Sarnaghbyur Veri Berd

Name: Sarnaghbyur Veri Berd
Monument type: Settlement
Region: Shirak Province
Periods: Prehistoric

Name: Sarnaghbyur Veri Berd

Other nominations: Veri Berd, Sarnaghbyur Arevelyan (Eastern ), Sogyutli

Monument type: Castle, residence, cemetery

Region: Shirak

Community: Sarnaghbyur

Residence: Sarnaghbyur

Location: The Upper Fort of Sarnaghbyur is located one kilometer west of the village, on a cape-shaped, sheltered protrusion of the plateau.

Preservation: The monument is tumble down.

Coordinates: 40օ30՛45.07, 43օ53՛55.05

Elevation: 1965 m

Era and chronology: The monument has two layers. According to K. K. Ghafadaryan’s exploratory excavations in Sarnaghbyur in the 1960s and 1970s, two cultural and constructional layers were discovered in the castle dating to the second half of the III millennium BC and the X-VI centuries BC (Ghafadaryan 1972, 152-153, 4): the reconstruction of the fortress is attributed to the late Bronze Age (Areshyan, Ghafadaryan 1996, 74) in the 1996 publication.

Sarnaghbyur: One of the Bronze-Iron Age’s Emblems of Strength

As you approach Sarnaghbyur, you can almost hear those ancient walls murmuring the stories of its glorious past. And as you get closer to those weathered stones, you can still sense the enduring spirit of the brave people who built it, leaving their mark on the pages of history.

But Sarnaghbyur doesn’t stand only as a tangible relic of the past, it’s a bridge between the civilizations that once thrived there and our modern world.

Nestled amidst the rugged region of Shirak, lies Sarnaghbyur, a place of both ancient grandeur and profound mystery. Also known as Veri Berd, this remarkable monument, a fusion of castle, residence, and cemetery, beckons us to embark on a journey through time and history, to a place where the echoes of centuries past still resonate in the windswept landscape.

Standing proudly at an altitude of 1965 meters, the Upper Fort of Sarnaghbyur dominates the horizon, a sentinel of a bygone era. Its very existence speaks to the enduring spirit of human civilization, a testament to the artistry and engineering prowess of those who once called it home.

Today, the monument stands in a state of humble disrepair, its stones weathered by the relentless passage of time. Yet, despite its crumbled façade, Sarnaghbyur remains a living testament to the rich tapestry of Armenia’s history. It carries within its walls the whispers of a past that stretches back millennia, revealing two distinct layers of human presence. The first layer, dating back to the second half of the III millennium BC, connects us to a time when Bronze Age settlers breathed life into this land. The second layer, spanning from the X to the VI centuries BC, is a testament to the enduring legacy of the fortress.

Sarnaghbyur occupies a special place in the annals of history, as it represents the earliest form of Bronze-Iron Age fortresses in Shirak. Its archaeological description reads like a captivating story etched into the landscape. The castle, perched on a volcanic cape-shaped hill, spans an area of 6 hectares, with a citadel that claims 0.3 hectares for itself. A protective moat on the north-western side and a formidable fence on the south-western side attest to the castle’s strategic significance.

As we wander through the ruins, we encounter walls that stretch for 235 meters, enclosing a world that once thrived within. On the eastern slope, tombs bordered by retaining walls tell stories of lives once lived and loved. Residential structures, their foundations solidly etched into the slopes, stand as silent witnesses to the passage of generations.

What makes Sarnaghbyur truly remarkable is the air of mystery that shrouds it. Periodical excavations may not have unearthed all its secrets, but the rich aerial archaeological material hints at a thriving community that called this fortress home. Inhabited mainly during the middle of the III millennium BC and later resettled during the Late Bronze Ages, Sarnaghbyur bears the imprints of those who sought shelter within its walls.

The architecture of Sarnaghbyur is a testament to the ingenuity of its builders. Rough stones form its foundation walls, while retaining walls follow the natural contours of the hill. These walls, reaching heights of 1.8-2.6 meters in places, evoke a sense of awe, as if they were built to defy the very mountains they adorn. Inside the citadel’s borders, traces of rectangular structures on various shelves hint at the sophistication of the fortress’s design.

But perhaps most intriguing are the findings within Sarnaghbyur’s grounds. Fragments of shells abound, mingling with the stones and soil, revealing a connection to the land’s resources. Vanakite and dacite clasts, rare and precious, paint a picture of a society that knew how to harness the earth’s gifts.

FACTS

❈ Sarnaghbyur, in Shirak, stands as a remarkable monument with a rich history dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages.

❈ This ancient fortress and cemetery, perched at 1965 meters, showcases impressive engineering and artistic prowess.

❈ Sarnaghbyur holds two distinct layers of human presence, dating from the III millennium BC to the VI century BC.

