Archaeological Excavations Continue at the Fortress and Cemetery Field of Shamiram

Archaeological excavations are ongoing in the southwestern part of Shamiram village, on a promontory formed by two ravines. The work is being led by Roberto Dan, a representative of the Italian ISMEO Institute, and Varduhi Melikyan, an archaeologist from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of Armenia.

Excavations have revealed that the Shamiram fortress was originally built during the Urartian period but was used and reconstructed in later centuries as well. According to Roberto Dan, current excavations are focused on an area conventionally referred to as the “4th Tower,” where layers from various historical periods have been uncovered. Notably, traces of a medieval structure were found near the northern wall of the excavated tower, and a new building dating to the 5th–6th centuries AD was discovered atop the tower. Reconstructions continued at the fortress until as late as the 20th century, and stones from the fortress walls and buildings were frequently reused in the construction of residential structures and outbuildings in the village. Most of the artifacts uncovered during the excavations date to the Middle Iron Age. However, archaeologists consider the most significant discovery to be the fifth defensive structure—a wall measuring 320 meters in length and 3.5 meters in width.

Four large towers and the foundations of walls extending along the canyon were also uncovered. In addition, excavations have begun in a tomb field located on the left bank of the ravine, in the southwestern part of Shamiram village. Under the direction of Varduhi Melikyan, the excavation of one tomb is currently underway.