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Armenian megaliths & rock art on YouTube
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Zariadris
Zariadris
286 posts

Re: Armenian megaliths & rock art on YouTube
Apr 08, 2008, 09:20
tiompan wrote:
Thanks Z. really enjoyed the film . Looks like a an area for archaeoastronomers . I was wondering if among the rock art there were any non-figuartive markings i.e. cup marks ? . The reason I ask is that neighbouring Azerbaijan (maybe I shouldn't mention that ) has figurative and abstract rock art . Music was great too .


Thanks tiompan. Yeah, you're absolutely right. Archeoastronomy is a big deal in Armenia, though much of it is sketchy. In particular, there is one quack, a physicist named Paris Herouni, who has pretty much co-opted the most important, and well known, megalithic site in Armenia, known as Zorats Karer. Julian talks about this site in Modern Antiquarian. It features in the opening of Embers of the Sun. Because of its rows of holed stones, this guy has come up with an elaborate theory whereby ZK was a prehistoric observatory in the 7th millennium BC, since certain stars would've aligned through the holes at that time. Archaeologists have dated it much, much later, to the mid 2nd millennium BC, based on remains in the tomb field which surrounds the site. Herouni was once in touch with Gerald Hawkins, and he often brandishes a letter of support from him as proof of his theory. My major objection to Herouni is that he had the audacity to catalog the monoliths by painting huge numbers on every single one of them in indelible white paint! It's like a dog marking his territory. I had a hell of a time framing shots so the numbers don't appear. I even had to resort to plastering a couple with cow shit. At the wrong angle the stone rows look like a petrified sports team.

Basically, every generation sees in the megaliths those values they hold dear. I see the interrelatedness of the landscape and crazy harvest rituals; Soviet era materialists like Herouni see prehistoric Einsteins in white deer skin coats plotting the course of stars in the name of scientific progress. There is a nationalistic bent to it as well. In short, the current debates over Zorats Karer echo the great controversies in Britain a century ago. The public have bought into it though, and most people will tell you that ZK is the world's oldest observatory.

As for Azerbaijan, just 'cause I'm Armenian doesn't mean I spite the Azeris for having petroglyphs too! I believe in keeping prehistory out of modern politics. To answer your question: yes, in Armenia there are many purely abstract designs among the rock art I've seen in person and in books. Some indeed very similar to those in Britain.

Peace.
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Re: Armenian megaliths & rock art on YouTube (tiompan)
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