Agarak Ancient Site

Name: Agarak
Monument type: Grave field
Region: Aragatsotn Province
Periods: Prehistoric

Name: Agarak historical-cultural reserve

Other nomination: Agarak ancient site

Monument type: A multi-layered settlement, a cemetery, a “sacred landscape”

Region: Aragatsotn

Community: Ashtarak

Residence: Agarak and Voskehat Villages

Location: It occupies an area of about 200 hectares, stretching from the village of Agarak to Voskehat, Aragatsotn region, RA. The ancient site was given the status of a reserve-museum in 2001, covering an area of 118.2 ha.

Preservation: The area has been damaged by the construction of water pipes, roads, and the operation of the quarry. The northern part of the monument was divided into two parts as a result of the construction of the Yerevan-Gyumri highway.

Coordinates: 40.29568, 24.27787

Altitude: 1050 m

Era and chronology: It dates from the first quarter of the III millennium BC to the XVIII century.

Agarak Historical-Cultural Reserve: Unearthing the Secrets of a ‘’Sacred Landscape’’

As it unfolds like a vast tapestry before your eyes, the Agarak Historical-Cultural Reserve chronicles millennia of human history and spirituality, inviting you to glimpse the precious sacredness of the past.

So get ready to embark on an unparalleled journey in the Aragatsotn region of Armenia, where this multi-layered settlement promises to evoke emotions that are truly incomparable.

Spanning approximately 200 hectares, this ancient site, known as Agarak, is a captivating window into Armenia’s storied past, a place where layers of civilizations and their rituals converge.

Located in the Ashtarak community of the Aragatsotn region, Agarak’s historical tapestry is woven with threads of diverse eras, stretching from the early 3rd millennium BC to the 18th century. The exploration of this rich heritage began in earnest in 2001, with archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia leading the way.

The story begins with the Early Bronze Age, where evidence of a thriving community is etched into the earth. Streets, round-plan dwellings, and quadrangular annexes bear witness to a well-organized settlement that survived until the 29th-27th centuries BC. This ancient neighborhood provides a glimpse into the lives of its inhabitants, their homes, and daily routines.

In the 15th century, Agarak’s northern complex underwent a transformation, as a massive wall with a staggering width of up to 7.5 meters fortified the rock platform. Burials from the ancient period, unearthed in the foundation wall layer, reveal that by the 3rd century BC, only the first row of the foundation wall remained intact. This architectural feat stands as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the community.

During the Urartian period, a portion of Agarak evolved into a cemetery. An 8th-7th century BC rock-hewn tomb, complete with a jar burial featuring an Urartian seal, emerged from the depths of history. The tomb’s intricacies, from the “pit-entrance” to the niches and basin, offer a glimpse into ancient funerary practices.

After the fall of the Kingdom of Van, Agarak transformed into a bustling urban settlement. Evidence of viticulture and winemaking, symbolized by the discovery of numerous grape seeds, underscores the importance of this industry to the local populace. As a vital trade junction from Airarat to Shirak and Ani, the settlement thrived, particularly between the 4th-3rd centuries BC and the 2nd-4th centuries AD.

Agarak’s significance continued through the ages, even into the Early Middle Ages and the 9th-13th centuries. Remarkably, the same areas that once witnessed bustling activity later became resting places for the deceased. The ruins of an early medieval complex, replete with a multi-room colonnade, spacious hall, and adjoining rooms, eventually gave way to burials in the 9th-13th centuries.

One of Agarak’s most enigmatic aspects is its collection of structures spread across the landscape. These formations, including pits, “baskets,” “comet”-like excavations, trough-like basins, “labyrinths,” “lodges,” “thrones,” and “altars,” paint a vivid picture of a “sacred or ritual landscape.” Over dozens of hectares, these structures likely played a role in ancient ceremonial practices, forming an intricate web of rituals and beliefs.

Among the treasures unearthed at Agarak, animal and anthropomorphic figurines stand out. Many bear the marks of burning, suggesting they held a special place in rituals. These cult figurines may have been dedicated to ancestor worship, while female figurines could have symbolized fertility and abundance, offering a glimpse into the spiritual and cultural beliefs of the people who once inhabited this land.

FACTS:

Agarak, a sprawling site spanning approximately 200 hectares, is a significant archaeological treasure in Armenia, offering insights into the country’s rich history, with layers of civilizations from the early 3rd millennium BC to the 18th century.

The site’s history begins in the Early Bronze Age, with evidence of a well-organized settlement, complete with streets, round-plan dwellings, and quadrangular annexes, providing insights into the daily lives of its inhabitants.

During the Urartian period, Agarak transformed into a cemetery, featuring an 8th-7th century BC rock-hewn tomb with a Urartian seal, shedding light on ancient funerary practices.

Agarak served as a bustling urban settlement and trade junction from Airarat to Shirak and Ani, thriving particularly between the 4th-3rd centuries BC and the 2nd-4th centuries AD.

The site’s enigmatic collection of structures, including pits, “baskets,” “comet”-like excavations, and more, suggests a “sacred or ritual landscape” likely used for ancient ceremonial practices, along with the discovery of cult figurines, animal and anthropomorphic, shedding light on the spiritual and cultural beliefs of the people who once lived there.

🔍 Research history

The monument excavations began in 2001. Excavations have been carried out on the northern complex of Agarak, a rock platform divided into two parts by the construction of the highway. The excavations are carried out by the expedition of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.

🧱 Archaeological description

Based on the excavations the farm was settled in the Early Bronze Age. The street opened on the north-western edge of the first platform, the round-plan dwellings and quadrangular annexes on both sides of the street testify that there was a regular-plan settlement here in the Early Bronze Age surviving up to the XXIX-XXVII centuries BC.

