Categories: Archeology

Bronze Age Monuments of the Metsamor Castle

Polish and Armenian archaeologists carried out research of a large ancient settlement located in Metsamor, Armenia.

As a result of the three-season work, the team of archaeologists unearthed large quantities of pottery representing three millennia, to be precise, from the 3rd millennium BC to the 1st century AD.

Researchers also discovered gold and carnelian necklaces, obsidian arrow points, bone pins and awls, sardonyx and faience beads, bronze rings, and decorated bone elements of horse harness.

Additionally, four structures were found, the most interesting of which is an oval building with storage vessels still in their places. A few smaller objects like a stone casting mold were buried under a thick layer of ash, remains of the roof destroyed by fire.

Evidence of a violent conquest of the settlement was also revealed, including two headless skeletons of men killed in battle, a plethora of iron knives, and slingshot pellets.

The Metsamor Castle is what remains of an old fortress located southwest of the Armenian Taronik village, Armavir Province. It has been inhabited since the 5th millennium BC until the 18th century AD.

Here, excavations were carried out for the first time in 1965. The site of the Metsamor Castle is remarkable for its observatory (Neolithic stone circles dating at ca. 5000 BC) and temple complexes consisting of seven sanctuaries.

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

Hayasa-Azzi: A Powerful Armenian Kingdom of the Armenian Highlands

Among the earliest known states of the Armenian Highlands, few are as historically important as…

1 week ago

The Frescoes of Dadivank Monastery and the Misinterpretation of Heritage

The medieval monastery of Dadivank is one of the most important spiritual and artistic centers…

2 weeks ago

Armenian Orphan Girls in New York (1917): A Forgotten Act of Witness and Relief

In 1917, at the height of global upheaval during World War I, a small but…

3 weeks ago

The Armenian Genocide: State Crime, Mass Participation, and the Burden of Historical Responsibility

The Armenian Genocide (1915–1921 ...) was not an accident of war, nor a tragic byproduct…

3 weeks ago

The First Printed Armenian Bible (Amsterdam, 1666–1668)

Introduction The first printed edition of the Bible in the Armenian language stands as one…

4 weeks ago

Armenopolis (Gherla): An Armenian “Ideal City” in the Heart of Europe

Armenopolis (modern-day Gherla, Romania) is a remarkable example of how the Armenian diaspora not only…

4 weeks ago