Journal | Armeniaca
Journal issue | 2 | 2023
Research Article | Villaggi, fortezze, ‘città’: vivere in Armenia e dintorni nell’Età del Bronzo e del Ferro
Villaggi, fortezze, ‘città’: vivere in Armenia e dintorni nell’Età del Bronzo e del Ferro
Abstract
This article aims to provide a general overview of settlement patterns in Armenia and neighbouring areas from the Early Bronze Age to Early Hellenistic times. The southern Caucasus presents unique features. For those approaching the subject for the first time, this paper aims to summarise the primary evidence for the development and transformation of the human landscape. Starting from the 4th millennium BC, it is possible to trace the outlines of a general process of sedentarisation of communities on the highlands, which took different forms and characteristics. Mobile villages dominated the Bronze Age settlement structure. By the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the highlands were characterised by a general development of fortified settlements, generally referred to as ‘cyclopean fortresses’, which will also be one of the main features of the later Kingdom of Urartu. Following the two centuries of Achaemenid rule, with its elusive settlement pattern, the last centuries of the 1st millennium saw the spread of Greek culture following the conquests of Alexander the Great and his successors. With the creation of large urban sites based on Hellenistic models, the concept and structure of the Mediterranean city spread across Armenia and adjacent areas.
Submitted: April 1, 2023 | Accepted: July 20, 2023 | Published Nov. 22, 2023 | Language: it
Keywords City • Armenia • Fortress • Iron Age • Hellenistic period • Bronze Age
Copyright © 2023 Manuel Castelluccia. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
