Take a leisurely stroll along any street in downtown Yerevan these days and here are some of the things you might see and do. Your first stop might be an internet café, where the person sitting next to you could be surfing the net while puffing through a pack of Garni Lights, which is decorated with the majestic Greco-Roman monument on its front. After checking your e-mail, you leave the internet café and continue along the street, past the billboard advertising King Tigran cognac, whose label bears the distinctive profile of the king know to us from ancient coins, until you reach the local DVD rental shop. After selecting a movie, you might cool off with a bottle of Erebuni beer, named after the Urartian citadel, before browsing through the latest software on display at the corner computer store. By the end of your stroll you will have been repeatedly, even if subtly, confronted by the interplay between the past and the present. The symbols and monuments of antiquity, which are known to us largely through archaeological investigation, are being revived and put to different uses in twenty-first century Armenia. In the process, they are taking on new meanings.

These anecdotal examples suggest that the pre-modern past resonates among today's Armenians. This is no less true for the diaspora, whose visits to Armenia have been enriched by tours of ancient and medieval monuments and the museums that house and protect Armenia's antiquities. The time is ripe to give attention and support to the archaeology of Armenia. Preserving and studying the physical remains of the past requires a considerable investment of intellectual and financial resources. Archaeologists of Armenia have conducted decades of research into various facets and periods of Armenia's antiquity. These efforts have continued with remarkable resolve, even in the turbulent years since Armenian independence. However, post-Soviet financial obstacles have adversely affected the archaeological infrastructure in the country, halting excavations, delaying publications, and limiting access by Armenian archaeologists to the broader debates in American and European scholarship at precisely the time when such contacts are no longer impeded by Cold War geopolitical barriers. These infrastructural problems mean that the archaeological sector in Armenia is barely meeting its scholarly and public potential.

The long tradition of research in Armenia has been made possible by a fantastically rich archaeological record. Generations of archaeologists have focused their attention on the major sites in modern Armenia, from the early citadels of the distant Bronze Age to the celebrated churches of the Middle Ages. By studying the material remains of the ancient communities that occupied the territory of modern Armenia we can explore political, social, and economic dynamics at various periods in the past. Excavations have yielded both impressive architectural remains, as well as a wealth of mundane and luxury objects made of such materials as stone, clay, gold, silver, and bronze. Archaeologists of Armenia have analyzed these objects, how they were made, how they were used, where they came from, where they were buried, in order to better understand the lifeways of the different communities that once inhabited the Armenian plateau.

Excavations and archaeological surveys conducted across modern Armenia continue to reveal new dimensions of the region's complex history and pre-history. For example, investigations carried out at the impressive stone fortresses of the Late Bronze Age (mid-2nd millennium BC), have allowed archaeologists to explore issues pertaining to the rise of early states, shifts in pastoral and agricultural production, and the development of complex technological skills that allow for the manufacture of metal tools, weapons, and jewelry. The fortresses of the first millennium BC kingdom of Urartu have also been a major focus of archaeological research in Armenia. By studying these fortresses through excavation and other methods, archaeologists have worked to understand how this formidable power rose and fell, and how Urartu was organized, both locally and regionally. The numerous metal objects excavated from Urartian sites in Armenia testify to the wealth and complexity of Urartian elite society. After the collapse of Urartu, the communities on the Armenian plateau came into more direct contact with various powers in the Near East and the Mediterranean. Archaeologists of Armenia have uncovered and studied the sites and objects from these later periods in order to explore the extent and nature of contacts between Armenia and the Persian Empire, the Hellenistic kingdoms, and Rome. Archaeology can also be employed as a tool for understanding the conditions that allowed for the construction of Armenia's famous churches and monasteries in the medieval period. By interpreting the archaeological record it is possible to detect patterns of continuity and change, expansion and retreat, and prosperity, decline, and recovery over the course of millennia. The admirable efforts of Armenia's archaeologists have just barely scratched the surface. There is much more work to be done.

The archaeology of Armenia is important to different groups for different reasons. To the diaspora, the archaeology of Armenia can open new windows into an understanding of the past, one not shaped exclusively by the tragedies of the twentieth century. For the Armenians of Armenia who live amidst the built and natural landscapes of this territory's antiquity, the archaeology of their country speaks to the very fabric of their cultural heritage. Greater investment into the archaeology of Armenia will enable visitors and citizens of Armenia alike to engage with fascinating and important questions about the past and its meaning in the present. The archaeology of Armenia can make equally valuable contributions to scholarly archaeological communities outside the country who stand much to gain from greater access to archaeological research in Armenia when addressing some of the central inquiries of their disciplines. These communities, in turn, can contribute greatly to situating Armenia in broader historical contexts.

Project Discovery!, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the discovery, promotion, and preservation of the archaeological and cultural heritage of Armenia, aims to help make this possible. The newly established organization has attracted an impressive group of scholars from across the globe, both Armenian and non-Armenian, who are working actively to forward the goals of the organization. Project Discovery!'s mission is to:

(1) Provide financial and other material resources to support scholarship in archaeology, history, and related disciplines, and to support the publication of the resulting findings and research to make it available to the international academic community.

(2) Facilitate academic collaboration and cooperation for the exchange of information and ideas between scholars in Armenia and scholars in the international academic community.

(3) Provide graduate training in the latest theories and methods of contemporary archaeological research at U.S. universities to students in Armenia.

(4) Provide funds for archaeological excavations, preservation of archaeological sites and monuments, conservation of artifacts, and museum exhibits.

(5) Foster public awareness of the importance of archaeology in Armenia in furthering an understanding of the past and its impact on the future. Toward that end, Project Discovery! organizes educational travel programs to Armenia to make the participants aware of the archaeological record of Armenia.

Project Discovery offers a unique opportunity to reach out to the many constituents who are interested in Armenia's past. Well-organized and structured visits to archaeological sites can enrich the experiences of visitors to Armenia and help them appreciate the rich archaeological heritage of Armenia. Translation of past and future archaeological publications can open new doors for outside scholars interested in the archaeology of the Caucasus. Many of the most critical works on the archaeology of Armenia have been published in Russian and Armenian, which makes them impenetrable to all but a handful of scholars. Translation of both classic works and more recent studies will help increase access to the archaeological research in Armenia. Support for travel and access to western publications will give much-needed opportunities for Armenian archaeologists to participate in wider archaeological debates and bring their work to the attention of broader scholarly communities. Financial support for archaeological research will enable Armenian archaeologists to regain momentum and generate new research agendas. Support for institutes, conservation laboratories, and museums can ensure that the repositories of material culture in Armenia are adequately equipped to protect Armenia's antiquities.

As the wealth of products on Yerevan's store shelves testify, the symbols and sites of Armenia's cultural heritage are part of a broad conversation about the past and its meaning in the present. However, such a conversation depends upon up-to-date scholarship in collaboration with the community at large whose interest and support allow the past to become ever more relevant to the present. Armenia's past must be revisited, debated, analyzed, and preserved. Realizing the immense power of the past to shape decisions in the present, it is incumbent on all who feel invested in Armenia's history to engage with it, and to engage with it responsibly.