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General Info
Site ID
Ar/Hn.375.01
Site Name
Hnaberd Settlement 01
Site Type
Settlement
Landscape
Hnaberd
Periodization
Medieval, Modern
UTM Zone
38T
UTM Easting
429025
UTM Northing
4496776
Elevation
2,330m
Association

This block of rooms is located 0.60km southwest (bearing 237°) of Gekhadzor village and 0.55km east (bearing 96°) of Hn AR 02, which may be contemporaneous (map quad B3i).

Topography

This small settlement lies along a watercourse near the margin of the Tsaghkahovit plain. The natural drainage appears to have been canalized in some areas, with basalt stones lining part of its course (plate VIc). The visible room blocks lie on the terminal slope of Mt. Aragats while agricultural fields mark the settlements northern boundary. The area shows considerable signs of disturbance. Indeed, much more of the settlement is visible in the 1989 aerial photograph than was extant during our visit in 1998.

General Description

The settlement extends across 153m north-south and 149m east-west. It presently includes at least 6 distinct room blocks, but the aerial photos suggest that the site may have once included more than 20 discrete buildings. The walls suggest two architectural phases. The upper courses of stones appear to have been recent additions, employing modern cut stones set in regular lines. But the lower courses appear to utilize double-faced basalt masonry. If the modern layers date to the late 19th and early 20th century, it is possible that the lower, original constructions, date to the medieval period.

Features & Materials

No surface materials were recovered from the site. But a shepherd in the vicinity said the place was once occupied by Turkish residents. This is not surprising given the well-attested Turkish toponyms in the region (such as Hajji Khalil, the early 20th century name given to Tsaghkahovit fortress by Toramanyan). This would set the abandonment of the village sometime during the violence that accompanied World War I and the Armenian Genocide during the late second decade of the 20th century.

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