Zorats Karer

Research history

Based on the preliminary study of the monument and the surrounding area, Zorats Karer is a unique historical and cultural site. There is a stone box tomb in the center of the main structure, the tomb chamber of which was looted in ancient times. Shell fragments preserved on the floor of the chamber indicate that the structure dates back to the XV-XIV centuries BC. Still in 1931, a tomb was accidentally opened and destroyed under one of the huge stones standing vertically in the monument area: some of the materials found there were taken to the History Museum of Armenia. According to these findings, the destroyed tomb belongs to the Middle Bronze Age and dates back to the first quarter of the II millennium BC. The settlement in the vicinity of the Zorats Karer, where the found aerial intertemporal archeological materials refer to the III-I millennia BC, implies to the approximately the same period. At the end of the 1920s, observations were made in Zorats Karer by S. D. Lisitsyan, and after the Second World War by M. S. Hasratyan, however, the tomb structure number 1 was not the subjected to any special study and analytical description in their published works. In 1967 G. E. Areshyan collected aerial materials in Zorats Karer. The presence of Trekhk-Vanadzor and Uzerlik colored pottery fragments typical to XIX-XVII centuries B.C is prominent among them. Then, from the end of the 1970s to 2000, observations and small-scale exploratory excavations were carried out in Zorats Karer by O. Khnkikian, P. Avetisyan, Sh. Kroll, U. Hellwag and M. Zardarian.

At the same time, in the 1990s, P. Heruni’s view that the vertical holed megaliths of the Zorats Karer are the remains of an ancient observatory was widely spread. P. Avetisyan and Sh. Kroll denied P. Heruni’s hypothesis, finding out that vertical megaliths with holes covered the outer side of the defensive wall. P. Avetisyan and Sh. Kroll’s initial conclusion regarding Zorats Karer, was that the ancient site was originally a burial ground of 2-1 millennia BC, after it was replaced by a fortified settlement of the Achaemenian-antique eras. The above-mentioned scientists confirmed S. D. Lisitsyan’s conclusion that the holes made in the Zorats Karer megaliths were used to drag these stones. Ropes were passed through the holes and the megaliths were pulled by oxen. That technique lasted in Sisian until the World War II.

Archaeological description

Location
Zorats Karer is located 200 km south of Yerevan at 39°33′02″ N 46°01′42″ E, on a plateau 1770 m above the sea level and occupies an area of 7 ha on the left bank of the valley of the Darb tributary of the Vorotan River.

Stratigraphy
The ancient burial in Zorats Karer Complex N1 was made no later than the end of the Late Bronze Age (during the XIII-XI centuries BC), the items found in the burial ground called Ashot field date back to the end of the Urartian period, VII-VI centuries BC. The absence of findings at Zorats Karer dating later than the III century BC suggests that the megalithic holed stone defensive wall was probably built by Artashes I the Great before the capture of Tsguk. This judgment is consistent with the discovery of the Aramaic inscription of the founder of the Artashesian Empire found in Sisian.

Architecture
Zorats Karer consists of several groups of structures and individual stones together forming a megalithic monument. These structures are: the central circle, the northern and southern wings, the north-eastern stone path, the string crossing the circle, as well as individual standing stones.

The stones are made of basalt, their height varies from 0.5 to 3 m, and their weight is up to 10 tons. Most of the stones have been preserved, although because of erosion they are covered with lichens. The holes are better preserved. They have a diameter of 4-5 cm and are located 15-20 cm below the tops of the stones. The holes expand conically from both sides in the diameter to 12 cm. The holes were made with flint tools with obsidian cores, the inner surface is clean and smooth. Based on his long-term observations, C. E. Areshyan formed a hypothesis that Zorats Karer is a huge ritual-worship complex, the formation of which began during the first quarter of the second millennium BC, and continued with transformation to include the second half of the first millennium BC. Then, the monument group was regularly inhabited or visited during the Middle Ages as well.

Having received a monetary gift for the purpose of conducting field work in 2018, the American University of Armenia directed these funds to aerial documentation work in the same year.

Two detailed displacements were carried out in Zorats Karer in July-October, 2018: one was with a laser theodolite total station (Leica total station, S. Davtyan), the other one – the conversion of a widespread drone photo into three-dimensional displacement computer programs (A. Mkrtchyan). Along with the aerial documentation work initiated by the American University of Armenia, the group of Historical-Cultural Reserve Museums and Historical Environment Protection Service (head: A. Piliposyan) carried out limited excavations in the area of the monument group, which started back in 2014 with partial cleaning of the architectural complex tomb number (so called “observatory”). As a result, the area of Zorats Karer was found out to be 7ha, most of it is occupied by several dozen complexes of monumental architecture; tomb halls are their integral part.

Based on the combination of drone photos and ground observations, it is possible to make significant conclusions regarding the Zorats Karer construction phases. The wall crossing Zorats Karer cape from north to south is clearly visible in the photographs taken from it: stretching from the mouth of one gorge to the other one, it separated the cape from the plateau extending on the eastern side. The built-up area located on the triangular promontory of Zorats Karer, was protected by natural canyons from the north-western and south-western sides, and the eastern side was protected by a wall.

The wall crossed the spiral colonnade of the complex, thus disrupting the ritual-ceremonial system of the entire complex, i.e. desecrating its original meaning. Based on this, the defensive wall can be assumed to be built later than the architectural tomb complex No. 1, when the mythic-ritual content was already of no importance for the wall builders.

