Bowls With Armenian inscriptions Found In Rostov Oblast

An archaeological expedition carrying out excavations in the territory of the city of Azov (Azak) in the Rostov Oblast discovered a 14th-century residential estate. This discovery changed the way scientists think about the boundaries of the city located on the banks of the Don.

Throughout the expedition in the estate, archaeologists found various items belonging to the inhabitants of the medieval city, from jewelry to bowls with Armenian inscription.

“A short word is written on the bottom of the bowls in Armenian. But this word is not Armenian – it is Turkic, and it means ‘bay’, ‘master’. According to my assumption, this is an appeal to the Lord, and most likely, there used to be an Armenian church nearby,” said Andrei Maslovsky, head of the archeological expedition and head of the archeology department of the Azov Museum-Reserve.

It was also noted that a chain of burial grounds had been discovered. These burial grounds used to mark the conditional border of Azak where representatives of more than ten ethnic groups had lived.

Earlier, it had been reported that the residents of Chisinau were presented with unique medieval artifacts dated to the 17th-18th centuries. These had been unearthed during excavations in the Moldavian capital under the guidance of historian Mark Tkachuk and his team.

“Excavations were carried out in two locations – on the Pushkin Hill and in the courtyard of the Armenian Church. Why did we choose these locations?

According to archaeologists, the former has been a dominant height during the Middle Ages. Bulldozers have not yet reached this place as well, although they are close.

The Armenian Church is the only surviving structure belonging to local community centers. Back in the times, there have been three communities in Chisinau – Armenian, Moldavian, and Jewish. The old 17th-18th-century places of worship of the two other communities have long been destroyed,” Komsomolskaya Pravda reports.

During excavations, household items were also found, including ceramic plates, bowls, a colander for making cottage cheese and feta cheese, coins, and even glassware.