Vanstan

Name: Vanstan
Monument type: Stele
Region: Ararat Province
Periods: Prehistoric

Name: Vanstan

Other nomination: Imirzek

Monument type: Vishapakar (dragon stone)

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

Type: Bull-type

Material: Light brown basalt

Preservation:

Monument. Good (fully preserved).

Image. Good (all the details are preserved).

Context. Good (it is in its original location – based on the photos it was buried deeper in the soil, only the back part was visible: later it was removed from the soil and cleaned by Mar and Smirnov, as well as by Khanzadyan in the 1980s, evidenced by the partial dent marks around).

Size: 500x90x64 sm

Original location: Imirzek

Current location: In its original location

Coordinates: N 40.088226°, E 044.852117°

Elevation: 2100 m

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

Vanstan 1: A Dragon Stone Like No Other

Embark on an awe-inspiring journey to the heart of the Geghama Mountains, where history, legend, and archaeology converge to reveal the captivating story of Vanstan 1. This extraordinary dragon stone, constructed in light brown basalt, is a testament to the rich heritage of the Armenian highlands and has enthralled generations with its enigmatic presence.

Vanstan 1, a bull-type dragon stone or vishapakar, proudly stands in the province of Ararat, near the charming community of Goght. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, dating between the XXIV–XIII centuries BC.

Perched at an altitude of 2100 meters above sea level, Vanstan 1 defies the laws of nature. Dragon stones like this are a unique phenomenon exclusive to the Armenian highlands, with some reaching staggering altitudes of up to 3200 meters. They carry profound symbolic weight, deeply rooted in Armenian folklore. They are intertwined with tales of elemental beings, including dragons, which are associated with natural phenomena, especially water, and often portrayed as mountain-dwelling giants.

First discovered by an expedition in 1911, Vanstan 1 has since fascinated scholars and enthusiasts alike. Its existence poses intriguing questions about the ancient civilizations that once thrived in these mountains.

Thanks to the meticulous efforts of explorers, this dragon stone was carefully excavated from the soil where it was buried and restored to its former glory. You can spot the intricate details and partial dent marks that tell the story of its resurrection.

Vanstan 1’s preservation is nothing short of miraculous. Despite the passage of millennia, it stands before us today, fully preserved, offering a glimpse into an ancient world.

FACTS

❈ Vanstan 1, a remarkable dragon stone, stands proudly in the Armenian highlands, near Goght, dating back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages (XXIV–XIII centuries BC).

❈ This dragon stone, perched at an altitude of 2100 meters, defies the laws of nature, representing a unique phenomenon in the region intertwined with Armenian folklore.

❈ Discovered in 1911, Vanstan 1 has captivated scholars and enthusiasts, raising questions about the ancient civilizations that once inhabited the area.

❈ Through meticulous excavation and restoration, the intricate details and partial dent marks on the stone reveal the story of its resurrection.

❈ Vanstan 1’s miraculous preservation offers a glimpse into an ancient world, connecting history, legend, and archaeology in the Geghama Mountains.

🔍 Research history

It was discovered by Mar and Y. Smirnov’s expedition in 1911 (according to the archival photo entries, they all date to 1911).

🧱 Archaeological description

Immediate. It’s in a cromlech/platform.

Related. There are accumulations of round stones in the vicinity (cromlechs, some of them are stone piles), remains of the castle.

🌍 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

Dragon stones 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

Mar, Smirnov 1931, 92-93, tab. 18, pic. p. 93 (left.), N 1 (in text and drawing, by mistake, N 5); Mikhankova 1931, 48; Piotrovskiy 1939, 9, drowing. 5 (taken from Mar and Smirnov’s book); Barseghyan 1967, N 17 (Barseghyan did not see this dragon stone, but his drawing is different from that of Mar and Smirnov; it is unclear where Barseghyan’s scale came from); Mnatsakanyan 1955, 169, 215, fig. 504 (= Mar, Smirnov 1931, 93 a. the iconography represents a union of a tree of life and a rhombus with a pair of storks); Karapetyan 2014, fig. 90:
Barseghyan L.A. 1967, The “dragons” of the Geghama Mountains, Historical Journal 4, 181-188.
Karapetyan S. (ed.) 2014, Armenia. Illustrated album, Yerevan, “Zangak”, 89 pages.
Mnatsakanyan A.Sh. 1955, Armenian Ornamental Art, Yerevan, USSR Academy of Arts, 659 pages.
N.Ya. Mar., Ya.I. Smirnov 1931, Vishaps, Leningrad, Ogiz, 108 p.
Mikhankova V.A. 1931, Vishaps, Monthly Journal of the State Academy of the History of Material Culture 9/10, 47-52.
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.

🕰️ Archive

Mar, Archive 25, Q 560-41, Q 560-43, Q 560-44, Q 560-45 (same picture as Kalantar, Archive 1, pic. 3); Barseghyan, Archive 1, pic. 14 (drawing on graph paper); Khanzadyan, Archive 1, pic. 95-99, 101, 103 (photo), 100 (drawing); Harutyunyan, Archive 1, pic. 1 (1970s, bull part visible from the side).
Mar, Archive 25 – Gegam Mountains, 1908-1912, 83 photographs, 21 negatives, Photo Archive of the Institute of Material History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, fund 23 – N.Ya. Mar.
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 Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia), Yerevan.
Harutyunyan, Archive 1 – Materials of the personal photo archive of physicist and traveler Artur Harutyunyan (1969-1970s), Yerevan.