Human remains, medieval game pieces and rare Queen Tamar coin unearthed at Amberd Fortress

(Horizon Media / AMBERD) — Restoration work at one of Armenia’s most remarkable medieval fortresses has uncovered traces of life, death and leisure from centuries past.

During cleaning and conservation efforts at the 10th-century Amberd Fortress in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province, archaeologists discovered human remains near the site’s inner fortified wall. According to the Conservation Service under the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the skeleton is about 90 percent intact, with only the finger bones missing.

Initial examination of the teeth suggests that the individual was likely young, adding a human dimension to the latest discoveries at the fortress, which has stood for more than a millennium on the slopes of Mount Aragats.

The burial was not the only find to emerge from the site. Archaeologists also uncovered fragments believed to belong to a medieval board game similar to backgammon or checkers. Known locally as tama, the game reflects the everyday lives of those who once lived or served within the fortress walls.

The discovery offers a rare glimpse beyond Amberd’s military and architectural history. While the fortress is usually associated with defence, power and survival, the game pieces suggest moments of rest, competition and social life within its stone walls during the Middle Ages.

A rare coin believed to depict Queen Tamar was also found during the work, further adding to the historical value of the discovery. Queen Tamar, one of the most prominent figures of the medieval Caucasus, ruled during a period of political and cultural influence that left a lasting mark across the region.

Together, the human remains, game fragments and coins transform the restoration work at Amberd into something more than a conservation project. They offer a vivid reminder that behind the fortress’s imposing walls were real people: young and old, soldiers and residents, rulers and ordinary inhabitants, whose lives continue to surface from the soil centuries later.