Gegharda lich 1

Name: Gegharda lich 1
Monument type: Stele
Region: Ararat Province
Periods: Prehistoric

Name: Gegharda lich 1

Other nomination: Tokhmakhi gyol

Monument type: Vishapakar (dragon stone)

Region: Ararat

Province / Community: Geghama mountains, Ararat (province), Goght (nearby community- in Kotayk)

Type: Bull-type

Material: Reddish basalt

Preservation:

Monument. Good (completely preserved: the bull face is damaged, there are fractures in the front lower part. In a 1971 photo it was piled with three other dragon stones (Tokhmapan Gyol 2, 3, 4) in the central part of the lake (V. Saroyan). It was built in the cement in the correct direction in around 2010 by the “Vishap” tour company: during the process it was broken into two halves and was glued again (V. Saroyan, K. Atashyan).

Image. Sufficient (all the details are preserved, although the main part is partially damaged and details are not visible).

Context. Poor (original location is not distinctly known, but it is visible in the photos of Mar and Smirnov).

Size: 400x150x65 cm (in a fallen condition according to L. Barseghyan); 334x150x65 cm (standing, now).

Original location: Territory of Vishapalich

Current location: About 500 m north-west from the original location

Coordinates: N 40.150154°, E 44.907229° (original location in a restored, in the area of lake Ardi); N 40.152135°, E 044.903543° (current location)

Altitude: About 2700 m

Era and chronology: Middle and Late Bronze Ages, XXIV-XIII centuries BC.

Gegharda Lich 1: The Red Basalt Dragon Stone

As soon as your eyes lock onto Gegharda Lich 1, it captivates your entire attention, drawing you into its enchanting aura, which gently whispers the stories and legends that surround it.

Similar to its counterparts among the dragon stones found exclusively in the Armenian Highlands, Gegharda Lich 1 holds a sacred place within Armenian folklore, intricately linked to the region’s natural wonders, waterways, and colossal mountain dwellers.

This particular dragon stone, standing with grace and pride, serves as a symbol of the awe-inspiring energy emanating from the core of the Geghama Mountains. It stands as a testament to a time when legends and history were inseparable, preserving the legacy of that era.

Gegharda Lich 1, also known as Tokhmakhan Gyol, stands at an altitude of 2,700 meters, as a silent sentinel in the rugged terrain of the Geghama Mountains, within the Ararat province of Armenia.

This bull-type Vishapakar, or dragon stone, is a testament to the deep-rooted heritage of Armenia, with its origins tracing back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, spanning from the 24th to the 13th centuries BC. It is a tangible link to the ancient peoples who once roamed these high-altitude lands, leaving behind a legacy that continues to captivate modern explorers and historians.

Constructed from reddish basalt, Gegharda Lich 1 showcases not only the exquisite craftsmanship of its creators but also a unique geological heritage. Basalt, a volcanic rock, carries both symbolic and practical significance in the region’s history, as it is often associated with the rugged, mountainous landscapes that define Armenia.

The history of this dragon stone is one of displacement and rediscovery. It was initially unearthed by the N. Mar and Y. Smirnov expedition in 1910, followed by a second visit in 1912. However, in the 1970s, during an expansion of the Vishapalich territory, the stone was displaced from its original position. It was later relocated to an adjacent hill, where it now stands, regularly visited by tourists who seek to unravel its mysteries.

While the original context of Gegharda Lich 1 remains shrouded in mystery, the surroundings suggest that it was part of a cromlech or platform. The piles of stones visible in historical photographs hint at its placement within a larger architectural ensemble, underscoring its cultural significance to the ancient inhabitants of this region.

FACTS

❈ Gegharda Lich 1, a dragon stone in the Armenian Highlands, holds deep cultural significance, connected to natural wonders
and the mountains.

❈ Standing at 2,700 meters, it represents Armenia’s ancient heritage dating back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages.

❈ Crafted from reddish basalt, the stone showcases exceptional craftsmanship and geological significance.

❈ Discovered in 1910, it was later displaced in the 1970s but remains a popular tourist attraction.

❈ Its original context is mysterious, but it likely played a part in a larger architectural ensemble of cultural importance.

🔍 Research history

According to the records of the photo archive, it was discovered by N. Mar and Y. Smirnov expedition in 1910, and the second visit was in 1912. In 1913 L. Lisitsyan visited and measured it.

🧱 Archaeological context description

Immediate. Unknown. The piles of stones visible in N. Mar and Y. Smirnov’s photographs around the monument suggest that it was in a cromlech/platform.

Related. In the vicinity (where it now stands) there are cromlechs (there is a road at one of them), petroglyphs.

🧩 Subsidiary usage

Displaced from its original position in the 1970s, when Vishapalich was expanded, it was later placed on an adjacent hill. Now it is regularly visited by tourist groups. There are modern inscriptions on it, done in a fallen state. Left side section from top to bottom: “II-IX.59 HOVIK г. A.S. I.S.Q”; on the front top: “D. NURIK”, below: “MIRO”; on the upper right side, “TEMUR Q.G.”

