Ruins at Agarak in Armenia

This archaeological site was inhabited by people for thousands of years through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Urartian period.

The archaeological site of Agarak is located south of the highway on the west side of the Amberd Canyon. A dirt road leads from the village sign to the south on the mound.

The site contains some of the oldest large man-made structures carved into stone, dating to the Early Bronze Age (‘Agarak 1’ dated 3400 BC)

The stone and rock complexes at Agarak are linked to the Early Bronze Age settlement of the region. It is believed that humans began to inhabit the region in the first quarter of the 3rd millennium BCE.

Based on findings it is concluded that Agarak dates to 29-27 centuries BC. A large number of excavated pottery burned clay-made statuettes, remains of round and horseshoe hearths, pedestals allow us to attribute these times of ​​habitation of Agarak to the Middle Ages of Shengavit or Qura-Arax archeological culture dating back to BC 29-27 centuries.

The rock-carved Urartian tomb, amphora (ancient jar with two handles and a narrow neck) burials with the Urartian seal, and the numerous remainders of pottery show that the settlement was inhabited in 8-6 centuries BC as well. After the fall of the Van Kingdom Agarak was a large urban area.

The number of rock-carved presses discovered in the settlement shows that viticulture and wine-making were a rather important part of the Agarak people.

by Nouné Yeranosian

Read more:

• Ancient Agarak Site in Armenia
• The Historical Reserve of Ancient Agarak
• Agarak – More Ancient Than Egyptian Pyramids
• Ancient Agarak, Armenia