Aghdzk archeological monument is located in the administrative district of Aghdzk community of Aragatsotn province/marz/ of the Republic of Armenia. It was previously known for the remains of an early medieval three-nave basilica church.
During the renovation of the site in 1973-1975, along with numerous architectural fragments, a burial chamber built in 364 has been opened to rebury the relics of the kings of the Artaxiad and Arsacid dynasties of Armenia, the written information of which was provided by Movses Khorenatsi and P’avstos Buzand. Inside the cell, next to the northern and southern walls, rectangular stone cases were excavated, where the relics of pagan and Christian rulers of the Armenian world were once buried. Unique bas-reliefs with symbolic images of animals and birds also appeared in the vicinity of the tomb.
In 2015, the excavations in the area of the monument were resumed by an archeological expedition of the “Scientific Research Center of the Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, headed by Hakob Simonyan/Candidate of Arts/. During 2015-2017, a lot of medieval tombs (4th– 6th centuries) have been opened by the expedition, as well as very important paleoanthropological materials have been discovered. The opened palace structure in the vicinity of the tomb is especially remarkable for being unique in the archeology of early medieval Armenia.
Considering the unique role of the ancient site of Aghdzk in the centuries-old heritage of Armenia, by the decision of May 26, 2022, of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, it was declared a historical and cultural reserve and included in the structure of the “Service for the Protection of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum-reservations” SNCO of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.
