Geography and power
Early settlement, the tradition of a royal hunting park and the emergence of a marzpanate centre are separate questions at Dvin. The details of a court transfer under Khosrov remain disputed. Excavations in 1958 uncovered a Late Bronze and Early Iron Age settlement beneath medieval deposits. Successive uses of the same hill do not imply continuous capital status.
The choice of Dvin was based on defensive and economic calculations. The city was built on a natural elevation, stood at a junction of the Ararat Plain’s road network, and was close both to agricultural regions and international trade routes. After the fall of the Arsacid Kingdom, Dvin did not lose its administrative importance. The Sasanian authorities made it the center of marzpanate Armenia, where state documents were kept and the rights of the nakharar houses were regulated.
The city also became the seat of the Catholicos of the Armenian Church. This brought political, economic, and ecclesiastical authority together in Dvin. Metal goods, textiles, pottery, and products imported from various countries were sold in its markets. Archaeological discoveries testify to developed craftsmanship and long-distance trade connections.
Later history of the city
After the Arab conquest in the seventh century, Dvin continued to function as an administrative center, now under the name Dabil. However, prolonged wars, changes of rulers, and the devastating earthquake of 893 dealt a severe blow to the city. It recovered for a time but could no longer fully restore its former position. When the Armenian kingdom was re-established in the late ninth century, the Bagratunis chose as their capital not Dvin, which was associated with foreign administrative rule, but one of their own dynastic centers, Bagaran.
Sources and further reading
Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Dvin” · ՀՀ ԳԱԱ Հնագիտության և ազգագրության ինստիտուտ, Դվինի հնագիտական նյութեր։