The rock platform of the northern complex / about 1500 sq. m / was fortified with a wall of unprecedented width (up to 7.5 m) in not later than XV century. Burials from the ancient period discovered in the foundation wall layer show that in the III century BC only the first row of the northern part of the foundation wall was preserved.

A part of the ancient site was turned into a cemetery in the Urartian period. A VIII-VII century BC rock-hewn tomb, a jar burial with an Urartian seal were excavated. The rock-cut tomb has a “pit-entrance”, an entrance and a hall. The three walls of the tomb hall have large and small niches, and under the northern wall there is a basin dug into the floor.

After the fall of the Kingdom of Van, Agarak was a large urban-type settlement. The large number of wine grapes discovered in the excavated surfaces proves that viticulture and winemaking occupied a special place in the life of the Agarak people. Being one of the most important junctions of the trade highway from Airarat to Shirak and Ani, the economic and commercial life of this settlement flourished especially in IV/III BC – II/IV centuries.

Interesting data were recorded in those parts of the ancient site, used as a cemetery from the II-I centuries BC to the IV-V centuries AD. Burial structures containing Christian burials were discovered here along with tombs with materials typical of late antiquity. Based on the stratigraphic data and the materials typical of the ancient period found in Christian burials, we can emphasize that they belong to the period before adopting Christianity as the state religion in Armenia: burials of an early Christian community members of the II-IV centuries AD.

The monument was also inhabited in the Early Middle Ages and in the IX-XIII centuries. Moreover, in the IX-XIII centuries, the destroyed parts of the settlement were used as a cemetery. In particular, on the site of the ruins of the early medieval complex (V-VII centuries) with a multi-room colonnade, a spacious hall and adjoining rooms excavated in the far western part of the northern complex, burials were made later in the IX-XIII centuries.

🌆”Sacred landscape”

There were excavated structures recorded in the ancient site of the farm occupying a huge area. They are exceptional examples of “sacred or ritual landscape” and the largest in the entire region. The rock formations, tuff outcrops, rock hills and tuff platforms, individual boulders stretching along the dozens of hectares are worked on the entire surface and edges. The units consisting of various and numerous pits, “baskets”, “comet”-like excavations, trough-like basins, “labyrinths”, “lodges”, “thrones”, “altars” and other structures were probably used during ritual ceremonies.

🔨 Findings

The animal and anthropomorphic figurines found in the Agarak ancient site are noteworthy, most of them have traces of burns. According to the researchers, these cult figurines may have been dedicated to ancestor worship, and the female figurines were symbols of fertility and fruitfulness.

🌍 Significance

The monument is of republican significance.

📚 Sources:

Literature

P. Avetisyan, B. Gasparyan, 2001. Excavations, Culture of Ancient Armenia XII, Yerevan, 2002, pp. 9-13.
P. Avetisyan, Conservation of archaeological monuments in the Republic of Armenia. Agarak Historical and Cultural Reserve, Preservation of Armenian Cultural Heritage in the Republic of Armenia and Abroad, Round Table, Yerevan-Oshakan, 2008. pages 124-128;
G. Tumanyan, Preliminary results of the excavations of squares I11 and H11 of the archaeological complex of Agarak, Culture of Ancient Armenia XII, Yerevan, 2002, pp. 13-18.
G. Tumanyan, Clay statuettes of Agarak ancient site, Ancient culture of Armenia 2, Yerevan, 2002, pp. 36-43.
G. Tumanyan, 2002 excavations of the 1st site of the Agarak ancient site. Ancient Armenian Culture XIII, Yerevan, 2005, pp. 60-66;
G. Tumanyan, 2004-2005 excavations of the 1st site of the Agarak archaeological monument. Culture of Ancient Armenia XIV, Yerevan, 2008, pp. 69-73;
G. Tumanyan, P. Avetisyan, H. Sanamyan, Temporary fixing of the excavated buildings in the 1st site of the archaeological complex of Agarak, Culture of Ancient Armenia XIV, Yerevan, 2008, pp. 75-79;
G.S. Tumanyan, Agarak I, Early Bronze Age settlement (2001-2008), Archaeological excavations in Armenia N25, Yerevan 2012;
G. Tumanyan, A Newly Discovered Monument of the Ancient Armenian Culture in Agarak, Historical and Philosophical Journal, N1, 2013, Page 159-169).
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V. Melikyan, About the characteristics of the Agarak Middle Bronze Age pottery, Culture of Ancient Armenia XIII, Yerevan, 2005, pp. 102-108;
R. Vardanyan, The denarius of Emperor Augustus found in Agarak in 2001 archaeological excavations (preliminary report), Culture of Ancient Armenia XII, Yerevan, 2002, pp. 65-70;
I. Kalantaryan, The newly discovered rock-hewn tomb of Agarak, Culture of Ancient Armenia XIII, Yerevan, 2005, p. 154-160;
P. Avetisyan, Recently Found Archaeological Sites of Armenia (Agarak), Aramazd, Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Volume III, Issue 2, 2008, pp. 39-50, 194-195, 208-216;
R.S. Badalyan, P.S. Avetisyan, Agarak, Bronze and Iron Age Archaeological Sites of Armenia , Mt. Aragats and its Surrounding Region, BAR International Series 1697, Archaeopress, Oxford, 2007, pp. 24-35;
P. Avetisyan, Preliminary results of the excavations of the Agarak site, Archeology, Ethnology and Folkloristic of the Caucasus, Proceedings of the International Conference, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 2003, pp. 52-57;
P. Avetisyan, Sacred landscape. On the characteristics of the religious buildings of Agarak, in “Mythical Landscapes. Then and Now. The Mystification of Landscapes in Search for National Identity”, Yerevan-Antares, 2006, pp. 256-260․