The results of the excavations at “Lori Berd Fortress”, conducted from May to October 2022, exceeded the expectations of specialists.
Excavations were carried out in several areas of “Lori Berd Fortress”, the finds can be considered unique. This was reported by the leader of the working group of the Research Center for Historical and Cultural Heritage, archaeologist Arman Nalbandian.
“It is generally accepted that the fortress was built and declared the capital in the 11th century, but we found artifacts belonging to the early Middle Ages, that is, this is the time period until the 7th century,” he notes.
The historical and cultural reserve is located not far from the city of Stepanavan, on a plateau surrounded by gorges, at an altitude of 1490 m above sea level. The city itself occupied about 35 ha, of which the citadel – 8.5 ha.
Ancient hypocausts in Lori and an elephant figurine
Excavations were carried out here back in the 60s. But after these works, there were still many questions left. The last expedition, however, brought some clarity, and the specialists managed to find answers to a number of questions.
One of the most interesting structures in the territory of the Lori fortress is two baths from the 11th-13th centuries. Their existence was known back in the 60s. However, this time, archaeologists managed to discover hypocausts inside both baths. A hypocaust is a heating system where hot air was supplied to a special open space under the floor.
“We had assumptions about this heating system, and after the excavations, they were completely confirmed. The excavations also revealed the complexity of the heating system from an engineering point of view; the water supply and sewage system, as well as the ventilation system for steam removal. We saw how water was supplied to the bath rooms, how it was drained through clay pipes,” says Nalbandian.
By the way, the baths had several rooms: bathrooms, special rooms for relaxation, large changing rooms; there were also open pools.
According to the archaeologist, in the Middle Ages, baths served not only their direct purpose, they were also a place for socializing: meetings were held there, documents were signed, various events and games were organized. In this regard, it is not surprising that specialists were able to find a huge number of artifacts on their territory. The expedition leader calls one of them exceptional.
“We managed to find a clay figurine of an elephant under the first large bath, which essentially served as a game piece. Of course, research will be conducted for a long time, but I compared it with similar figurines in the countries of South Asia – India, Pakistan… It’s a bit damaged, but overall you can get an idea of it now,” says Nalbandian.
In response to the question of how often women could use the baths, the specialist says that they, apparently, were intended for both men and women: “Professor Garibyan (historical archaeologist Igit Garibyan – ed.) writes that women could use the bath only one day a week. On the other hand, it can be argued that separate rooms were intended for women. The fact is that during the excavations in one of them we constantly found female decorations: fragments of bracelets, beads, rings. We assume that this room was intended for women”.
Secret paths under the fortress and glazed pottery
During the excavations, researchers were also able to discover the foundations of auxiliary structures on the fortress wall. These, according to the archaeologist, were small rooms, lined with special stones. They were intended for guards, they were kind of watchtowers, and also served as arsenals, defensive bases.
On the walls of the fortress, specialists found a huge number of fragments of weapons: arrows, cannonballs, molds for the production of bullets and projectiles. All these artifacts remained unknown until now.
Among the interesting finds, Nalbandian particularly notes fragments of glazed tiles and dishes. Moreover, they were decorated not only with plant and geometric ornaments, but also with images of birds.
“We managed to find about 30 perfectly preserved glazed pots, and on half of them are depicted very beautiful bird ornaments. These are completely new artifacts for Lori Berd. We discovered them in an area adjacent to the fortress. Most likely, there was a room that served as something like a kitchen. These finds bring the culture and level of development of Lori Berd closer to significant medieval capitals, such as Dvin and Ani,” he says.
All artifacts, according to the archaeologist, will still be restored and studied. What remains unknown?
Nalbandian adds that it is still unclear where exactly the palace was located. But it is definitely known that it was on the territory of Lori Berd.
“The city had a treasury, we learn this from medieval historians, in particular, from Kirakos Gandzaketsi. By the way, he notes that the treasury was built in such a way that it could be stored in, but not so easy to take out. Gandzaketsi also writes about secret paths. The Mongols, failing to seize the fortress walls, eventually invaded the citadel through the catacombs,” he says. During the expedition, the specialists were essentially able to discover one of the secret paths. It was a semi-circular pit underground.
In conclusion, we add that the excavations preceded the restoration works of the historical and cultural complex, which have already started under the guidance of architect Ovanes Sanamyan.
by Lilit Harutyunyan
Translated by Vigen Avetisyan
