Yerevan, Armenia—La Burjola Word A team of Armenian and Polish archaeologists is reportedly studying the 2,500-year-old Urtian citadel, Argshtkhineli, in western Armenia. Excavations have revealed living areas, a storage room or pantry, and another half-foot tall stone carved with human features. The well-preserved dwellings were built of earth and had floors made of adobe bricks and stone slabs, said Mateusz Iskra of the University of Warsaw. A room with several large vessels for storing food embedded in the floor was found in one of these large dwellings. In an adjoining room was a stone carved with human features leaning against a stone box. “It was an idol-like sculpture, preserved in its original state,” Iskra said. The face has eyebrows, close-set eyes, a long nose and thin lips. He added that similar stones have been found at other sites in the region, suggesting that they may belong to a local cult. The researchers plan to analyze the box’s contents for clues as to how the carvings may have been used. A well-preserved necropolis was also found at the fortress site. Hasmik Simonyan, a bioethicist at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, explained that cremains were kept in ceramic containers and were often accompanied by recreational equipment. To read about the succession of the Urtian Empire, go to “Rise of the Persian Princes”.
It was followed by the Orten Fortress in the South Caucasus which was first published in Archeology Magazine.
