The 2026 field season of the joint Armenian-Italian archaeological mission at the Shamiram archaeological site in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province has been successfully completed, yielding significant discoveries that shed new light on the site’s long and complex history.
The mission is conducted as part of the long-standing scientific cooperation between the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and ISMEO – the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies. The project is co-directed by Varduhy Melikyan on the Armenian side and Roberto Dan on the Italian side.
Conducted from May 26 to June 25, this year’s excavations focused on several key areas of the multi-layered site, aiming to refine the chronology, function and development of one of central Armenia’s most important archaeological landscapes.
Researchers confirmed Shamiram’s remarkable continuity of occupation, spanning the Late Bronze and Iron Ages through the Urartian, post-Urartian, Hellenistic, Late Antique, medieval and post-medieval periods. The site is distinguished by its extensive fortified rocky plateau, monumental defensive systems, settlement areas and burial complexes.
Among the season’s most important discoveries was the continued excavation of Tomb 3, a monumental Late Bronze Age burial featuring concentric stone circles, a central stone cist, rich grave goods, bronze weapons, obsidian and metal arrowheads, and the remains of a ritually sacrificed horse. Archaeologists say the findings offer valuable new evidence on local elites, burial customs and the symbolic role of horses in Late Bronze Age Armenia.
Excavations also uncovered important evidence relating to the site’s pre-Urartian occupation. Behind one of the towers of the Urartian fortress, archaeologists identified a Middle Iron Age room bearing clear traces of fire and destruction, as well as a burial predating the construction of the Urartian fortification. The sequence provides a rare opportunity to study the transformation of a local Iron Age center before and during the expansion of the Kingdom of Urartu.
Further research in the fortified sectors revealed that the visible L-shaped entrance of Wall 2 was likely reconstructed during the Hellenistic period, replacing an earlier Iron Age gateway. Meanwhile, excavation and cleaning of Tower 3 confirmed the monumental nature of Urartian military architecture, exposing a well-preserved megalithic structure measuring approximately 8.5 by 8.5 meters.
The 2026 campaign also provided new insights into Shamiram’s post-Urartian development. In Area 7, archaeologists uncovered column bases, architectural structures built against Urartian towers and well-preserved medieval buildings, illustrating how the ancient fortifications continued to shape the site’s spatial organization for centuries.
According to the mission, the findings further establish Shamiram as one of central Armenia’s most significant archaeological sites, offering a continuous record from Late Bronze Age funerary traditions and Iron Age communities to Urartian monumental architecture and the site’s later reuse and transformation.
The project is co-financed by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with the support and coordination of the Embassy of Italy in Yerevan. Researchers noted that anthropological, archaeozoological and other specialized analyses of the excavated material will continue, providing further insights into the history of Shamiram and its place in Armenia’s ancient cultural landscape.
