YEREVAN. - The Armenian archaeologists are studying a unique ancient monument together with their Austrian colleagues in Aramus village of Armenia’s Kotayk province.

As a result of the recent excavations, remnants of ancient structures have been found in the territory of the Urartian fortress. Besides, there is evidence that the fortress continued to function also after the fall of Urartu - during the Achaemenid or early Armenian period up to Middle Ages.  

Head of the Archaeology and Ethnography Department at the Yerevan State University, Hayk Avetisyan, told the aforementioned to journalists on Thursday.  

According to him, the excavations were launched here as early as 10 years ago. Following the tables left by Urartian king Argishti on the conquest of the capital of Etiuni country, Darani city, the archaeologists were able to find this Urartian fortress, but the excavations showed that there are several archaeological layers here.  

Traces of livelihood of Bronze and Iron Age have been found here, being followed by a layer of Urartian culture, as well as that of Hellenic and Middle Age period. Thus, Aramus turned out to be a multi-layer architectural monument.

In Avetisyan’s words, together with ceramics and manufacturing complexes peculiar to the Urartian culture, utensils and handicrafts of local residents have been found here. In fact, the excavations proved that they co-existed here at the same time.

Literally during the recent days of the excavations, triangular tip of a Scythian model arrow has been found here. It is yet to be found out how that tip appeared here, Avetisyan noted.