Ancient City Of Metsamor – Captured And Destroyed By Argishti I, The Ruler Of Urartu

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Metsamor, one of the most impressive prehistoric sites in the vicinity of Yerevan, Armenia has a long history. There is much historical evidence of destruction and capture of this ancient city, with many architectural and cultural treasures including the ca. 2800 BC observatory at Metsamor.

For many years, from 1955 to 1996 it was extensively but somewhat chaotically excavated. Polish archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw have been conducting excavations of the site since 2013.

Argishti I, (Argishti, son Menua), King of Armenia (Urartu Kingdom), the period of 786-764 BC.

Krzysztof Jakubiak of the University of Warsaw and Armenian archaeologist Ashot Philiposjan unearthed evidence of the destruction and capture of the ancient city of Metsamor in Armenia in the eighth century B.C.

The entire area of research revealed layers of burning and ash. It would mean that the city was probably captured by the army of Argishti I, the ruler of Urartu.

Quarrying that covers the hillside of Metsamor. Photo credits: Andrew Selkirk

Argishti I (also known as Arkisdis I) was the king of Urartu (during circa 786 BC -755 BC), the biblical Kingdom of Ararat in the Armenian Highlands. During his reign, the boundaries of the state expanded to the Caucasus, the area of today’s Yerevan.

Due to its expansion, the territory of the Kingdom became a serious threat to Assyria. Argishti I also founded the city of Argishtihinili in 776 BC and the city of Erebuni, now known as the city of Yerevan.

One of inscriptions is covered with text:

"By the greatness of the god Khaldi, Argishti son of Menua built this great fortress, named it Erebuni, to the power of Biainili and the terror of its enemies. Argishti says: the land was waste, I undertook here great works..."

Translation of the cuneiform inscription: “Under the authority of Khaldi (God), I, Argishti, the son of Menua erected this stronghold and named it Erebuni to the glory of the country of Biayna and to intimidate its enemies” (x) Photo credit: Evgeny Genkin.

Excavations revealed very hard and cruel times inthe history of Metsamor, which is based on the remains of a skeleton of about 30 years old woman, whose head was cut off, and of another person with a split skull. These persons were probably a killed during the attack on the city", according to the researcher, who the discovered remains were not buried in the tombs, only randomly scattered among the buildings of the so-called lower town.

Metsamor was a very important archaeological site. It is essentially a Bronze Age city, of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, when copper mining took place on a major scale, and it was a major source of bronze production. However it continued to be a major site in the Urartian period (9th to 6th centuries BC), and it was even occupied in the Middle Ages. Photo credits: Andrew Selkirk

What drew the attention of researchers was a small amount of finds in the form of historical objects, which may illustrate the scale of predatory Urartu invasion.

These seals with cuneiform inscriptions were found in the burials excavated at Metsamor. Photo credits: Andrew Selkirk

Treasures of Metsamor. Photo credits: Andrew Selkirk

The invaders did not spare the holy shrines. Archaeologists found a small, oval urban sanctuary, which had been looted during the invasion. Inside, on stone platforms, they discovered broken pottery and one vessel preserved in its entirety, made of stone.

Metsamor is a protected archaeological reserve. Excavations within the reserve have been conducted for almost 50 years. Previous studies have shown that during the heyday from the fourth to the second millennium BC, the settlement occupied more than 10 hectares and was surrounded by monumental walls.

The Urartian fortress of Erebuni. Photo source

In the early days of iron period, from the eleventh to the ninth century, Metsamor had expanded to nearly 100 acres. The city grew rich on the copper that was quarried and smelted there, and on the magic rock nearby that is covered with mysterious rock carvings.

The central part of the fortress Erebuni was surrounded by temple complexes with seven shrines. At that time, it was one of the most important political and cultural centres in the Aras Valley.

From the eighth century BC, Metsamor became part of the Kingdom of Urartu. The place was continuously inhabited until the seventeenth century.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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