Archaeological research study in Metsamor has been carried out given that 1965. Throughout Soviet times, research study was brought just by Armenian researchers, however more just recently, a prospering cooperation with Polish archaeologists began. Simply in the past year, the groups discovered a “Golden Tomb” filled with sensational jewels and artifacts. Previously, they discovered gold pendants and gilded belt fittings with depictions of searching lionesses. Now, theyve discovered something a lot more unexpected: the ancient remains of a huge pastry shop.
It was among the most essential cultural and political centers in the area.
Flour is not something you typically find in archaeology. It can be found in homes, but this was not a house. It was a huge structure, and when scientists likewise discovered some furnaces, they realized it was a big, ancient bakery.
Baking bad
The unassuming Armenian town of Metsamor in fact has lots of well-kept tricks. The city lies next to an archaeological site that goes back thousands of years. Some 4,000 years earlier, the settlement occupied 10 hectares and was surrounded by massive walls to keep intruders at bay. It continued to grow, and by 3,000 years ago, it had actually broadened to nearly 100 hectares, featuring numerous temples, monoliths, and growing industry and farming.
No doubt, a settlement this big required some major food processing.
Aerial view of Metsamor. Above them, in the lower town, a trench is visible where a structure with a pillars filled with flour was discovered.
When scientists first found an ancient powdery compound together with the buried structure, they thought it was ash. After all, the hints pointed towards a big fire– the charred residues of the buildings roofing system and beams definitely recommended so. Upon closer evaluation, the compound turned out to be something really different: flour.
An overhead view shows the complete layout of the 3,000-year-old bakeshop. Image credits: Patrick Okrajek.
You cant consume the flour
A structure of this size is not common for that time. Regretfully, the structure satisfied its end in what appears to have been a huge fire, however this fire helped to maintain it.
“It is one of the earliest known structures of this type from the southern Caucasus and eastern Anatolia. Its remains have actually been protected so well only thanks to an ancient fire that put an end to it,” states Prof. Krzysztof Jakubiak from the Faculty of Archeology of the University of Warsaw, who was involved in the research.
Nevertheless, its also possible that the flour was used for divination, which would make the structure more like a temple than a bakery– though it might have had functions of both. More research study is needed to identify its precise use, the team explains.
For the next phases of the research study, the group will explore the neighboring rooms of the structure and try to uncover more ideas about its usage.
Metsamor was continuously occupied for thousands of years, and it wont give out its secrets that quickly. One things for sure– Metsamor still has lots of more tales to inform.
Parts of the castle show up on the surface.
Still, the fact that the structure might have held 7,000 pounds (over 3 heaps) of flour mean mass production. You cant truly eat or cook the flour– its all charred remains by now.
Researchers found “2 rows of a total of 18 wood columns supporting a reed roofing with wooden beams,” according to a release by Polands Science for Society. The scientists likewise found proof that several heating systems were added later.
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Simply in the past year, the groups found a “Golden Tomb” filled with sensational gems and artifacts. Now, theyve found something even more unexpected: the ancient remains of a huge bakeshop.
When researchers initially discovered an ancient powdery substance along with the buried structure, they believed it was ash. Flour is not something you normally discover in archaeology. It was a big structure, and when researchers also discovered some furnaces, they recognized it was a big, ancient bakeshop.
