ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS IN 1985-1990

M.H. ZARDARIAN and H.P. AKOPIAN (Erevan) Abstract

This article surveys work on sites at Armavir (ancient Argishtichinili), Artashat (the ancient capital), Ervandashat, Karchakhpure, Shamiram, Dvin, Beniamin, Anushavan, Hokhmik, and Vardbach, for the period 6th c. B.C.-4th c. A.D. The sites investigated are very varied, from villages and fortress-settlements to cities. They reveal the continuities of Urartian and Achemenid culture into the and show the position of Armenia in the ancient Near Eastern economic system. They also highlight the impact of the Hellenistic world in Armenia from the 2nd c. B.C. onwards, the abiding influence of Hellenism in the area, and the role of Armenia as a mediator and source of Hellenization for the central regions of the Transcaucasus area.

Archaeological excavations which have been carried out in Armenia from 1985-1990 by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, include a wide range of monuments (in chronological order), from the period of the Upper Paleolithic (Atis) to the Middle Ages (Dvin etc.). This scope is very wide, and to discuss it all in detail in one review is not possible because of limitations of space. In this case, the authors have chosen to consider monuments of a particular period and to analyze them. In regard to the ancient period (in the classical understanding of its chronological framework) it depended on the later period which was important to the : its early boundaries resulted in the forma- tion of an Armenian nation: a united and national state was founded and developed: Armenia appeared in its new position on the international scene, becoming one of the leading political factors in Asia; then, at the end of that period in Armenia, a new ideology came into being and became widespread- Christianity, which in A.D. 301 became the state religion. The intensive political events which were taking place in the Near East in this millennium, and the continuous round of events which concerned Armenia, left definite marks on the fate of its monuments. A study of the monuments, taking into account local problems, allows us to also throw light on a group of cardinal questions which are characteristic of the entire region. In ancient Armenia, archaeology from the 6th c. B.C. to the 4th c. A.D. has a particular chronology, knowledge of which is necessary to determine the dates of the monuments. 1. The early Armenian period, 6th-4th c. B.C.-Armenia under the Achaemenids (the 13th-18th satrapies). 170

2. The Hellenistic period-3rd-lst c. B.C., during the rule of the Armenian Kings Yervandids and Artaxiads. 3. Post-Hellenistic period-lst-4th c. A.D. (Dynasty of the Armenian 1 Arsacids up to the adoption of Christianity).' The list of the monuments which have been excavated during the past five years contains many varied types. The capitals and common towns are presented in the list, the settlements which formed the "Chora", and the village settlements, the "Paradise" of the kings, etc. The differences between the types help us to understand the varied aspects of the history of ancient Armenia and the general lines of its development.

Armavir

(Head of the Expedition: G.A. Tiratsian). Armavir is located in the eastern part of the Ararat Valley, on the left bank of the Arax River (Hoktemberian Region, Haikavan and Nor Armavir Villages). The monument is situated on a steep volcanic hill (height 76 m.), and at its foot, on the northern bank of the old riverbed. The settlement on the hill began in the 3rd mill. B.C. Together with the material of that period, relics of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages have been found on the eastern slopes. After the occupation of the valley by the Van Kingdom in 766 B.C., the city of Argishtichinili was founded there. In the later part of the 4th c. B.C. Armavir became the capital of the kingdom of Ervandids and its religious centre. Here, groves of holy platan trees were planted and temples dedicated to the Sun and Moon were built. Life in the town, in this period and after the transfer of the capital to the newly founded Ervandashat is described by the chronicler of the 5th c. A.D., , in his "History of Armenia" (Book 1, ch. 20; Book 2, ch. 8, 12). Quite valuable information regarding the social, ideological and cultural aspects of life are included in the seven Greek inscriptions cut in to the cliffs and found in 1911 and 1927 on the southern slope of the hill. From 1962, the systematic excavations and investigations carried out on the monument have unearthed massive layers from the Urartian period which characterize the domestic and social complexes of that time. Argishtichinili occupied a large area and two autonomous citadels, the eastern Armavir and the western, were situated on Saint David's hill.2 After being founded by Argishti I, the town was reconstructed and expanded during the reigns of Sarduri II and Rusa III. The horizon of the later construc-