Excavations Begin at the Fortress on the Summit of Mount Hatis

The archaeological expedition of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia has commenced excavations at the site of a newly discovered fortress on Mount Hatis in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. This information was provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia.

The excavations are conducted based on a memorandum signed in March 2023 between the Ministry and the 'Gagik Tsarukyan' charitable foundation. The fortress (Shamiram Fortress, Hatis Fortress) is located on the conical peak of Hatis. The width of the walls varies from 2 to 4.5 meters, with a height between 1 and 3 meters. It is constructed from large and medium-sized unworked basalt stones. A 3-meter-wide entrance is preserved in the eastern wall, flanked by two pilasters. The main structures of the archaeological site extend along the western fortification.

The most well-preserved section of the fortification, approximately 3 meters high, has more than 10 rows of stones. Given the extensive area of the excavation site, the "Hatis Fortress" investigation area has been divided into 10x10 meter squares. The expedition team includes 6 Armenian and Italian archaeologists tasked with uncovering the fortress, led by Artur Petrosyan and Roberto Dan.

Currently, the data obtained allows for dating the site to the Bronze-Iron Age, as well as the ancient and medieval periods. Among the archaeological finds are examples of pottery from different periods, bronze arrowheads made of obsidian, an iron spearhead, luxury items made of various stones, iron, and bronze, a cylindrical seal (likely from the 5th century BC), and a silver coin featuring the image of Alexander the Great.

The excavations are ongoing, with completion expected at the end of August.