Significant and Valuable Archaeological Finds Unearthed from Tomb in Shoghakat

Archaeological excavations have been underway in the ancient sites of Shoghakat and Artanish villages in the Gegharkunik province since August 3, 2020, as part of a collaborative project between the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and the Institute of Geological Sciences, funded jointly by both institutions.

According to Arsen Bobokhyan, co-head of the expedition and candidate of historical sciences, the excavations are being carried out in cooperation with the National Science Committee of Armenia under the project titled "Searching for Hidden and Concealed Archaeological Monuments Using Geochemical Methods," led by candidate of geological sciences Arshavir Hovhannisyan. Currently, excavations are taking place in the burial site of Shoghakat village and in the early Bronze Age settlement of Artanish. In the coming days, excavations will also be conducted at the fortress-settlement in Sotk village of the Geghamasar community.

“We have excavated the burial site conditional name Artanish 23 in Shoghakat. We have already uncovered two tombs and are now in the process of excavating the third. The tombs belong to the Iron Age. One of the excavated tombs was looted six months ago, for which a criminal case has been opened. Nevertheless, valuable and significant archaeological materials have been discovered from this tomb, including ornaments, ceramics, and human and animal bones, which provide insights into the economic relations, culture, daily life, and beliefs of that period,” stated the head of the expedition. The early Bronze Age site of Artanish was uncovered by our team in 2015 and dates back to the first half of the third millennium BC. Exciting archaeological items have been excavated. The extended team consists of highly qualified archaeologists and geologists.