In these circumstances there was clearly no possibility of using aerial survey for exploratory research, or for better locating and providing context for the vast number of archaeological sites and find-scatters already known to Armenian science. Nor could this technique, widely used in Western countries, help Armenia’s overworked rescue archaeologists to deal with the impact of building development, road construction and the like.

After a decade of crisis and stagnation following the collapse of the USSR, it became obvious that the philosophy and methods of Soviet times could not be restored or applied in the new conditions. Modern realities urged Armenian scientists to fill the gap created during the previous 70 years and to alleviate the destructive consequences of recent years. Seeking ways to resolve this problem, Dr. Hayk Hakobyan, Scientific Secretary of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, engaged the support of the Armenian Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations. The Federation helped him with communications and, more importantly, put him in contact with light-aircraft pilots who shared his vision of introducing aerial archaeology in Armenia.

However, it was obvious that local means and resources would not suffice. Foreign support and advice were required in virtually all areas, starting with training and professional guidance and ending with the funding necessary to launch such a project.

Fortunately, there was a positive and friendly response to initial contacts with members of the Aerial Archaeology Research Group (AARG). Originally founded in the United Kingdom, AARG is now a world-wide organisation. An informal reconnaissance visit to Armenia by Rog Palmer - one of Britain’s leading experts in aerial archaeology and the editor of AARGnews magazine - resulted in a joint presentation with Hayk Hakobyan at a NATO-sponsored Advanced Research Workshop at Leszno, Poland in November 2000 (link to publication 1). The visit also led to the idea of a joint project for teaching and research using aerial archaeology. This eventually became Wings over Armenia.

In the following year the UK Association for Cultural Exchange (ACE) and AARG provided funding for the initial aerial archaeology training course which took place in Yerevan in October 2001. Conducted by Rog Palmer, it provided an introduction to the basics of air photo interpretation and mapping for ten Armenian scientists and students. (link to partners)

Wings over Armenia in 2002
In 2002, ACE and the British Academy funded the launch of Wings over Armenia. The project aim is to support Armenian science and the introduction and development of aerial archaeology in Armenia. The first stage of the project took place in June 2002 when Rog Palmer and Hayk Hakobyan conducted ground reconnaissance of an area identified for study from the air. The aerial exploration itself was planned to take place in late-September and October 2002. At the time, Wings over Armenia had virtually no equipment to carry out its intended work. Fortunately the project was discovered by the British Council, an organization disseminating the United Kingdom’s experience and creative vision in science, arts and education. The British Council Office in Yerevan responded generously to a plea for funding and enabled the scientists to acquire a two-person paramotor (powered parawing) for aerial exploration.

Wings over Armenia is a pioneering programme within the states of the former Soviet Union. Its first stage will include systematic aerial survey and photography of the Kasach gorge area - 400 sq km of foothills and plains 20 km northwest of Yerevan. The project area includes known sites dating back as far as the Bronze Age, along with features such as field systems and road networks that can be effectively recorded from the air. Another element of the programme will be field visits to possible sites detected on 1970s satellite imagery [links to publications in AARGnews and Eurisy], and during the project’s own aerial survey. Results from Wings over Armenia will thus add immediately to the knowledge already known to Armenian archaeologists through field investigation and excavation.

Aerial photographs taken during this first programme of survey will be used to:

• supplement knowledge about known sites;
• record new archaeological sites and landscapes;
• geo-reference and map the recorded features; and
• establish the beginnings of an archive of Armenian aerial imagery.

Immediate aims
From 2002, Wings over Armenia will strive to achieve the following objectives.
Acquisition of hardware and development of software to allow a continuing programme of aerial archaeology research in Armenia.
Creation of a team of specialist archaeologists, pilots and technical staff to continue and develop the project’s work in the longer term.
Establishment of a functioning archive of aerial photographs, databases and associated information for exchange with other archaeologists and colleagues in related disciplines.
Production of a documentary film on Wings over Armenia, presenting all aspect of the project for a world-wide audience.

Longer-term aims
Successful implementation of the project will introduce to Armenia new techniques of aerial survey and the interpretation of satellite imagery. These, combined with use of computer applications and specialist software, will result in new forms of cost-effective exploration and recording, to supplement traditional methods both for research and for conservation of the Armenian cultural heritage.

Education will be an essential element of this innovative project. An understanding of the techniques and potential of aerial survey in archaeological research and landscape analysis will become a special feature of teaching in the Department of History at Yerevan State University.

A significant amount of the acquired data - aerial images, interpretations, transcriptions and analyses - will be published on the Internet so as to be readily accessible to scholars everywhere.

Aerial photographs, especially when combined with maps of appropriate scales, will allow the more accurate location and depiction of both known and new sites, thereby helping the work of scientists concerned with archaeological records and conservation in Armenia. This may be of special importance when assessing the effects of modern landuse on protected sites.

