The archeological expedition of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia has started excavations in the territory of the newly discovered fortress on Mount Hatis in Kotayk province, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport informs.
The excavations are being carried out based on 2023 memorandum signed between the Ministry and the Gagik Tsarukyan Charity Fund.
The fortress (Shamiram Fortress, Hatis Castle) is located on the conical peak of Hatis. The width of the walls varies between 2-4.5 m, the height between 1-3 m. It is built from large and medium-sized rough basalt stones. A 3m-wide entrance has been preserved in the eastern wall, with two ramparts on both sides. The main structures of the ancient site stretch along the length of the western enclosure.
A team of six Armenian and Italian archaeologists led by Artur Petrosyan and Roberto Dan carries out the excavations of the castle area.
The data obtained so far allow to date the ancient site to the Bronze and Iron Ages, Antiquity and Medieval periods. The discovered archaeological finds include shells from different periods, obsidian arrows from the Bronze Age, an iron spearhead, objects of various stones, iron and bronze jewelry, a cylinder seal (probably 5th century BC) and a silver coin with the image of Alexander the Great.
The excavations are expected to be completed by the end of August.
