Week 7: The Sound of the Stones

Carahunge (Zorats Karer) is a Prehistoric Monument consisting of hundreds of Standing Stones on a territorial area of approximately 7 hectares, around 200 km from Yerevan. A study by Russian prehistorian Professor Paris Herouni indicates that Carahunge (car means stone in Armenian, and hunge means voice or sound) is an old megalithic site dating to around 5500 BC. More investigations indicate that most likely Carahunge was created as an astronomical observatory marking the movement of the sun, the moon and the stars.

 

Carahunge - The sound of The stones

 The stones of Carahunge are made of basalt (andesite). These stones have local origin, each weighing up to 10 tons. Many of the standing stones have smooth circular holes of 4 to 5cm in diameter in the upper part. It has been argued that those stones without holes make up one tool together with those having holes in them. 

Karahunj Stone detail

Over millenniums the stones became worn and grown over with thick layers of moss. However, the holes have been rather well preserved since they were cleanly processed once. The holes appear as telescopic tools angled at different points on the horizon and the outer space. In total 84 stones are known to have these artificially made holes. Thus, to the north from the main ring goes 136 m long wall of 80 upright stones of which 49 have holes. To the south extends another wall of 70 stones, it is approximately 120 m long and here 26 stones have holes. Through the central ring goes a line of 20 smaller stones, with 6 of them having holes. In three cases holes enter the stone from the side and then turn in right angle and go upwards.

 

The telescopic stone of Carahunge

It is speculated that the scientists who created the Carahunge, could have also been involved in planning and the implementation of the Great Pyramid, Stonehenge, etc. There is also a linguistic dispute over the names of these monuments. For example Stonehenge, suggested to have the same connotation as Carahunge, because “stone” in Armenian is “kar” and “henge” (no definition in English) is the same “hunge” (voice, sound, echo in Armenian). Another example is suggested to be Callanish in Scotland (Luis Island in North Gebrids), because “kal” which is essentially “car”, “nish” in Armenian is “sign” and Luis is “light”. The same principle could be applied to the name given to the standing Stones in Carnac in Brittany (France), in Egypt, etc. It is curious to look into the territorial correlations of these monuments too, as some of them were built in approximately equal latitudinal distances from each other. For example, the latitude difference between Carahunge and Stonehenge is about +10°, between Carahunge and the Great Pyramid is about –10°, between Carahunge and Kallanish as well as the oldest Egyptian observatory and Temple of the Principal God RA (AR), near present Assuan, is ±16°.

 

Week 7: Stone- The origins

In the previous blog, we have established that the vast majority of stones in Armenia are of igneous origin and we briefly mentioned that there are 7 volcanic sources on the current territory of Armenia. Let's have a closer look at these mountains.

There are seven active and extinct volcanos with various heights and latitudes and those are Ara, Aragats, Alages, Arteni, Gegham, Porak and Tskhouk-Karchar.

The Mounts on the map of Armenia

Mt Ara (Arayi Ler): Elevation - 2577m, Coordinates - 40°14′N 44°16′E / 40.24°N 44.27°E, last erupted - N/A

 

Mt Ara canyon

The mountain is called after Armenian King Ara Geghetsik. According to the legend during the war against Assyrian queen Shammuramat King Ara arranged his army at the foot of mount Ara, and the queen-on the slope of Hatis. Unfortunately the king fell in the battle and the mountain is said to be the body of Ara.

There is very little information available upon Mt Ara, including the date of last eruption, the types of rocks and minerals etc.

 

Mt Aragats: Elevation - 4095m, Coordinates - 40°32′N 44°12′E / 40.53°N 44.20°E, last erupted - Holocene

 

Mt Aragats Panoramic view

 

Aragats is dissected by glaciers and is of Pliocene-to-Pleistocene age, however, parasitic cones and fissures are on all sides of the volcano and were the source of large lava flows that descended its lower flanks.

Several of these were considered to be of Holocene age, but later Potassium-Argon dating indicated mid- to late-Pleistocene ages. The youngest lower-flank flows have not been precisely dated but are constrained as occurring between the end of the late-Pleistocene and 3000 BC. A 13-km-long, WSW-ENE-trending line of craters and pyroclastic cones cuts across the northern crater rim and is the source of young lava flows and lahars; the latter were considered to be characteristic of Holocene summit eruptions. The Western and Southern slopes of Mt. Aragats are home to many petroglyphs dating from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age.

