Dvin (ancient city)
Drawing of the central square of the ancient Armenian capital city of Dvin. The main cathedral of St. Grigor (3rd-5th century), with a small church of St. Sarkis to the right (6th century), and the residence of the Catholicos on the left (5th century)
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 Shown within Armenia
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| Location | Southwest of the Dvin village; between Hnaberd and Verin Dvin, Ararat Province, Armenia |
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| Coordinates | 40°0′16.87″N 44°34′45″E / 40.0046861°N 44.57917°ECoordinates: 40°0′16.87″N 44°34′45″E / 40.0046861°N 44.57917°E |
| History | |
| Builder | King Khosrov III |
| Founded | 4th century |
| Abandoned | 1236 |
Dvin (Classical Armenian: Դուին, reformed: Դվին; Greek: Δούβιος Doύbios or Τίβιον Tίbion;Arabic: دَبیل, translit. Dabīl; also Duin or Dwin in ancient sources) was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan. The site of the ancient city is currently not much more than a large hill located between modern Hnaberd (just off the main road through Hnaberd) and Verin Dvin, Armenia. Systematic excavations at Dvin that have proceeded since 1937 have produced an abundance of materials, which have shed light into the Armenian culture of the 5th to the 13th centuries.
Ancient Armenian literary sources almost always give the name of the ancient city of Dvin as Dwin or Duin. Later authors favored the Dvin appellation, which is the most common form given in scholarly literature. The word is of Middle Iranian origin, and means hill.
The ancient city of Dvin was built by Khosrov III of Armenia in 335 on a site of an ancient settlement and fortress from the 3rd millennium BC. Since then, the city had been used as the primary residence of the Armenian Kings of the Arsacid dynasty. Dvin boasted a population of about 100,000 citizens in various professions, including arts and crafts, trade, fishing, etc.
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