ADSactly Mystery: The Talking Stones of the Armenian Stonehenge
The name Karahundj probably doesn’t mean anything to you and for good reason. Western archaeologists have only recently gained access to this prehistoric site hidden deep down in the southernmost province of the former Soviet republic of Armenia. It’s a place nobody knows what to make of as yet, but things are about to change. After being locked for decades in fierce debate over the significance of this place, the local scientific community agreed last week it is time to put their differences aside and join efforts to solve the mystery of the Talking Stones of Karahundj.
The site takes it’s name from the over 200 monoliths displayed in a complex pattern over a seven hectares area. Some of the stones measure up to three meters in height and weigh up to 10 tons. The most mystifying feature is that some 80 of these stones have holes bored into them. When the wind blows it makes a weird whistling sound passing through the holes, hence the name of Talking Stones.
One theory is that the stone complex was an astronomical observatory and the holes were in fact used for star gazing, much like modern telescopes. According to tests, the site is 7,500 years old, predating the much more famous Stonehenge by 3,000 years. This would make Karahundj the oldest astronomical observatory known to us.
Astrophysicist Elma Parsamian discovered that the holes in some of the stones align with sunrise and sundown on the day of the summer solstice. In recent years, this characteristic has made Karahundj the favorite gathering place for neo-pagans in Armenia, just like the Stonehenge temple attracts an eclectic crowd for the summer solstice. Other stones had been deliberately positioned in order to align with Deneb, the brightest star in the constellation of Cygnus.
There is also a less spectacular theory that the stones still standing in the area were part of the outer walls of a fortress, used by people to hide in times of war. And some challenge the testing done on the site, claiming the ruins might be only 4,500 years old.
Following last week’s decision the two warring factions will now work together to uncover the truth.
Whatever the truth about Karahundj might be, fact is southern Armenia is the site of many fascinating archaeological discoveries. The most interesting place is the Areni-1 cave, situated not far from the stone complex.
A few years ago, archaeologist working at the Areni-1 cave have announced the discovery of the oldest leather shoe ever found, dated to have been crafted some 5,500 years ago. Such discoveries are rare as clothing items easily decompose. The prehistoric shoe in the Armenian cave was protected from elements as it was found buried in fossilized sheep dung. The item is made from a single piece of cow hide laced with leather cord.
"The hide had been cut into two layers and tanned, which was probably quite a new technology” (Ron Pinhasi, co-director of the dig, from University College Cork in Ireland)
The prehistoric shoe, which shows obvious signs of compression in the heel and toe area, corresponds to a size seven by modern standards, but it is impossible to tell if it was worn by a man or a woman.
The people who inhabited the Areni-1 cave in the Copper Age did travel a lot and over a rough terrain. Scientists have discovered in the cave pieces of obsidian, which had been probably brought there from a site 75 miles (120Km) away.
Previous to the Armenian find, the oldest shoes in the world was considered those belonging to Ötzi, the "Iceman" found in the Austrian Alps in 1991, who died around 5,300 years ago.
If you’re curious, sandals have an even longer history, the oldest known such items, discovered in a cave in Missouri, being dated to 7,000 years ago.
Whoever these prehistoric people were, they also liked to party, or at least this is what we can presume following the discovery of the oldest wine-making equipment in the world. In fact, they discovered wine a few hundred years before taking the trouble of crafting footwear, the winery being 6,100 years old.
The equipment consists of a 2-foot-deep (60-centimeter-deep) vat buried next to a 3.5-foot-long (1-meter-long) basin made of hard-packed clay with elevated edges. Experts say prehistoric people made their wine in a traditional way, using their feet.
”Juice from the trampled grapes drained into the vat, where it was left to ferment. The wine was then stored in jars — the cool, dry conditions of the cave would have made a perfect wine cellar”.
Archaeologists also discovered drinking cups, withered grape vines and seeds in the cave.
It is possible that the wine was used in burial rituals, as the winery is situated near a prehistoric necropolis. Drinking cups have been found inside the graves.Evidence of the practice of providing wine to dead has been discovered in Ancient Egypt where illustrations inside the tombs showing how many jars of beer and wine from the Nile Delta were provided offered to the dead to enjoy in the afterlife.
