Artaxata is an archaeological site located in the Ararat Valley, about 40 km south of Yerevan, at the present-day border with Turkey. This was once a large city situated on fourteen hills at the confluence of two rivers: the Aras and its tributary bearing the contemporary name of Metsamor. Artaxata was one of the capitals of the Kingdom of Armenia. As mentioned by Plutarch (Plut. Vit. Luc. 31), it was founded in the most convenient spot, as indicated by Hannibal the Carthaginian to the Armenian king of Artaxata.

During the last years of his reign, Emperor Trajan conducted a war against the Parthians. The deployment of troops from the camp in Satala eastward constituted a key strategic move on the eve of the war. Artaxata was at that time the capital of Armenia. Legio IV Scythica along with the vexillationes of other legions took control of the city in 114 AD peacefully (Cass. Dio 68.19.1-5). Archaeological evidence confirms the presence of Roman armies both in the city itself and beyond its walls. One such piece of evidence is a monumental inscription discovered in 1967 on the southern border of the village of Pokr Vedi. Due to its content and size, it can be assumed that it had been prepared for one of the buildings erected at that time in the new legionary camp.

In modern times, the remains of the ancient Artaxata are situated within the territory of two countries – Armenia and Turkey. In light of the current political situation and insufficient research, it is especially difficult to determine the western boundaries of the city. There is no publication on the subject. From the northern side, the archaeological site borders with a swampy area, which in Antiquity constituted a natural barrier for the city’s development. As already mentioned, Artaxata was constructed at the confluence of two rivers – the Aras and the Metsamor. The present-day riverbed of the former cuts through the archaeological site and demarcates the border between Armenia and Turkey. The smaller of the listed rivers does not currently flow through this area, while the course of the ancient riverbed remains unknown.

Polish and Armenian archaeologists undertook a joint search for the supposed camp of the Fourth Scythian Legion in the vicinity of the present-day village of Pokr Vedi, where the above-mentioned construction inscription had been found. Conducted in years 2015-2018 by PhD Mkrtich Zardaryan from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia in Yerevan and MA Oskar Kubrak (Faculty of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw) with scientific mentorship of Prof. Tadeusz Sarnowski(†) and followed by Assoc. Prof. Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski, surveys were mainly non-invasive (+ three small trenches). The following were applied: surface prospection, aerial photography, interviews with the inhabitants, scanning of part of the terrain, and geophysical measurements were done using two methods: electrical resistivity and magnetic measurements. The accumulated data enabled the selection of sites in which survey trenches were located. The field surveys were conducted within the framework of the Pokr Vedi Project. The almost complete lack of information about the circumstances of the finding of this inscription contributed to our undertaking this research project. The main objective was gaining a better understanding of the issue of Roman army presence in the Aras Valley and the attempt to establish the structure for which the monumental building inscription had been prepared. The project also aimed to study the archaeological material found so far beyond the walls of Artaxata.

No doubt, the most important artifact linked to the presence of the Roman army near Artaxata is a monumental construction inscription and the accompanying tombstone of a soldier from the Legio I Italica. To better understand this recent discovery, it is worth comparing this inscription with other known specimens referring to construction investments carried out with the participation of the Legio IV Scythica. Not much epigraphic evidence has been left behind by the discussed unit, which specialists refer to informally as the “construction legion”, attesting to their stationing in a specific place and their investment activities. Inscriptions made by the unit’s soldiers are known from near the Danube in the vicinity of the Iron Gates and Zeugma.

Due to its content, the inscription is dated to 116 AD. It was made with extreme meticulousness. The letters, stylized as scriptura monumentalis quadratta, were in Antiquity reserved for official inscriptions placed in public places. The use of Emperor Trajan’s name in the genetive as Traianus indicates the founder of the inscription, and thus – by default – of the entire building. Based on these observations, it can be concluded that this unidentified object was erected by the soldiers of the legio IIII Scythica as commissioned by the Emperor. The artifact is about 7.3 m long and 0.8 m high. The text fits in three lines, with the letters in the first verse the largest at about 20 cm in height, while the remaining lines of the inscription consist of smaller letters of a height of between 16 and 18 cm. The length of the plate with the inscription might indirectly indicate the width of the elevation on which it had originally been placed or for which it had been prepared. The slabs into which the inscription was carved had been made from local limestone.

Focusing on recent research neither scans of the terrain nor aerial photographs revealed any uneven surfaces or other anomalies invisible on the ground. At the stage of fieldwork preparations, the research team expected the remains of a ditch, dyke, or other architectural structures to be found.

