The Premordial Wealth of Armenia

Armenian Highland is one of the ancient regions of our forefathers’ residence which is rich in monuments and archeological fossils typical to all epochmaking historical stages. A unique monument belonging to the Middle Bronze Age is the big stone shrine of 30 meters diameter and 1.5 meters height excavated near the village Qarashamb in Kotayk region which dates back to the II millennium BC. The funeral took place on the land surface for which a rectangular burial place was made by stones on a small natural hill. The ground was covered with a piece of cloth. The burial was accompanied by a rich property, sacrificed wild and corneous animals, and birds. Various arms, tableware and jewelry are especially distinguished among the excavated goods. There were found such weapons as short dependent bronze dagger with triangular blades, silver sack with crescent-like edges and armour. There was a low boiler with 2 lugs and narrow neckband placed on 3 stones in the middle of the burial place in which there were bird bones, timber residues of the cover of the burial place, as well as polished and unpolished black clay vessels decorated with lines and points.
There are 2 necklaces distinguished among the ornaments one of which is made of crystal and golden beads. There are 2 large golden beads in the middle. There are also found 2 buckles made of massive golden sheets, bronze and silver needles. The famous silver cup has great significance among the excavated samples. It has 13 cm height. This cup has great historical, mythological and aesthetic value. Six horizontal decoration belts adorning the cup present a dramatic history: boar hunting, royal revelry and deer sacrifice before the war, soldiers’ march, battle between spearmen and swordsmen, decapitation captive and transformation of their souls into tailed creatures. People are depicted either by profile or by full face. The plot of the cup of Qarashamb is distinguished for dynamism and internal tension.
The duel between 2 leaders is of special interest; the leader of the swordsmen is knelt down by the slap of the spearman, and his helmet has fallen to unveil his face. This ancient sample of art is closely connected with the monuments of Hittite art and mythology by its design and composition of images. Because of the richness and magnificence of fossils found here the vault of Qarashamb is considered to be one of the richest burials in the whole territory of Transcaucasia.