The Antique Cemetery

The antique cemetery is located on the plain, about one and a half kilometers northeast of the main city. During the excavations conducted here, one stone-cist and six pithos burials (Fig. 1) were revealed and studied. Another pot burial was uncovered during the excavations of the northern wall of the Fortified Quarter. The burials do not exhibit a unified orientation; those placed in a horizontal position are oriented from the northwest to the southeast or from the northeast to the southwest, with varying deviations. Notably, the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth burials stand out.

The first burial consisted of a pot containing the deceased, with a spouted vessel attached to its bottom from the outside (Fig. 2). The remains of the deceased, including the skull, ribs, and hand bones, were found in a very poorly preserved state. Two coins were discovered-one on the teeth and another among the ribs. These coins are remarkably well-preserved Parthian silver drachmas (Fig. 1) and belong to the Parthian kings Mithridates III (57-54 BC) and Orodes II (57-38 BC). Among the findings are beads covered with gold foil (Fig. 3) and three iron rings with glass gems. In the vicinity of this burial, a colored flask was also found by chance (Fig. 4).

The fourth burial was found at a depth of 0.30 meters below the outer surface of the site in a small vessel, located from southwest to northeast (Fig. 5). The deceased was positioned with the head towards the bottom of the vessel. Other skeletal remains were found to be in very poor condition. The pithos itself suffered damage due to its shallow burial depth and the use of heavy machinery today. It is constructed of light yellowish, poorly fired, brittle pottery. There were barely any traces of painting on separate salted fragments. Inside the vessel, among bone fragments, were discovered 13 sardine beads and two small earrings in the shape of rings. After cleaning and restoring the pithos (measuring 0.80×0.60 meters), it was identified as an amphora-like vessel with two large handles, a wide mouth, and a flat protruding lip (Fig. 6). The surfaces of the handles and lip are painted red, while two red lines and a convex band decorated with finger pressings highlight the neck-body junction. Two identical red bands adorned the body from the top to the middle, with the uppermost band depicting a “deer hunting” scene. This scene unfolds around a broad-leaved tree and portrays mounted and foot hunters armed with spears and arrows, accompanied by dogs, in pursuit of roe deer.

A scene of a ritual parade with the inclusion of roe deer is painted on the surface of one of the ancient burial pithos discovered in Martakert in 2013 (Fig. 7). A portion of this design, including the image of a deer, has been preserved on another pithos found in Martakert. Thus, in Tigranakert and its surrounding area, three illustrated burial vessels made of thin, poorly fired pottery were found. This suggests the possibility of a phenomenon involving the preparation of special vessels for burial.

The fifth burial was opened at a depth of 0.60 meters below the soil surface in a northeast-southwest position, parallel to the previous burial (Fig. 8). The vessel is a medium-sized, light orange clay pot (0.92×0.83 meters) used in the economy and burial rituals in the region. A flat stone blocked the northeast-facing lip of the pithoi. The skeleton was poorly preserved. Judging by the teeth in one part of the jaw, it appears that the deceased was an adult. Findings include a Parthian drachma (probably of Orodes II), glass paste beads (54 pieces), and fragments of bronze rings (4 pieces). Two of the rings had a paste gem, but only one showed the image of Cupid (a winged angel). Leaning vertically on the bottom of the pithoi, a vessel with a double-handled spherical body was opened. These spherical vessels are a modified version of the flasks widely used in the transit trade of the Hellenistic era, appear in Late Antiquity, and date to the 2-3rd centuries.

The sixth burial (Fig. 9) was conducted within a pithoi measuring 1.60×0.95 meters, devoid of handles, and crafted from orange clay. It was positioned at a depth of 1.20–1.50 meters, oriented from the northeast to the southwest, and the mouth was closed by the body of another pithoi. Similar to the previous burial, an oinochoe-type jug rested on the lower part of the pithoi. Within the pithoi, two skeletons were discovered, both with bent limbs. On the chest of the upper skeleton, a necklace adorned with glass, colored paste, sardine beads, black amber, and bronze bell-shaped pendants was found (Fig. 10). A small dagger blade was discovered near the thigh of the lower deceased, along with wrist remains and a glass gem with the image of two angels.

On the fingers of the skeletons were three oval (lozenge-shaped) shielded bronze rings. The round shield of the fourth iron ring was inserted with a paste gem bearing the image of a rowing sailing ship (galera) (Fig. 11).

The pithos burial excavated in the Fortified Quarter (Fig. 12) stands out among the burial property, where, apart from a pair of vessels and beads, fragments of a dart, a bronze mirror, scissors, and gold crescent-shaped pendants were found.

The pithos burials in the last centuries BC and the 1st century AD were a common form of burial in a large region. According to existing research, this burial ritual is much more characteristic of Transcaucasia, especially in different areas with certain features. It can be confirmed that it was the absolutely predominant form of burial in Artsakh and Utik, and the still small number of findings in Tigranakert seem to confirm that trend. In all cases, six of the seven ancient burials of Tigranakert are pithos, and only one is a stone-cist.

One stone cist was also found and excavated in the eastern cemetery (Fig. 13). It is roughly north-south oriented, with a northern entrance and a large structure (interior dimensions of the chamber are approx. 2.75 meters x 3.0 meters, depth 1.85 meters), the walls of which are lined with three rows of large, longitudinally placed rough-polished stones, and the clay soil served as the floor of the cell. Seven skeletons were found in the tomb. As the excavations showed, a double burial was carried out here by piling the old remains in the southern part of the cell. Belongings to the deceased included a bronze crescent-shaped medallion (Fig. 14), four Parthian coins, a delicate bronze leaf-shaped pendant, a bronze string-like object, and a light creamy glass gem with a bird image. There are two pottery objects: a horizontal single-handled, entirely colored jug and a fragmented-colored antique bowl. Judging by the findings, the burials were conducted in the first century BC-the first century AD.

In the territories of Artsakh and Utik, the burial structures of antique tombs discovered by chance are presented in a variety of forms (slabs, stone-cist, egg-shaped cell, earth burial, pithos burial however  at the end of the first century BC and the beginning of the first century AD, pithos burials became predominant. Summarizing the results of previous and recent excavations, it can be confirmed that more than 20 cemeteries have been documented in Artsakh and Utik, where pithos burials are absolutely predominant. The quantitative ratio of these six pithos and one stone-cist burial excavated within the antique cemetery and fortress of Tigranakert, still a small group, seems to confirm this observation. In addition, in different areas, there are certain local features in the ritual and ideology of pithos burials.