The lack of any remains of the alleged camp that would be observable on the surface turns out to be understandable in light of later stratigraphic observations made in the encountered farm pits and in the survey trenches carried out as planned. River silts, sometimes 2 m thick, lie above the layers dating back to the first centuries AD. This natural leveling layer could have completely obliterated any possible traces of even such extensive structures as the ditches and embankments surrounding a Roman military camp.

Surface surveys proved to be the most effective of the applied methods. As a result, it was possible to distinguish several concentrations of finds that could have been connected with the stationed army or other types of human activity at the beginning of our era. In the following seasons, sites, where the most intense concentrations of moveable artifacts had been found, were selected for geophysical research.

The excavations were aimed at verifying the results of previous non-invasive research. The excavations did not succeed in determining structures and accumulations unequivocally connected with the alleged camp of the Legio IV Scythica. However, the collected data significantly enriched our knowledge of the areas beyond the walls of Artaxata. It was believed that the findspot of the monumental Latin inscription was in square 11 (Fig. 4). Interviews with the inhabitants contributed to determining the actual location of the discovery in 1967. On this basis, the area for an additional archaeological survey was selected in square 12. The stratigraphic sequence and moveable finds observed in this excavation confirm undefined human activities here at the beginning of our era. It can be assumed that the new survey was located very close to the place where two inscriptions, architectural details, and the remains of an unidentified building had been found over half a century earlier. However, there were no traces of a cemetery, let alone a riverbed, in this part of the site.

Traces of the activities of the river, which could have flown nearby at the beginning of our era, were confirmed in a trench in square 8. This discovery is very important for future attempts to reconstruct the landscape and spatial development around Artaxata. It was previously believed that the city had been founded at the confluence of two rivers – Aras and Metsamor. However, the course of the tributary of the Aras River from the times of the heyday of the Armenian capital remains unknown. The exact route taken by this watercourse during the chronological period we are interested in requires further research. Certainly, geological drilling should be carried out in the area between Pokr Vedi and the Artaxata ruins.

Neither scans of the terrain nor aerial photographs revealed any uneven surfaces or other anomalies invisible on the ground. At the stage of fieldwork preparations, the research team expected the remains of a ditch, dyke, or other architectural structures to be found.

The lack of any remains of the alleged camp that would be observable on the surface turns out to be understandable in light of later stratigraphic observations made in the encountered farm pits and in the survey trenches carried out as planned. River silts, sometimes 2 m thick, lie above the layers dating back to the first centuries AD. This natural leveling layer could have completely obliterated any possible traces of even such extensive structures as the ditches and embankments surrounding a Roman military camp.

Surface surveys proved to be the most effective of the applied methods. As a result, it was possible to distinguish several concentrations of finds that could have been connected with the stationed army or other types of human activity at the beginning of our era. In the following seasons, sites, where the most intense concentrations of moveable artifacts had been found, were selected for geophysical research.

The excavations were aimed at verifying the results of previous non-invasive research. The excavations did not succeed in determining structures and accumulations unequivocally connected with the alleged camp of the Legio IV Scythica. However, the collected data significantly enriched our knowledge of the areas beyond the walls of Artaxata. It was believed that the findspot of the monumental Latin inscription was in square 11. Interviews with the inhabitants contributed to determining the actual location of the discovery in 1967. On this basis, the area for an additional archaeological survey was selected in square 12. The stratigraphic sequence and moveable finds observed in this excavation confirm undefined human activities here at the beginning of our era. It can be assumed that the new survey was located very close to the place where two inscriptions, architectural details, and the remains of an unidentified building had been found over half a century earlier. However, there were no traces of a cemetery, let alone a riverbed, in this part of the site.

Traces of the activities of the river, which could have flown nearby at the beginning of our era, were confirmed in a trench in square 8. This discovery is very important for future attempts to reconstruct the landscape and spatial development around Artaxata. It was previously believed that the city had been founded at the confluence of two rivers – Aras and Metsamor. However, the course of the tributary of the Aras River from the times of the heyday of the Armenian capital remains unknown. The exact route taken by this watercourse during the chronological period we are interested in requires further research. Certainly, geological drilling should be carried out in the area between Pokr Vedi and the Artaxata ruins.

As a result of the research carried out as part of the project described above, no traces could be found of the existence of a legionary camp from Trajan’s times near Artaxata. However, the collected data have made it possible to narrow down the area of further research. It was possible to distinguish the area occupied by the riverbed as well as the site where a cemetery functioned at the beginning of our era. The research also enabled indicating the most probable findspot of the monumental building inscription and other finds accompanying it. This is an important supplement to information concerning the context of finding this unique monument, which confirms the construction activity of the Legio IV Scythica in the studied area.