Metsamor (Armenia): preliminary report on the excavations in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Appendix: Anthropological examination of burials from Metsamor in seasons 2013–2015

• Authors: Jakubiak, Krzysztof , Piliposyan, Ashot , Iskra, Mateusz , Zaqyan, Artavazd , Mkrtchyan, Rusanna , Simonyan, Hasmik

Abstracts

EN

The Metsamor excavation project is a Polish–Armenian effort to investigate a Bronze Age citadel site located about 35 km west of Yerevan, on a hill dominating the Ararat plain. Fieldwork started in 2013 and was aimed during the first three seasons at clarifying site chronology in the citadel as well as the northern lower town. An unbroken sequence from the Kura Araxes culture (Early Bronze Age) to medieval times was confirmed. Settlement remains of Early Iron Age buildings included an almost square structure NSB 2 and a dwelling NSB 1, furnished with a relatively large storage room. Four human skeletons, two of young men, were also recorded, suggesting they were victims of a raid on the settlement. The results of recent field observations coupled with pottery analysis postulate occurrence of two destructive events, first during the Urartian invasion led by Argishti I and the second one at the beginning of the 6th century BC.

Keywords

EN

Metsamor; Ararat plain; Early Iron Age; Urartian; settlement; fortress

• Publisher: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
• Journal: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 25
• Pages: 553-572

Contributors

author

Jakubiak, Krzysztof

author

Piliposyan, Ashot

author

Iskra, Mateusz

author

Zaqyan, Artavazd

author

Mkrtchyan, Rusanna

author

Simonyan, Hasmik

Identifiers

DOI

10.5604/01.3001.0010.2348