WORLD OF ART                                                                                

ART, METAPHYSICS AND THE HEALING POWERS OF RELIGIOUS ART: THE KATCHKARS  

The Khachkars can be traced to Armenian prehistoric monuments, and more accurately to the 5^th millennium B.C. Their earliest roots may be traced to the  gigantic polished black Neolithic obelisks Menhirs which appeared as early as 4,000 B.C. around Mokhra Blur near the capital Yerevan and to the colossal stones monuments found at Karahundj  which were enigmatic and unique, for they contained perforated holes with telescopic measurements and scientific  characteristics. Many astronomers believe that those massive stones are  a structural part of one of the world’s oldest astronomical observatory as well as a temple. More intriguing and fascinating features of those obelisks were studied and carefully examined by researchers and scholars. For instance, on those massive obelisks, universal signs of  paramount religious and scientific values appeared thousands of years before any other great civilization came to existence and or ever heard of. To name a few: The sun was represented by a swirling disc or wheel, an ancient Armenian symbol which first appeared in the Paleolithic period of 20,000 to 12,000 B.C., (a pre-cursor to all the sun symbols in all forthcoming religions and cults). The sign of the zodiac which can be traced to the 3^rd millennium B.C., (a pre-cursor to the Babylonian and Mesopotamian astrological calendars), The sign of the cross (a pre-cursor to the Roman cross, Egyptian cross, Christian cross).  The swastika (a pre-cursor to the Buddhism Nihayana and Mahayana sects). All those enigmatic signs and symbols were first found on ancient Armenian stones, obelisks, Menhirs, Vishaps, thousands of years before they re-surfaced again on monuments, obelisks, carved columns,  temples entrances, tombs, terra-cotta tablets, parchments, scrolls, military equipment, tools, instruments, shields, armors and various other edifices and objects of the world’s most advanced and less privileged civilizations and cultures.

Photos: Ancient Armenian Obelisks.

Ancient Armenian stones had already all the symbols and signs that one day… thousand years later will be used by empires, kingdoms, mighty nations, religions, men of art, science and wisdom as their own symbol and seal of accomplishments, advanced knowledge and supreme authority. Ancient Armenian pre-historic and pre-medieval stones depicted and created the first and the majority of signs and symbols of the world’s religions, mightiest empires, fields of science, arts and discoveries and  invincible kingdoms to be born. Ancient Armenians created and cemented the world’s first universal language and images of knowledge, science and arts through signs, symbols and graphic representations of the known and “what is to be discovered.” Ancient Armenian obelisks served other purposes and needs as well. For instance, they were used as the world’s first frontiers  stones by ancient civilizations including the Babylonians, Hittites and Mesopotamians to mark the frontiers of their territories. Nemruth, king of Babylonia used the ancient Armenian obelisks as boundary stones to mark the lands and territories of his kingdom.

KATCHKARS AND TREE OF LIFE

During  the Urarturian period,  the obelisks  were built from stone columns covered in cuneiform and incorporated a universal Khachkar symbol: The tree of life, which was represented by the Urarturians in a double set of eight branches crowned by three additional smaller branches at the top of the formation. Urarturians had another name for this symbol, frequently referred to as “THE TREE OF WISDOM” or “THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE”.  Several of their inscriptions depicted a monarch or a God standing by the tree and reaching out for the branches. His attempt to reach the branches means his attempt to reach immortality or eternal life though wisdom and knowledge. The tree of life is mentioned in the Genesis in the Bible, but its use in ancient Armenian iconography can be traced back to the Metsamorian era (5,000 B.C.). This symbol was widely used as symbol of fecundity, abundance, eternity and resurrection  in the Middle and Near East countries and tribes. In Urartu, the tree of life as  a concept and a symbol of eternity, a the  immortality of the body and the soul was already de facto a common philosophico-religious belief and way ahead of all similar or identical beliefs to appear in the years to come in Eastern empires and kingdoms.