Excavations at the Areni cave unearthed a 5,900 years old straw-woven skirt. Even back then women cared about fashion, the clothing item being made of an ‘amazing material with rhythmic color hues’. The extraordinary skirt is now on display at the History Museum of Armenia.
Although we know very little about the prehistoric inhabitants of modern Armenia, let us not forget that this is the country where mount Ararat is located. In the Bible, The Book of Genesis mentions mount Ararat as the place where Noah’s Ark came to rest after the Great Flood.
Post authored by @ladyrebecca.
References: 1, 2, 3.
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That's cool.
Thanks for sharing such a revolutionary information. It is incredible that with so much tecnology and the inmediacy of information we can still have some mysteries in this planet (and scientists are planning to explore the universe, come on!)
There is plenty we do not understand here yet, and we have not even tried the deep oceans.
The data about the leather shoes is just amazing. Good thing it was preserved enough.
And why am I not surprised at this
We are definitely wired to screw up :)
I would not discard the possibility of those holed stones being the result of a drunk mason crew.
Ha, ha - I haven't thought of that... could be...
I found this interesting because there are relatively few articles in English on this topic, as compared to the incredible amount of books and blogs about Stonehenge or the pyramids in Egypt and if this place is as old as they say it deserves more attention.
I know, right?
That's why I was so possitively surprised about the post. It's amazing they kept this hidden for so long. It is a transcendental discovery. Hopefully, scientists will agree on one thing at least for the sake of knowledge and human history.
hahaha!
The legacy of the past is proof that there was technological progress at that time. everything related to the tools of ancient society would certainly become a revolution by naming or creating equipment that would help their lives. Sometimes they make civilizations for the benefit of profane or even spiritual interests. to make tools that are profane from pottery they must be familiar with the bivalve or a cire perdue system. A technique that increasingly develops after people live permanently and are no longer nomadic. if observed they live in mountainous areas there is a possibility they have started to settle by making agricultural equipment and farming. Maybe what needs to be explored is if metal equipment is found. if it is found, then I am sure they have formed a more developed and civilized community. They have been thinking about how to survive in an area that is safe from enemy attacks, whether wild animals, other groups or natural disasters that might be harmful
Thank you @ladyrebecca
thank you @adsactly
Thank you Steemit
Warm regard from Indonesia
The area is quite rocky, therefore I don't know if it was very suitable for agriculture... on the other hand, it seemed quite safe from enemies.
Wow! This is very interesting information, @ladyrebecca. I didn't know it at all! I have always been struck by the discoveries of prehistoric pieces that can help us not only to know the lifestyle of our ancestors, but also to explain our own behavior. The fact of knowing such an ancient astronomical observatory tells us about the intellectual capacity, the advance or scientific development of our ancestors, for example. In the same way, the shoe. This piece indicates the ability of our ancestors to solve everyday problems such as protecting their feet from mistreatment. Excellent post. I liked it.
Oh, they made footwear since the times of the Neanderthals, only no such items survived... or maybe they did but we haven't discovered them yet.
Photography❤️
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Certainly, fascinating the information you share in your post, @ladyrebecca. What has caught my attention the most is related to this set of monoliths and their possible astronomical function. In my little knowledge of ancient cultures, one of the things that has always interested me is precisely the astronomical (or magical, religious) use given to stone, from mesopotamian ziggurats to Mayan constructions. I hope we can get to know more about Karahundj.
Also curious is the ancient existence of this kind of wine factory. We know that spirits were linked from their origins with rituals of celebration or funerary, which is still preserved.
Thank you for your good post. Greetings.
@ladyrebecca, History is full of mysteries and we heard about the speaking trees and now these speaking stones and what not. Sometimes i think that if i get an opportunity then i want to go back in deep past to see what this world was in reality.
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Makes me wonder - what makes us think we are so special? Look what these great minds could do many thousands of years ago. We focus on smaller, less significant events and things today. Shoes that cost an annual salary for instance.
These guys were contemplating the eternal and the infinite, in their fancy shoes and clothes. Very cool post.