Archaeologists working at the site of the future Academic City in Yerevan have uncovered what may be a 15,000-year-old open-air settlement, a discovery that could be unique in Armenia and the wider region.
Excavations are underway at the future Academic City site on the outskirts of Yerevan, near the Silikyan district. The site was first identified by archaeologist Hakob Simonyan in the 1980s, but large-scale archaeological work resumed only in 2025.
According to archaeologist Karen Yeritsyan, excavations across roughly 500 square meters have uncovered about 42 rooms and circular structures, ranging from two to five meters in diameter, some with compacted clay floors.
Among the most significant finds is a large structure believed to have served a communal or public function. More than 17 meters in diameter, it features curved masonry built from medium and large stones, as well as a clay floor.
Preliminary assessments suggest that the layers currently being excavated could date back around 15,000 years.
The discovery could be unique in Armenia and the surrounding region, as most known settlements from the same period are associated with caves or cave complexes. The Silikyan site, by contrast, appears to be an open-air settlement, offering new evidence about how early communities lived and built in the area thousands of years ago.
Researchers have proposed incorporating the site and continued excavations into Academic City’s scientific and academic work. If further research confirms its age and significance, the ancient settlement could become one of the future complex’s defining features, connecting a modern center of education and research with evidence of human life dating back some 15,000 years.
Excavations are continuing, and further research will be needed to determine the settlement’s exact age, scale, and historical significance.
