A deminer’s archive: Ancient artifacts found in the minefields of Artsakh

2026-02-05 - 14:46

For a deminer, an object found in the ground usually represents a lethal threat. For David Simonyan, however, the soil of Artsakh kept more than the dangers left from war. Simonyan is a former HALO Trust worker, whose career in humanitarian demining began in 2003. Following the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in the 1990s, the soil was heavily contaminated with unexploded ordnance and landmines. Simonyan describes the density of these explosives as being like “sunflower seeds,” scattered thickly across the fields. During one of the clearance operations, Simonyan found his first ancient artifact: a spearhead. Recognizing that the object was not a fragment of modern weaponry, he began his own independent research to identify its origins. Iron spearheads found during mine clearance Later, he found a significant portion of his collection near the ancient city of Tigranakert, particularly around the fortress walls. To Simonyan, finding ancient weapons in a modern minefield was not a coincidence but a result of the region’s geography. “The wars have changed, but the idea remains the same,” he tells the Weekly. Simonyan observes that the strategic logic of the landscape has remained static for millennia. High-ground positions, such as cliffs, offer a superior defensive advantage; consequently, the same territory has been contested by every army that has passed through the region. “Now, we use a bullet; then, it was a spearhead,” Simonyan explains. Click to view slideshow. The physical risks of demining became a reality for Simonyan in late 2004. While operating in the field, he was injured in a landmine explosion that left him with severe injuries across nearly his entire body. After which, he was no longer physically permitted to work in active minefields. David in the hospital following the 2004 landmine explosion Though his career as a deminer ended that day, his mission did not. In 2007, three years after the accident, he produced the documentary “Catharsis” to portray the land he had spent years trying to save. For Simonyan, the term “Catharsis,” the Greek word for cleansing, is the only way to describe people’s relationship with the soil. He believes that just as a person must purge themselves of negativity to make room for happiness, the earth itself must be purged of the “seeds” of war. As Simonyan says, “We call the soil ‘Motherland’ because it is like our parents who provide everything for life. To keep it as our Motherland, it must first be healed through demining.” Click to view slideshow. The collection Simonyan rescued over the years represents a history spanning three distinct eras: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Among his most important finds are three-winged arrowheads, similar to those described in the ancient legends. “Our history starts with Hayk. In his time, he was an archer; but today, we would call him a sniper. He found Bel and defeated him with a single three-winged arrow.” Three-winged iron arrowhead Later, he also discovered a more modern variation of the three-winged arrowhead — the kind featuring a hole, which was common in the Kyrgyzstan region during the mid-century. A rare mid-century three-winged arrowhead For Simonyan, these artifacts are a surviving archive of a land that has been lost. In September 2023, following a massive military attack, David, like more than 100,000 other ethnic Armenians, was forced into a sudden exodus, leaving almost everything behind. He managed to carry with him only a few old photos, letters and a small part of his collection to Yerevan. Today, these pieces sit on a shelf in his house and are the only physical things left from his life in Artsakh. A glimpse into David Simonyan’s life While the wars have moved the borders, these objects remain unchanged. The few pieces Simonyan rescued are now witnesses to thousands of years of life. He once cleared the earth of ‘seeds of war’ to make it safe for the future; today, he guards these ancient finds to make sure the past is not forgotten. Photos are courtesy of Nare Arushanyan, with documentary stills provided by Davis Simonyan.