Following the developing practice of western European countries, the project will also record landscapes of the recent past and present day for the benefit of the future citizens of Armenia.

Results
The project will result in the following achievements and realities:

• A functioning library/archive/database of aerial imagery serving the needs of Armenian society and providing open access for science, governmental structures and non-governmental organizations.
• A low-cost flying programme using military pilots and the project’s own paramotor to overcome the restricted availability of official airfields and civilian aircraft.
• A steadily developing educational programme of aerial archaeology, establishing European scientific standards for practicing archaeologists and students at Yerevan State University.
• A growing social awareness of the importance of aerial survey for related sciences, local government and for protection of the natural and historical environments.
• A growing appreciation of the archaeology, history and culture of Armenia, both for Armenian citizens and for others with a cultural or historical link with the country.

• Negatives of high-resolution US CORONA satellite images, already purchased and printed as enlargements for stereoscopic examination, have also been scanned for use on-screen. Known sites are clearly visible and provide a key for the identification of about 200 possible sites, some of which will be checked in the field as well as being targeted for low-level oblique photography. References
• Pilots and archaeologists will develop and refine techniques of reconnaissance and recording suitable for the Armenian terrain and for use of the project’s paramotor.
• Conditions for observation of the Armenian landscape are at an optimum in October when the first systematic survey of the Kasach gorge area will be undertaken to provide photographs of known and new sites and landscapes.
• Use of fast-processed colour prints and video sequences will provide information that can be discussed between the Armenian and British participants. Both will also be used in the programme of field visits and in creation of the project’s web site. More detailed interpretation and mapping of new sites will take place later in the year.
• Other photographs and satellite images that are, or may be, available in Armenia should also be examined as a continuing part of this new programme of aerial research. The Department of Geology at the National Academy of Sciences holds vertical photographs at 1:8000 and 1:35000 and it is hoped that these will eventually become available for use within the project. In the Kasach gorge area most sites consist of above-ground structures which may well include types not yet recognised by Armenian archaeologists. Recording and mapping these features will help the study of past landscapes and perhaps give rise to new ideas about the ways in which past systems of land-use and settlement were related to known citadels. It also may enhance knowledge about change and development in past societies. Already some existing research workers in Armenia have shown interest in integrating aerial survey into their fieldwork programmes.
• Use of aerial photographs to illustrate known and new sites in publications and publicity of all kinds will also help to broadcast the value of aerial survey for archaeologists and the general public.

training course, Yerevan, 2001

Participants
Prof Hayk Hakobyan, Yerevan State University
Dr Simon Hmayakyan, Institute of Archaeology
Lilit Vanyan, Institute of Archaeology
Dr Arsen Bobokhyan, Institute of Archaeology
Dr Ruben Vardanyan, State Historical Museum of Armenia
Armen Kirakosyan, Armenian Federation of Unesco Clubs
Tigran Hovhannisyan, Armenian Federation of Unesco Clubs
Thaguhi Hmayakyan, Yerevan Polytechnic Institute.

VIDEO

There is a short film about our project. Click here to watch it.

Publications

Current World Archaeology
UK Issue 1, September 1 2003 . See the article

University Magazine
Freiburg 2003. See the article (in German)

AIM (Armenian Internatonal Magazine)
Armenia August September 2003. See the article Page 1 Page 2

Rog Palmer, 2003
Armenia, Sept-October 2002 - the birth of Wings over Armenia. AARGnews 26, 37-39.

Hayk Hakobyan and Rog Palmer. 2002.
Prospects for Aerial Survey in Armenia. In: R.H. Bewley and W. Raczkowski (ed) Aerial Archaeology: Developing Future Practice. NATO Science Series, Vol. 337, 140-146.

Rog Palmer, 2002
A poor man’s use of CORONA images for archaeological survey in Armenia. Proceedings of the conference: Space Applications for Heritage Conservation. European Space Agency, Strasbourg.

Rog Palmer, 2002.
Aerial research in Armenia 2001. AARGnews 24, 40-41.

Rog Palmer, 2002.
Armenia, June 2002 – setbacks and progress. AARGnews 25, 23-24.

Rog Palmer, 2001.
Aerial research in Armenia: prospects. AARGnews 22, 51-52.

Related

Donoghue, D.N.M., Galiatsatos, N., Philip G. and Beck, A.R., 2002.
Satellite imagery for archaeological applications: a case study from the Orontes
Valley, Syria, in Bewley, R.H. and Raczkowski, W., (ed). Aerial archaeology:
developing future practice. NATO Science Series, Vol 337, 211-223.

Philip G., Donoghue, D., Beck, A. and Galiatsatos, N., 2002.
CORONA satellite photography: an archaeological application from the Middle East.
Antiquity 76, 109-118.