ArchaeoExpeditions 2005  -  Armenia

Open-Air Temple City of Agarak

Early Bronze Age Settlement Complex

Aerial View of First
Cliff Plateau

 Burial Site at Agarak

Medieval stove made
in Early Bronze Age
Carved Structure

Early Bronze Age
Urban Street

 Monumental Ram's Head
Eastern Cliff Area

The  site  consists  of  horizontal  flows  of  solidified  tuff,  which  extend  southward  and  have  flat   surfaces. They  border  on  the  East  with  the  river,  while  in  the  West  they  turn  into  a  hilly  ridge.  Taking  into  account   the   special   characteristics   of   the   geography,  the   inhabitants  transformed  the  into a gigantic system stone structures. Tuff cliffs, passages, rocky hills, and natural plateaus, as well as freestanding blocks of stone extend down the river for several kilometers. On their surfaces and sides, intensive stone work can be seen. The sides of the cliffs and plateaus have also been carved. There are niches carved into the cliffs, as well as stair-like platforms leading to them, in addition to structures of yet other types. 

All of  these  structures transform  the  natural    landscape  into  a  gigantic  monument including an unbroken  series  of  round,  horseshoe-shaped  structures  and   channels  linking  them,  plus  trapezoidal  "sacrificial altars".  This ensemble  of  cultic   structures     is   complemented  by   artificial  constructions  located   around   the   plateaus   and  in  the   spaces  between them. Stratigraphic   observations   indicate   that  this  ensemble  of cultic structures and courtyards was created   in   the  early  Bronze  Age.  Within the limits  of   the   Armenian   Plateau  and  the  territories   bordering   on  it,  no  other  such  site  is  known.  It  is  unique  in  terms of its unusual composition and design, as well as its volume and area. 

For the time being, excavations are being conducted only at the first cliff plateau of the northern complex of Agarak.  The  results of field investigations in 2001-2002 show that Agarak was settled starting in the early Bronze Age. The street discovered at the northeast edge of the first plateau, and the presence along both  sides of the street of houses with round floor plans and square external corners, indicate that, in the early Bronze Age, there existed here a town with a regular street plan. In all likelihood, the basic compositional   elements of the  town  plan in the early Bronze Age were determined by the man-made town courtyards carved on top of the cliff, around which extended living quarters. During the course of the excavations, an enormous quantity of ceramic fragments, terra cotta statues, round and horseshoe-shaped portable hearths, and hearth stands were discovered. They permit us to date this section of Agarak to the middle cycle of the so-called Shengavit or Kuro-Araxes archaeological culture, which is nowadays dated to the 29^th  through 27^th  centuries BC.  The  layers  overlaying   the  strata  of  the  early  Bronze  Age  are  disturbed. They  contain material  remains  confirming  that  the  site  was  subsequently  inhabited  in  various  archaeological  epochs,  from the  middle  Bronze  Age  to  the  early  Iron  Age,  inclusive.  An amphora  burial  with  an  Urartian  seal  and  the  presence  of  many  Urartian   ceramic fragments   permit  us  to  speak  as  well  of  Agarak   being   inhabited   from   the  8^th  to  the 6^th    century  B.C.    After  the  fall  of  the  Van  Kingdom,  Agarak   experienced   yet   another   period  of intensive development,  becoming a large urban settlement.  The  large  quantity   of  wine   presses  and  wine  storage  vats  discovered  in  the  excavated sectors  indicates   the  predominant   role   of   viticulture   and   wine-making   in   the  economic  life  of   the   inhabitants  of   Agarak.  As   one   of   the   most   important   points   along   the trade   route   leading   from   Airarat   to   Shirak   and capital city of Ani, Agarak developed   a  flourishing  economy  and   commercial   sector,   especially   in   the   3^rd  and  4^th  centuries  BC  and  in  the  2^nd  through  4^th  centuries  AD.  Evidence  of  this  development  is provided  by  the  discovery  of   painted   urban   pottery,   a   drakhm   of   Alexander   the Great,  a silver  denarius  of  Octavian  Augustus,  and  several  signet   rings  found  in sarcophagi burials belonging to the late Antique period of the site.