MONUMENTS
DRAGON STONE
V-IV millennia BC
State index: 1.8.17
Unique,
characteristic only of the Armenian Highlands and made of a single piece of
basalt, the stone statues called vishap (dragon) were placed
near the sources of natural and artificial reservoirs and springs, symbolizing
the unbridled forces of the elements, the awakening of nature, fertility and
abundance.
The
dragon stone is located in the 2nd district of Nor Nork, in a park stretching
along the edge of Gay Avenue. It is placed on a two-tiered pedestal decorated
with cobblestones. In 1967, it was discovered by Lavrenti Barseghyan at the
bottom of Lake Vanki (Tokhmakhan
Gyol) in the Geghama Mountains. It was moved to Yerevan in 1976. It is
fish-shaped, with a pronounced head, torso and tail. The fish's mouth, eyes and
gills are clearly drawn on the head. The body narrows significantly towards the
tail. It is made of gray basalt and is 3.4 m long.
It
is associated with the worship of water in the Armenian Highlands.