Here again, there is a mythology involved in the story of the mountain. Legend holds that when Saint Gregory the Illuminator prayed one day on Mount Aragats a miraculous ever-burning lantern hanging from the heavens came down to shed light on him.

Armenians believe that the Illuminator’s lantern is still there, and only those pure in heart and spirit can see the eternal lantern — the symbol of hopes and dreams of the nation.

 

Cones and fissures on Mt Aragats

Mt Alages (Dar-Alages): Elevation - 3329m, Coordinates - 39°42′00″N 45°32′31″E / 39.70°N 45.542°E, last erupted - 2000 BC

 

Alages- Infrared Smithsonian description from NASA lab

Located in southern Armenia on the western slopes of Vardenis volcanic ridge, south of Lake Sevan, Alages consists of a group of six cinder and lava cones of Pleistocene-to-Holocene age. The andesitic Dar-Alages volcano was formed in postglacial times and the last eruption occurred around 3rd millennium BC  (Sviatlovsky, 1959). The Vaiyots-Sar (sar means mountain in Armenian) and Smbatassar pyroclastic cones of Holocene age (Karakhanian, 2002) are located in this part of the Vardenis volcanic ridge. Vaiyots-Sar volcano lies just north of the major Areni-Zanghezour Fault, near the town of Vaik, and used to produce a fissure-fed lava flow several thousand years ago that dammed the Arpah River down to the west for 6 km. The youthful-looking Smbatassar cinder cone is located 17 km to the North West and accumulated lava flows that travelled 11km and 17 km north and south, respectively.

 

Mt Arteni (Arteni Ler) : Elevation - 2047m, Coordinates - 40°22'49" N 43°48'9" E, last erupted 1340

 

Arteni Ler

This is perhaps the youngest of all the volcanos, with the last eruption registered at 1340 and to this date, the mountainous area is prone to destructive earthquakes (on average one every 50 years), with occurrences at >7 Richter. This means that when a strong earthquake occurs, damage will be slight in specially designed structures but considerable in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse. 

 

Geghama Mountains: Elevation - 3597m, Coordinates - 40°16′30″N 44°45′00″E / 40.275°N 44.75°E, last erupted 1900 BC

 

Gegham Ridge satellite view

The Geghama Rindge is of volcanic origin including many extinct volcanoes. The range is70 km length and 48 km width,  stretching between Lake Sevan and the Ararat plain. The highest peak of the Geghama Mountains is the Azdahak, at 3597m and the average elevation of the Geghama mountain range is near 2500m. They are formed by a volcanic field, containing a broad concentration of Pleistocene-to-Holocene lava domes and cinder cones. The volcanoes and associated lava flows cover a 65-km-long, 35-km-wide area west of Lake Sevan and south of the Hrazdan River and are concentrated along 3 NNW-SSE-trending alignments. Lava streams from the central and eastern clusters used to flow into Lake Sevan. Initial explosive eruptions at the Gegham Ridge volcanic field were followed by the extrusion of rhyolitic obsidian lava domes and flows. The latest activity produced a series of andesitic and basaltic-andesite cinder cones and lava flows. The central and eastern portions of the Gegham Ridge contains large areas of Holocene eruptions with morphologically fresh lava flows devoid of vegetation.

A great number of petroglyphs (rock-carvings) has been found in the area of Geghama Mountains dating back to around 7000 and 9000 BCE. Most images depict men in scenes of hunting and fighting, and astronomical bodies and phenomena: the Sun, the Moon, constellations, the stellar sky, lightning, etc.

