MÜNSTER, GERMANY—CBS News reports that traces of an early Christian church have been uncovered in Armenia, at the site of the ancient city of Artaxata, by a team of German and Armenian researchers. “The building, which dates back to the fourth century, is the oldest archaeologically documented church in the country,” said Achim Lichtenberger of the University of Münster. The age of the structure was determined by radiocarbon dating of the remains of wooden platforms uncovered at the site. Mkrtich Zardaryan of the Armenian Academy of Sciences added that the church measured about 100 feet across, and was shaped like an octagon with rectangular chambers that extended out from four of the sides. The floor was made mostly of sand and cement, while the walls were made with slabs of terracotta that may have been imported from the Mediterranean. Decorations in the structure are thought to have been made of terracotta as well, he added. To read about a fourth-century Christian church excavated in Ethiopia, go to "Africa's Merchant Kings."
