In search of the camp of the IV Scythian Legion near ancient Artaxata: Pokr Vedi 2015–2018
In search of the camp of the IV Scythian Legion near ancient Artaxata: Pokr Vedi 2015–2018

Summary/Abstract: Participating in the Roman campaign of Emperor Trajan against the Parthians (114–117), the Legio IV Scythica, was stationed in Artaxata, the capital of the province of Armenia at the time. Its presence there was immortalized on stamped rooftiles, bricks and a monumental inscription discovered at the southern edge of the present-day village of Pokr Vedi. The inscription, carved in limestone, confirms building activities carried out by the Roman army. Inscriptions of this kind were frequently placed on the gates and most important buildings in the legionary camps. The investigation of the alleged location of the army camp on the outskirts of Pokr Vedi involved an array of non-invasive survey methods (surface prospection, aerial photography, interviews with inhabitants, topographical scanning of the terrain and geophysical electrical resistivity and magnetic surveys). The prospection and test excavations in areas selected on the basis of the accumulated survey data were carried out by a joint Polish and Armenian team.

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