Discovering the Cultural Heritage of Armenia to Share with the World.
“A vibrant tradition of civilization stretching back into the unexplored depths of history.”
Armenia is one of the last truly great and largely unexplored archeological territories in the world. Hidden in its soil are answers to some of the fundamental questions regarding the origins of human civilization and of humanity itself.
Beginning with the excavation of the ancient city of Agarak, the Gfoeller Renaissance Foundation has made an amazing series of discoveries over the last two decades. There is much more to be discovered!
The Areni-I Cave
The Areni-I Cave is a time capsule containing the remains of a vanished civilization that flourished six thousand years ago, in the Chalcolithic period, on the temporal boundary between the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. The cave was also a center of the high technology of that period. Beyond winemaking, it housed forges for smelting copper, loom weights for cloth weaving, and the remains of the earliest discovered textiles.
Ancient Peoples of Armenia
Evidence of early human populations, including Neanderthals and Bronze Age humans, has been discovered across Armenia. Our foundation’s projects over the last twenty years have proven that the early human presence in Armenia dates back at least 2 million years before the present time.
First Wines Project
In 2007, our Foundation unearthed the oldest known, completely intact wine making complex. Dating back 6100 years, the ancient facility was capable of producing several hundred liters of wine. After years of experimentation, we have been able to reconstruct the ancient winemaking technology of the Chalcolithic period and so reproduce the earliest known wines.
“Our discovery of early human sites proving that humanity has been present in Armenia for 2 million years is not yet well known beyond scientific circles...”
— Michael Gfoeller, Founder and Chairman
Beyond the Cave
Armenia is so full of history that it can be found literally everywhere you look. Art and Architecture are very often found together in any of Armenia’s many monasteries. Ancient cultures and religions can be found right off the highway and nestled nearby and inside Armenia’s villages.
Contact
We look forward to hearing from you.
Email
info@gfoellerfoundation.org