🌍 Significance

Vishapakar (dragon stone) is characteristic only of the Armenian highlands and is an endemic phenomenon like khachkar. It appears at an altitude of up to 3200 m from the sea level, which is an exceptional phenomenon according to the world archeology.

📜 Traditional legends

Dragonstones carry a high level of symbolic weight. Their name is related to the ancient and new voluminous and similar legends of the population of the Armenian Highlands, where dragons are elemental characters associated with natural phenomena (especially water) and their regulation. Dragons are often associated with mountain-dwelling giants. On one hand the name could have arisen as a result of the size of the statues, and an allegorical interpretation of their iconography on the other hand.

📚 Sources:

Literature

– Marr, Smirnov 1931, 89-90, tab. 11(?), 12, 14a, fig. Page 89,N-; Piotrovsky 1939, 7, fig. 3, tab. VII (are taken from Mar and Smirnov’s book);
– Barseghyan 1967, N 9 (not correctly listed as N 8); cf. Strzygowski 1918, 18, 416; For petroglyphs, cf. Martirosyan 1969, 193; Martirosyan, Israelian 1971, 7; Harutyunyan et al. 2005, 22, fig. 1;
– Avetisyan and others 2005, 230-231, picture 24 (fallen, photo by 2003-2004, according to B. Gasparyan):
Barseghyan L.A. 1967, The “dragons” of the Geghama Mountains, Historical Journal 4, 181-188.
Harutyunyan S., Kalantaryan A., Petrosyan H., Sargsyan G., Melkonyan H., Hobosyan S., Avetisyan P., Gasparyan B. 2005, Wine in traditional Armenian culture, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia National Academy of Siences, 305 pages.
Martirosyan H.A. 1969, New monuments of the primitive culture of Armenia, History and Philology Journal 3, 191-208.
Martirosyan H.A., Israelyan H.R. 1971, Petroglyphs of Geghama mountains, B. Arakelyan. (ed.), Archaeological Monuments of Armenia 6/II, Yerevan, ASSR GA, 81 pages.
Marr N.Ya., Smirnov Ya.I. 1931, Vishapy, Leningrad, Ogiz, 108 p.
Piotrovsky B.B. 1939, Vishaps: stone statues in the mountains of Armenia, Leningrad, Armenian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 40 p.
Strzygowski J. 1918, The architecture of the Armenians and Europe 1, Vienna, Schroll, 429 p.

🕰️ Archive

Mar, Archive 25
Fig. Q 560-16, Q 560-24, II 16139;
Lisitsyan, Archive 6, page 3, chart 2 (front section, Tagebuch I, 56, 57 is written in the upper part of the latter; Länge 4 m; grösste Breite d. Oberfläche 90);
Barseghyan, Archive 1, fig. 9 (drawing on graph paper);
Khanzadyan, Archive 1, fig. 67, 68, 70 (photo in a fallen condition), 69 (drawing);
Saroyan, Archive 1, fig. 1, 2;
Martirosyan, Archive 1, fig. 11 (not far from the present place, fallen condition).

Mar, Archive 25 – Geghama Mountains, 1908–1912, 83 photographs, 21 negatives. Photo archive of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Fund 23 – N. Ya. Marr.

Lisitsyan, Archive 6 – Message from the “Ararat” magazine, “prehistoric pictures” – copies of petroglyphs found in Armenia, 1913–1914, AA f. 428, ts. 1, c. 98, year 3 (the manuscript and drawings are by L. Lisitsyan).

Barseghyan, Archive 1 – Barseghyan L., Personal archive materials (photos, drawings, drawings from the 1960s), preserved at the Department of Museum Studies and Monument Studies of the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Kh. Abovyan. Folder 1 – “Dragons,” Yerevan.

Khanzadyan, Archive 1 – Materials related to Vishapakars, 1967–1987, 152 photos, 3 drawings, 1 map (in Armenian, Russian, and English).
“Service for the Protection of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum Reservations” SNCO E. Khanzadyan Fund.
Maps: Hamlet Sargsyan’s personal archive (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia), Yerevan.

Saroyan, Archive 1 – Materials from the personal photo archive of photographer Vladimir Saroyan.

Interview. Vladimir Saroyan (23.03.2013, Vishapalych); Atashyan Kyalash (born in 1960, from Mkhchyan village, Arshaluys district,
16.08.2018).

List of monuments. HPS, Kotayk, Geghard 9.1; HCP (Martuni region, large Vishapakar, photos in 1988, fallen state);
PPP (Geghard 1, description, photo, passport was made in 2005, it is remembered in the area of the fallen burial ground, which is true: some of the tombs were looted. Photos are in a fallen state).