Zovuni Sar 1 (Mount Zovuni 1)

Name: Zovuni Sar 1 (Mount Zovuni 1)
Monument type: Stele
Region: Aragatsotn Province
Periods: Prehistoric

Name: Zovuni Sar 1 (Mount Zovuni 1)

Other nominations: Alo’s Yurt – the son of Topal Bro, Bash yurt, Ahmad Oba

Monument type: Vishapakar (vishap stone, dragon stone)

Province/ Community: Mount Aragats, Aragatsotn (province), Vardenut (nearby community)

Type: Bull-type

Material: Gray basalt

Preservation:

Monument: Good (entirely preserved, with some deterioration in the middle front and at the bottom).

Image: Sufficient (deteriorated around the right eye and partially gushing water).

Context: Sufficient (the monument has been removed from its original position, although small stones, the remains of a former cromlech/platform, can be seen at the site. It stands in the ground in the correct orientation).

Size: 264x106x49 cm

Original Location: Pasture of Zovuni village, Ahmad Oba. Previously found in a lying condition towards the east-west orientation.

Current Location: About 50 m south-west of the original location.

Coordinates: N 40.45766°, E 044.26514° (original location); N 40.45745°, E 044.26471° (current location):

Altitude: 2768 m (original location); 2769 m (current location):

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

Zovuni: The Enigmatic Dragon Stone of Mount Aragats

The moment your gaze locks onto Zovuni Sar 1, it seizes your complete focus, pulling you into its enchanting presence, where it softly imparts the tales and myths that envelop it.

Much like its fellow dragon stones exclusive to the Armenian Highlands, Zovuni Sar 1 occupies a hallowed position in Armenian folklore, intricately intertwined with the region’s natural marvels, watercourses, and the towering mountain inhabitants.

This particular dragon stone, standing with elegance and dignity, symbolizes the awe-inspiring vitality emanating from the heart of Mount Aragats. It stands as a tribute to a time when legends and history were inseparable, safeguarding the legacy of that era.

Amid the majestic expanse of Mount Aragats in Armenia’s Aragatsotn province, lies an ancient sentinel of a bygone era, known as Zovuni Sar 1, or the “Dragon Stone of Mount Zovuni.” This remarkable Vishapakar, a dragon stone of the bull-type has a story that spans the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, dating back to the 24th to the 13th centuries BC. Constructed from gray basalt, the monument stands as a testament to the geological wealth of the region.

The preservation of Zovuni Sar 1 is commendable, with the monument entirely preserved, although there are slight signs of deterioration around the right eye and minor gushing of water. This dragon stone stands proudly, retaining its symbolic essence despite the passage of time.

While it has been removed from its original position, signs of its former context remain. Small stones, remnants of a former cromlech or platform, can still be seen at the site. The monument now stands in its new location, about 50 meters southwest of its original resting place, maintaining its correct orientation.

Resting at an altitude of 2769 meters, the Vishapakar’s original and current locations underline the monument’s high-altitude significance.

Zovuni Sar 1’s discovery can be credited to G. Ghapantsyan in 1912. At the time, the lower part of the stone was deeply buried in the ground, while the upper portion lay exposed on the surface. Notably, the stone was encircled by a circular pile of stones and held spiritual importance to the local Kurds. It remained in this state until 1972 when Ahmad Amaryan, the custodian of the area since 1964, oversaw its relocation to its current position. The purpose was simple but profound: to leave a lasting memory etched into the landscape.

This dragon stone carries not only its ancient inscriptions but also a newly engraved memorial in Armenian on the middle part of the back of the stone: “Memory from Ahmad.” This modern addition serves as a bridge between the past and the present, emphasizing the enduring legacy of this remarkable monument.

FACTS

❈ Zovuni Sar 1, like other Armenian dragon stones, captivates with its mythical presence and historical significance.

❈ It represents the vitality of Mount Aragats and embodies a time when legends and history were intertwined.

❈ Dating back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, this dragon stone is constructed from gray basalt.

❈ Despite slight signs of wear, it stands proudly, preserving its symbolic essence over time.

