Aramus Excavations and Field School

Following a preliminary survey in 2003, excavations were conducted in September 2004 till 2007 at the site of Aramus, Kotayk county, Armenia. The excavations are a five-year joint project between the Universities of Yerevan and Innsbruck, the Institute of Azgagrutyun u hnagitutian and the Institute of Ancient History and Near Eastern Studies . Aramus, located on a hilltop about 1500m above sea level, is an Urartian fortress occupied in the 1st millennium B.C. A cuneiform inscription found nearby indicates that there may be a connection between the site and the city of Darani, which was conquered by the Urartian King Argishti I in the 8th century B.C. This project will shed light on the development and decline of the Urartu kingdom in relation to the preceding and following social and political structures in the region.