TIGRAN THE GREAT’S CITADEL FOUND IN ARTSAKH

AZG Armenian Daily
17/08/2006

August 10, The expedition "Tigranakert" of the institute of Archaeology
and Ethnology of the Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia
with the initiative and financing of "France-Karabagh" and "Yerkir"
Union of NGOs for Repatriation and Settlement has made astounding
discoveries. The expedition, led by the Doctor of Historical Sciences
Hamlet Petrosian, managed to find the citadel constructed by Tigran
The Great. The structure was built by huge plain stone blocks tied
to each other with the so-called "swallow-tail bounds" – an advanced
Hellenic technique. Such a complicated and advanced technique is used
here for the first time and serves as evidence for the hypothesis
of the research group, in particular that Tigranakert of Artsakh is
located at the same place as the current archaeological excavation. One
of the fenced terraces of the city, which is also constructed from
plain blocks, is also under excavation. The excavations of the urban
district and adjacent burial mounds have also been initiated.

These excavations have come to prove that Armenian identity has been
present in the lower stream of Khachenaget (former region of Aghdam)
at least since the first century B.C.

The same article in French

Le 10 août 2006, l’expedition archeologique "Dikranakert d’Artsakh" a
l’initiative de l’Union Yerkir et de France-Karabagh en partenariat
avec l’institut d’archeologie et d’ethnologie de l’academie
des sciences de la Republique d’Armenie a fait des decouvertes
etonnantes. L’expedition, menee par l’archeologue Hamlet Petrossian
est parvenue a trouver la citadelle de la ville construite par Dikran
Le Grand. La structure a ete construite par des blocs de pierres
attaches entre eux avec la technique hellenique innovatrice pour
l’epoque dite de "la queue de l’hirondelle". Les fouilles de la zone
urbaine et des monticules adjacents ont ete egalement lancees.

Ces decouvertes prouvent que la presence armenienne est anterieure a
l’epoque de Khatchenaked (ancienne region d’Aghdam, VI-eme siècle) et
que les armeniens sont present dans la region depuis le 1-er siècle av.
J-C.

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