❈ Originally discovered in 1912, it was relocated in 1972, maintaining its significance at a high altitude.

❈ A modern Armenian inscription, “Memory from Ahmad,” links the past and present, emphasizing the enduring legacy of this monument.

🔍 Research history

It was discovered by G. Ghapantsyan in 1912, when the lower part of the stone was deeply buried in the ground, and the outer part was lying on the surface of the ground. The visible part was 1-11/2 sajenes, the thickness and width of the lower part was 1.5 arshins and the upper one was 1 arshin. It was surrounded by a circular pile of stones and was worshiped by the Kurds. The stone remained in this condition until 1972, when the leader of the country house, Ahmad Amaryan (occupied the area since 1964), brought it from the village of Zovuni to its current location in a Zil type car (the driver’s name was Vazgen), and erected it in 1m deep hole dug in the ground. The purpose was simply to leave a memory (cf. the engraved record).

🧱 Archaeological context description

Immediate: Cromlech/platform (according to G. Ghapantsyan, it is “surrounded by a wall built of circular pile of stones “). Traces of some kind of structure, remains of small stones, perhaps a cromlech, can still be noted.

Related: In the vicinity one can currently notice cromlechs (some were demolished by the tent-dwellers, including Ahmad, who testified to the potsherds, stone bowls, and a bead found in them: no human bones), several groups of petroglyphs to the south-west (about 100 units) and to the north (about 5 units), to the north-east (about 2 units) and to the north-north-east (in the territory of Karashamb Oba – about 10 units, where the dragon is visible), a basalt oblong stone, perhaps a semi-manufacture of the dragon stone (in the environment of the large accumulation of the petroglyphs), in the area of the “giant’s houses” petroglyphs (5 units) and Karashamb Oba (5-6 units) (some are destroyed).

🧩 Subsidiary usage

Newly engraved memorial in Armenian on the middle part of the back of the stone: “Memory from Ahmad”.

🌍 Significance

Vishapakar 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 from the perspectives of the world archeology.

📜 Traditional legends

Vishapakars generate 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. The name could have arisen as a result of the size of the statues, and on the one hand, as a result of an allegorical interpretation of their iconography.

📚 Sources:

Literature

G. Karakhanyan, P. Safyan 1970, Petroglyphs of Syunik, Archaeological monuments of Armenia 4/I, Yerevan, ASSR Academy of Sciences, 342 pages.
Harutyunyan, Kalantaryan A., Petrosyan H., Sargsyan G., Melkonyan H., Hobosyan S., Avetisyan P., Gasparyan B. 2005, Wine in the traditional Armenian culture, Yerevan, RA NAS, 305 pages.
Ghapantsyan 1914, Several records of antiquity, Ararat 1, 91-96. 4. Kalantar 1925, The Stone Age in Armenia, Nork 5/6, 207-232.
Gapantsyan 1952, About stone masons of the Armenian mountains, Yerevan, AS Arm. SSR, 51 p.

🕰️ Archive

Smirnov, Archive 5, l. 1-2 (where G. Ghapantsyan’s writing with the title of “Gr. Ghapantsyan’s note from Ashtarak” is: it describes
the dragon stone and the surrounding petroglyphs; there are graves with Arabic inscriptions not far away. Ghapantsyan calls this
and the surrounding regions “Tekmatash”, probably coming from the name of the stone); Khanzadyan, Archive 1, map
(“Bash Yurt” point, south-west of Aparan). Several records of antiquity, Ararat 1, 91-96. Smirnov Ya.I., Caucasus: extracts, notes,
photographs IIMK archive, Manuscript department, f. 11, d. 357, l. 102.

🎤 Interview

Ahmad Amaryan (b. 1920, Zovuni) and his son Shirin Amaryan, who was also present during the erection process (24/28/30.07.2016);
Karen Tokhatyan (showed the large group of petroglyphs, 24/30.07.2016); Vladimir Saroyan (showed the “semi-manufacture” of the
alleged dragon stone lying nearby, 30.07.2016).