Arin-Berd
Arin-Berd
a mound on the outskirts of the city of Yerevan, on which are located the ruins of the Urartian fortress built by King Argistis I circa 782 B.C. In the building inscriptions uncovered at Arin-berd, the fortress was named Ere-buni. (Its name was preserved in the name of Yerevan, whose 2,750th anniversary was celebrated in 1968.) Excavations made since 1950 have revealed court and temple rooms with wall paintings, household living quarters, and storerooms. The fortress was a base for the advancement of the Urartians toward Lake Sevan. By the end of the eighth century B.C. it had lost its original importance, and its next period was associated with post-Urartian times (fifth century B.C.).