A team of archaeologists from Poland and Armenia has completed the first season of research at Davti Blur, an ancient site of historical significance in Armenia’s Armavir province. Known as “David’s Hill,” the site is part of Argisztihinili, a major administrative and urban center founded in 774 BCE during the Kingdom of Urartu, reports NaukawPolsce.
This marks the first-ever Polish-led research at the site. The excavation resumed in October 2024 after a long hiatus as part of a new Polish-Armenian research project to investigate the residential areas of Argisztihinili, which remain largely unexplored despite previous excavations.
The project is co-directed by Dr. Mateusz Iskra, head of the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the Polish Center for Mediterranean Archaeology (PCMA) at the University of Warsaw, and Hasmik Simonyan from Armenia’s Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences, along with the Cultural Heritage Protection and Museum Reserves Service.
Their goal is to uncover new details about daily life in the South Caucasus thousands of years ago, reconstruct the history of the city, and analyze the impact of climate change on life in Argisztihinili between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE.
Argisztihinili: A Major Urartian City and Regional Power
Founded by King Argishti I atop Davti Blur hill in 774 BCE, Argisztihinili was one of Urartu’s most significant settlements, a key administrative and economic hub of the 8th and 7th centuries BCE.
Urartu, centered near Lake Van, was a powerful rival of the Assyrian Empire, engaging in long-standing conflicts over control of Syria and southern Anatolia. By the late 9th and 8th centuries BCE, Urartian conquests expanded the kingdom’s borders from Lake Urmia in the east to Lake Sevan in the north and the Taurus and Zagros Mountains in the south.
The city of Argisztihinili was fortified with monumental defensive walls, two citadels, and residential districts connected by irrigation channels that transported water from the Araxes River. The most impressive and best-preserved parts of the settlement lie in the central and eastern sections of Davti Blur hill, where the Polish-Armenian expedition has focused its work.
Past excavations in the 1960s and 1970s uncovered an administrative-religious complex, with artifacts revealing aspects of Urartian history, religion, and culture. However, the residential areas had never been properly explored”a gap this new project aims to fill.
Excavation Under Urgent Threat from Modern Destruction
Despite its historical importance, Argisztihinili is under significant threat due to modern human activity. Illegal waste dumping, artifact looting, and cemetery expansion have severely jeopardized the site’s preservation.
“The site has been somewhat forgotten, which unfortunately contributes to its gradual destruction,” said Dr. Iskra.
For years, the area has suffered neglect and has been used as an illegal dumping ground. More recently, illegal metal detectorists have disturbed burial sites and artifacts, and part of the settlement has been overtaken by a modern cemetery.
“This may be the last chance to thoroughly study and save this site before it is lost,” Dr. Iskra emphasized.
Discovery of 6th Century BCE Residences
During their first excavation season, the research team identified massive architectural remains, including two large residential structures with walls nearly 1.5 meters thick.
“These were not fortification walls but rather the walls of two residential houses, which turned out to be very well preserved,” Dr. Iskra explained.
Excavations uncovered fragments of floors from two rooms. Their exact function remains uncertain, but preliminary analysis suggests that the houses were in use during the 6th century BCE, a critical period marking the decline of Urartu.
A major research objective is to analyze how and why these structures were eventually abandoned.
Discovery of a Cremation Cemetery: A Rare Find in Armenia
One of the most significant discoveries was a cremation cemetery, an unexpected find near the residential district.
The ashes of the deceased, along with fragmented bones, burial items, and remnants of the funeral pyre, were placed in urns covered by ceramic plates and sealed in rock-carved niches, then buried under a thin layer of soil.
“The distinctive pottery mark allows us to date this burial to the first half of the 7th century BCE,” Dr. Iskra stated.
The cremation practices at the site are still being analyzed, raising important questions about whether the cemetery exclusively reflects Urartian burial customs or if it contains influences from later periods.
This discovery has the potential to illuminate the sacral landscape of Argisztihinili and provide new insights into the region’s funerary traditions over time, noted Hasmik Simonyan.
Evidence of a Powerful Ancient Earthquake
A team of geologists from the University of Warsaw, led by Professor Barbara Woronko, conducted geological and geophysical surveys to remotely identify subsurface structures.
Preliminary investigations revealed fault lines characteristic of an ancient earthquake that likely caused widespread destruction.
“Initial data shows that this was a very destructive and highly powerful earthquake, but it is too early to determine exactly when it occurred,” the research team reported.
Further research will explore its impact on the site’s decline.
Future Research: Excavations, Conservation, and Public Engagement
Looking ahead, the team plans to resume excavations in May and June 2025, focusing on:
- Expanding work on the residential district to uncover more about elite Urartian life
- Detailed analysis of the cremation cemetery to explore burial customs across different periods
- Continued conservation efforts and protection planning
A key priority is ensuring that all uncovered artifacts are carefully documented, preserved, and displayed. As part of a collaborative research effort with the Sardarapat Ethnographic Museum in Armenia, all discoveries will be cataloged and exhibited, both permanently and in rotating exhibitions.
“We will strive to make the Davti Blur site an archaeological reserve that will eventually be open to tourism,” said Simonyan.
As part of this vision, the project will also develop educational programs to raise public awareness of Armenia’s archaeological heritage and the urgent need to protect it.
