 20-21․ In Armenian, the word ʺKtutsʺ means ʺbeakʺ. Slide 22-23․ Next is Lim Island, north of Lake Van. There was also a famous medieval monastic complex here. Slide 24-26․ The smallest island of Lake Van is Arter․ Slide 27․ In the Middle Ages, there were ports for small boats on all 4 Islands of Lake Van, and in large coastal settlements and cities. Slide 28․ Here, in boat made like a medieval rowing boat, we see archaeologist, Honored Scientist of the Georgian SSR Smbat Ter-Avetisyan, who studied the archeological monuments of the Lake Van basin in the early 20th century. Slide 29․ Now let's move on to Lake Sevan. On the map you can see the medieval castles, monastic complexes surrounding Lake Sevan, the recently discovered sunken boat from the bottom of the lake, the anchors of the boats and the place of our excavations on the shore of the lake in 2021. Slide 30․ The history and archeology of the Sevan basin have been studied by many scholars. In that row I want to mention the names of Yervand Lalayan and Levon Melikset-Bek, who were one of the first. Lalayan, who was active in science in Tbilisi, excavated about 500 tombs in the Sevan basin, and Melikset-Bek led a Georgian expedition to study the Sevan basin. Slide 31․ This picture shows the island of Lake Sevan and the famous monastery there. Slide 32-33․ From the Middle Ages to the 20th century, similar boats sailed on Lake Sevan. Slide 34-46․ There were 9 monastic complexes on the shores of Lake Sevan in the Middle Ages. These were Makenyats Vank, Sevanavank, Vanevank, Mastuts monastery, Kotavank, Hayravank, Gandzavank and Ada Monastery. There was active navigation between monasteries, coastal settlements and castles․ Slide 47-48․ One of the most memorable episodes in the medieval history of Lake Sevan Basin is the war of liberation of the Zakaryan brothers with the Armenian-Georgian joint army at the beginning of the 13th century. Slide 49-51․ In the Middle Ages, the Sevan basin was as well as surrounded by impregnable fortresses. They controlled the Dvin-Partav road passing through that area, which was one of the branches of the Great Silk Road. Slide 52-56․ The coastal castles, monasteries, and boats on Lake Sevan have been depicted many times in 19th-20th century paintings. Slide 57-59․ Studies show that a large number of pictures of boats have been preserved in Armenian medieval manuscripts. Slide 60-63․ Lets now reflect to the 2021 excavations on the shores of Lake Sevan. It turned out that here was an ancient sanctuary in the Bronze-Iron Age. A dragon stone monument was placed here, on which a khachkar was carved in the 10th century, and a small church was built on the khachkar in the 14th-15th centuries. Slide 64-66․ During the excavations, various finds were discovered, of course, mainly pottery․ Slide 67-68․ The anchors of boats found on different shores of Lake Sevan are interesting for the study of medieval navigation. The anchors are small, about 3 kg, and this shows that the boats were mostly small. Slide 69-70․ One of these boats was recently discovered during underwater research. Radiocarbon analysis revealed that we were dealing with a 17th-20th century finds. Slide 71․ In conclusion, we can say that navigation in Lakes Sevan and Van has existed since Urartian times, but reached its peak of development in the Middle Ages. Small boats were used for navigation and new excavations and studies in the future may reveal more interesting details about medieval navigation in these two lakes. Slide 72․ Thank you for your attention and patience․ If you have any questions, I will try to answer them․