In Metsamor, on the territory of the archaeological reserve, a group of international archaeologists discovered the remains of a large building, destroyed by fire about 3,000 years ago. To the surprise of the researchers, inside the “ash” they found huge reserves of flour, which were stored in the building. According to Professor Krzysztof Jakubiak from the University of Warsaw, who took part in the study, such a find is very rare.
Excavations in Metsamor have been going on since 1965, and the Poles began their work here in 2013 under an agreement with the Institute of Archeology of the Armenian Academy of Sciences and the Armenian Ministry of Culture. The research mission unearthed the remains of a large building, which at the time of the fire contained about 3.5 tons of flour. According to Professor Yakubiak, the building was very large and consisted of 18 wooden “columns” supporting a reed roof with wooden beams.
Dating made it possible to establish that the building functioned from the end of the 11th to the beginning of the 9th century BC. According to archaeologists, this is one of the oldest structures of this type known in the southern Caucasus and eastern Anatolia. Professor Yakubiak believes that the building was originally representative, but at some point it was rebuilt from the inside and converted for economic purposes. Inside the building, archaeologists found the remains of several ovens, next to which there was flour. This suggests that a huge bakery was located here, the production of which was massive.
According to Professor Yakubiak:
“Thanks to the flotation (washing) process, we have proven that this is flour, and not ash. Currently, this flour is no longer good for anything.”
Despite this, the find is unique and makes it possible to better understand the life and economic activities of the ancient peoples. This find confirms that archaeological excavations can bring unexpected and interesting results. Research of this kind helps to expand our knowledge of the past and better understand how ancient people lived and worked.
