Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace
Early Bronze Age (3500-2500 BCE)·Early Bronze Age Kura-Araxes·🇦🇲 Armavir Province, Armenia
About
About Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace
Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace in Armavir Province, Armenia is a Early Bronze Age (3500-2500 BCE) ancient city attributed to Early Bronze Age Kura-Araxes. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal chamber 8 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 40.1159N 44.1773E controls access to Armavir Province resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey ancient-city for Armavir Province, illustrating Early Bronze Age Kura-Araxes construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3200 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age (3500-2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Early Bronze Age Kura-Araxes
- Purpose
- Fortified settlement and ceremonial centre controlling regional exchange
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3200 BCE
Initial construction of Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace main structure
c. 898 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
40.1159° N · 44.1773° E · 872 m · 3 mapped features
Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace — Main Ancient-City Feature
templePrimary temple at Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
40.1178° N · 44.1767° EMetsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
chamberAncillary chamber at Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace — burial gallery with stratified deposits
40.1149° N · 44.1775° EMetsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
cairnOutlier cairn panel linked to Metsamor Fortress Citadel North Bastion — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
40.1147° N · 44.1770° E