Structures, Means of Transportation and Communication in the Rock Art of Armenia (Based on the Petroglyphs of Kotayk and Syunik)

In the rock art of Armenia, a special place is occupied by depictions of construction, transportation, and communication using materials from the Geghama and Syunik Mountains, as well as from the entire Armenian Highland. The research also involves artifacts from the other spheres of later cultural heritage. This topic has been explored previously; meanwhile, the new data gives us the opportunity to elucidate it from both material-functional and spiritual-sacral perspectives. When studying pictures of transportation means, carts, military, and ritual chariots are examined. As communication ways, land and water routes are presented, and the mythologeme of the ladder is interpreted as a symbolic link between the lower and upper worlds. The depiction of buildings and dwellings is compared with the plans of newly discovered settlements. Images of houses are analyzed in relation to compositions from Shengavit, the Armenian rural house described by Xenophon, and ancient temple structures. Examples from Armenian mythology are also presented, testifying to the veneration of gods and goddesses who served as protectors of home and domestic hearth. The article concludes with sections adjoining the main material, devoted to applied images and educational aids that contributed to the development of architectural skills and ensured the transmission of this knowledge to subsequent generations. The material on petroglyphs studied in this article attests to the continuity and longevity of ancient knowledge throughout the entire history of Armenia

Archaeomagnetic dating · Armenian · Byzantine architecture · Depiction · Iconography · Mythology · Relation (database) · Rock art · Veneration · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History and Cultural Heritage