❈ The fortress, spread over 6 hectares with defensive features, represents the earliest form of Bronze-Iron Age fortresses in Shirak.

❈ Fragments of shells and rare clasts within Sarnaghbyur’s grounds reveal insights into the society’s resource utilization and craftsmanship.

Research history

Exploratory observations were made in Sarnaghbyur by N. Mar in 1893. After observations in Lernakert, T. Toramanian visited Sarnaghbyur in 1924. Hajyan, L. Gyozalyan and B. Piotrovsky visited Sarnaghbyur in 1930 within the program of studying the castles. Measurements and exploratory excavations of Sarnaghbyur fortresses were carried out by K. K. Ghafadaryan in the 1960-70s. The expedition investigating the defense structures of the north-western slopes of Aragats (leader: B. Vardanyan) carried out exploratory work in Sarnaghbyur in 2019-2021.

Archaeological description

Sarnaghbyur Veri Berd is located in the western part of the village, on a cape-shaped hill of volcanic origin. The castle occupies an area of 6 hectares, and the citadel occupies 0.3 hectares, the total length of the walls is 235 m. The entrance to the castle is from the west. The top of the hill is furrowed by a shallow artificial moat in the north-western part, and by a fence in the south-western part. The top of the hill with a menhir made of black tuff standing on its eastern corner, is bordered by a defensive fence. It is built of local, unprocessed large boulders. On the slopes of the promontory, almost parallel to the main wall, two or three rows of walls have been preserved. Those walls form shelves on the northern and southern slopes: the remains of the rectangular structures are visible inside them.

On the eastern slope of the hill, tombs bordered by retaining walls are visible. Some groups of tombs are surrounded by a fence. Remains of residential structures are visible on the southern and south-western, western and northern slopes of the hill. On the south-eastern slope of the hill, a walled road with 2-2.5 m width, 0.5-1 m height leads to the fort with various structures attached to it.

Periodical excavations were not carried out in the castle and the settlement. According to K. K. Ghafadaryan’s report and the study of the rich aerial archaeological material in the settlement and castle area, the monument was inhabited mainly in the middle of the III millennium BC: later it was resettled in the Late Bronze Ages (XV-XIII centuries BC). The castle also has an abundant aerial material dating to the middle of the first millennium BC. The buildings with a rectangular plan built in the citadel of the castle and on the ramparts are likely to be attributed to that period.

The foundation wall of the castle is made of rough stones, and the walls bordering the vaults are built of rough stones. There is an enclosure with a similar structure on the eastern slope of the hill, which, being curved in plan, is adapted to the natural relief of the hill. The fences are of 1.8-2.6 m height in some places.

Inside the wall bordering the citadel, there are traces of rectangular, adjoining structures on various shelves.

4-5 rectangular and quadrangular buildings are visible at the entrance, aligned to the north-south. There are remains of rectangular, circular structures on the southern and south-western slopes of the hill.

🔨 Findings

The archaeological ground material in the castle and settlement area is mostly fragments of shells. Vanakite and dacite clasts are also found.

Significance

The monument is of republican significance. It occupies a special place among the Bronze-Iron Age fortresses of Shirak, representing their earliest form.

Sources

Literature

N. Marr 1895, Armenia [on excavations and archaeological work 1893], UAC for 1893: St. Petersburg, pp. 33-36։
T. Toramanian 1942, Materials of the history of Armenian architecture I, Yerevan, Yerevan, USSR GA ed., 307 pages.
K. Ghafadaryan 1972, Remarks on the construction of Urartian fortifications, Historical and Philosophical Journal, No. 2, pp. 151-162.
A. Smith, Kafadarian K. 1996, New Plans of Early Iron Age and Urartian Fortresses in Armenia. A Preliminary Report on the Ancient Landscapes Project, Iran, Vol. 34, pp. 23-37.
G. Areshyan, K. K. Ghafadaryan 1996, The architecture of the Armenian Highlands during the period of early society and the first state formations (from the last quarter of the 3rd millennium BC to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), History of Armenian Architecture, H. 1, pp. 68-86.

List of immovable monuments of the Sarnaghbyur history and culture

7.100.1. – Castle (4 km north-east)
7.100.1.1. – Residence
7.100.1.2. – Cemetery
7.100.2. – Castle (2 km north-east)
7.100.2.1. – Cemetery
7.100.3. – Castle «Top Qar»
7.100.3.1. – Cemetery
7.100.4. – Castle «Ghalacha»
7.100.4.1. – Cemetery
7.100.5. – Castle «Mets Berd»
7.100.5.1. – Cemetery
7.100.6. – Castle «Pokr Berd»
7.100.6.1. – Cemetery
7.100.44-50 – Cemetery
7.100.47.1. – Menhir (dragon stone)