At the same time the excavations carried out by A. Filiposyan revealed the wall outer and inner facades in one excavation site. Slotted megaliths were moved to the outer face of the wall, reinforcing its stability and defense.

Based on the topographical situation, it is accepted that the architectural tomb complex N1 had its specific place in the Zorats Karer monument group and is considered one of the early buildings. The complex was built in the ancient phase of the formation of Zorats Karer monument group, which clearly dates to 1900-1700 BC with Middle Bronze Age colored pottery. The excavations conducted by A. Philiposyan in the main tomb complex in 2017, revealed a whole complex of burial ritual offerings dating back to 1300-1100 BC, the last phase of the Late Bronze Age (based on appropriate parallels) (Kanagegh, Mingechaur). Therefore, it is possible that the entire complex was also built at the end of the Late Bronze Age. The complexity of solving the problem arises from the fact that the main burial chamber of N1 complex was used for burials many times leaving burial ritual offerings from different periods in a mixed stratigraphic state.

🔨 Findings

Late Urartian (700-500 BC) and Achaemenid-post-Achaemenid/Yervandian (500-200 BC) tomb offering complexes stand out among the findings.  Bronze bracelets with a bent back and a jug with a yellow-olive surface, decorated with wide criss-crossing bands of brown paint are its prominent features. One of the main burial chamber roofs is also perforated, but taking into account that the architectural complex N1 had a thousand years of funerary usage history, it is difficult to mention the phase it was installed in. Many bronze ornaments, pendants, beads, lines, dividers, breastplates were found in the burial chamber dedicated to a horse called Ashot Field near Zorats Karer, which are identical to the medallions and pendants found in Zorats Karer N1 burial ground.

Significance

It is one of the unique archaeological monuments of the Caucasus, the only megalithic monument in the entire Caucasus preserved in such a volume and surface. Archaeologists more or less familiar with the archeology of the Caucasus and the East, will visit Zorats Karer and immediately notice the uniqueness of that ancient site, realizing that there is no other such ancient site in the entire region. In our opinion, the two rows of perforated stones placed in two rows around the tombs were of a ritualistic nature and associated with the death ritual as a boundary of the soul from the secular world and a “sacred circle”.

📜 Traditional legends 

In popular oral conversations it is also mentioned with the names Tsits karer and Ghoshun dash. Lately, the monument has been mistakenly called Karahunj. According to a number of astronomers, this area was used as an observatory: there are many myths told among them that the sun rises and the planets can be seen from these holes, or the connection with extraterrestrials and comparisons of this place to England’s Stonehenge.

Among the ethnic population of Sisian, interesting myths are told about Zorats Karer, as if  Lenk Timur comes to massacre the population during his raids and besieges the city. Residents pray all night and come out in the morning and see Lenk’s Timur  petrified soldiers, and hence the name Zorats stones and those tsits-tsits or dik-dik stones were once Lenk’s Timur army.

Sources

Literature

❈ Avetisyan H., Gnuni A., Bobokhyan A., Sargsyan G. 2015, The Sacred Landscape of Bronze-Iron Age Syunik, Yerevan, pp. 57-60.

❈ Barkhudaryan S. 1960, Goris, Sisian and Ghapan regions, “Diva of the Armenian lithography” series, No. A, Yerevan, page 122.

❈ Yesayan S. 1972, Early Archaeological Monuments of Zangezur, “Lraber”, No. 4, p. 65.

❈ Lalayan Y. 1931, Excavations of Tombs in Soviet Armenia, Yerevan, pp. 63-66.

❈ Lalayan Y. 1898, Sisian, materials for future study, “Ethnological Conference” No. C, Tiflis, pp. 162-182.

❈ Lalayan Y. 1904, Sharur Daralageazi province, “Ethnological Conference” book XII, Tiflis, page 264.

❈ Lisitsyan St. 1969, Armenians of Zangezur, Yerevan, plate CXIV. Khnkikian O. 1984, “Sisian’s Troops”, “The Nature of Armenia”, No. 4, Yerevan. page 33.

❈ Hasratyan M. 1985, Historical-Archaeological Studies, Yerevan, page 175.

❈ Harutyunyan V. 1992, History of Armenian Architecture, Yerevan, page 13.

❈ Heruni P. 1998, Karahunj – Ancient Observatory in Sisian, “Garun”, No. 5, Yerevan, pp. 87-93.

❈ Heruni P. 2006, Armenians and ancient Armenia, Yerevan, p. 17, 52-54.

❈ Piliposyan A. 2016, Zorats Karter Ancient Site, History and Social Science, Yearbook No. 2, Yerevan, Kh. Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Abovyan, Faculty of History and Jurisprudence, 25-43.

❈ Piliposyan A., Avagyan A. 2016, Zorats Stones, Yerevan RA Ministry of Culture, catalog, 19 pages.

❈ Heruni P. 1998, Karahunj-Karenish Prehistoric Stone Observatory, “Reports of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia”, No 4, Yerevan, p. 307-328.

❈ Harutyunyan N. 1983, New Urartian inscription from Sisian, Sat. “Ancient East”, No 4, Yerevan, p. 217-218.

List of monuments

❈  “Zorats Karer Settlement” Historical and Cultural Reserve