Horom Citadel (, also

Romanize In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

d as Orom and Horrom) is an ancient

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

through Urartian fortification atop two large hills south of the main road and opposite of the dam and Kamut Reservoir. It is about east of the village of Horrom in the

Shirak Province Shirak (, ) is a provinces of Armenia, province () of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering the provinces of Lori Province, Lori to the east and Aragatsotn Province, Aragatsotn to the south and southeast, and the cou ...

of northwestern

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. Not far from this location in Ghak and Shvaghtapa are two Urartian

cyclopean Cyclopean masonry is a type of masonry, stonework found in Mycenaean Greece, Mycenaean architecture, built with massive limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal Engineering tolerance, clearance between adjacent stones and with clay ...

forts.

Archaeology

Horom is considered to be one of the most impressive archaeological sites in Armenia because of its unique architecture. There are

potsherd This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. A B C D E F ...

s and

obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...

flakes strewn on the surface of the ground. Recent

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

have been underway at the site recently by Armenian and American archaeologists led by Ruben Badalian and Philip Kohl. The teams have uncovered well preserved fortification walls as well as large amounts of cultural artifacts that have given insight into those who once resided at the site.

References

* Archaeological sites in Armenia Castles in Armenia Forts in Armenia Urartian cities Tourist attractions in Shirak Province Buildings and structures in Shirak Province {{NEast-archaeology-stub