Archaeologists have finally cracked the mystery behind the 6,000-year-old “dragon stones,” found in Armenia, known as ‘vishap stele’. The towering prehistoric monuments, some carved to resemble fish or cowhide, are found in the Armenian highlands, with some experts linking them to an ancient water cult.
Researchers from Yerevan State University and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography have completed a study that suggests the deliberate placement of the stones near springs, along with their fish-like carvings, points to a ritualistic significance. Potential links to early irrigation systems have been floated, while radiocarbon dating places the structures’ origins between 4200 and 4000 BC, which poses the question of how such large stones, some weighing over four tonnes, were transported. “The study of vishap stele in Armenia, based on their dimensions and altitudinal distribution, provides compelling evidence for their deliberate placement and labour-intensive construction,” the study authors hypothesised in the npj Heritage Science publication.
They added that “significant cultural motivations” were behind placing such large monuments at around 8,800 feet in elevation, as “human history reveals that usually the cults are indeed associated to significant [labour] efforts of their societies”.
“[The stones were] likely tied to the ancient water cult, as vishaps are predominantly located near springs as well as are represented by fish forms.”
The pattern of placement for the artefacts also points to both practical and symbolic importance of their high-altitude locations.
Most of the 115 stones covered in the study, usually of regional andesite or basalt, measure between three and 18 feet in length.
Intrinsic details carved into the heads of stones, while not so much time was taken on the ‘tails’, may indicate they were once all protruded vertically from the ground, despite being found resting on the floor today.
Experts can not disclose with certainty how such immense objects were heaved up or down the mountain, but know the labour to source, carve and then polish the stones would have been exhaustive.
In fact, some of the heaviest carved rocks, including a 4.3 tonne monument called ‘Karakap 3’, were discovered high up in the mountains, underlining the efforts to put them into the correct alignment.
“This suggests the builders intentionally dedicated their limited periods of activity in the higher areas to the construction and transport or large monuments that required much manpower despite the added logistical difficulties, such as providing food and fuel for the workers,” the authors noted, referencing ‘Karakap 3’, which was found 9000 feet above sea level.
“These findings enhance our understanding of high-altitude archaeological sites and the social structures that shaped prehistoric communities.
“In these regards, comparative studies of vishaps and analogous high-altitude sacred landscapes worldwide provide new interpretative perspectives.”