 

Petroglyph rock from Ughtasar, 9000-7000 BCE

Mt Porak: Elevation - 2800m, Coordinates - 40°01′N 45°47′E / 40.02°N 45.78°E, last erupted 773 BC

 

Air photo of Holocene lava flows of the Porak

 Porak is a mid-Pleistocene stratovolcano located in the Vardenis volcanic ridge about 20 km SE of Lake Sevan at the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, hence the lava flows extend into both countries. The flanks of the volcano are dotted with 10 satellite cones and fissure vents. Porak volcano was constructed along the active Pambak-Sevan strike-slip fault, which has bisected the mid-Pleistocene Khonarassar volcano, separating its two halves by about 800 m. Two large lava flows from Porak volcano travelled up to 21 km North and North West, and fresh-looking lava flows form peninsulas extending into Lake Alagyol. Fifth century BC petroglyphs were interpreted to depict volcanic eruptions (Karakhanian et al., 2002). Porak volcano is referred to in a famous cuneiform inscription as Mount Bamni, and stratigraphic and archaeological evidence indicates that an explosive eruption also producing a lava flow occurred at the time of a military battle dated to 782-773 BC.

 

Mt Tskhouk-Karchar: Elevation - 3000m, Coordinates - 39°44′N 46°01′E / 39.73°N 46.02°E, last erupted 3000 BC

 

Air photo of lava flows for the Tskhouk–Karckar

A group of pyroclastic cones is located in the central part of the Syunik volcanic ridge along the Armenia/Azerbaijan border about 60 km south east of Lake Sevan. The Tskhouk-Karckar volcano group was constructed within offset segments of the major Pambak-Sevan strike-slip fault trending SE from Lake Sevan. Eight pyroclastic cones produced three generations of Holocene lava flows (Karakhanian et al., 2002). Abundant petroglyphs, burial kurgans, and masonry walls were found on flows of the older two age groups, but not on the youngest. Lava flows from cinder cones of the Tskhouk-Karckar volcano group overlie petroglyphs dated to the end of the 4th millennium and beginning of the 3rd millennium BC and are themselves used in gravesites dated at around 2720 BC. Following these eruptions, the area was not repopulated until the middle Ages.  

Week7: The Man and the Stone

Indeed the history of stone proceeds the history of man. It existed before animal life evolved and plant life vegetated. But what is stone? The term stone is easy to confuse with the rock. The latter is any naturally formed mass of material that essentially contributes to the earth's crust. Only after the extraction, with the intent of constructional or industrial use, does the rock become a stone.

Armenian highland  holds enormous stocks of tuff, which is an easily cut resilient type of stone. Other stones in the country include basalt, travertine, felsite, granite, marble, perlite, andesite, limestone, syenite, pumice, diatomite and gypsum. 

 

Granite

Basalt

Perlite

Syenite

It was previously mentioned that the Caucasus region and Armenia in particular is prone to earthquakes, hence it is not surprising that tuff and other similar deposits are abundant in this area since most of these stones are an extrusive igneous rocks that forms from volcanic activity. A group of seven cinder and lava cones of Pleistocene-to-Holocene age is located in southern Armenia on the western slopes of the Vardenis volcanic ridge, south of Lake Sevan.

 

Aragats volcanic mount view from space

Depending on the mineral composition and the setting of the stock, the formation method of the rock can vary slightly. After a violent volcanic eruption, volcanic ash, frothy magma, dust and fine rock particles settle and build up on the land surface.

 

Dar Alages

The ejected particles form a rock with a soft, porous texture. The particles may eject from the main volcanic vent or may escape through cracks in the walls of the volcano, called fissures. These fissures are often smaller than the central vent but extend from the magma chambers toward the land surface. The magma and rock particles that settle from the volcanic eruptions can form tuff rocks in several ways. Some tuff rocks form when the particles become buried under layers of other rock and harden into stone through compaction. Alternatively, the particles can form a rock through cementation, typically when calcite or quartz in solutions precipitates and glues the particles together into a rock. Sometimes, a welded tuff is formed, as the temperature of the rock particles is very high as they erupt from the volcano.

Volcanic Tuff in Geghard

 

Unlike most rock, tuff can contain a variety of minerals such as augite, biotite, plagioclase and leucite, among others. The containing minerals in the rock can influence the  overall colour and appearances of the rock. Tuffs may be brown, grey, pink, green, brown etc. Most structures in Armenia from the early Christian period forward are made of the orange, red, golden and black varieties of soft tuff. The presence of dark minerals, such as augite and biotite, can provide a speckled appearance. Individual grains within the tuff rock can be ashy, glassy or crystalline and their size varies from sample to sample.
 

Tuff

 

Week 6: Stone-The beginning

From our last supervisory meeting following areas had emerged (quoting from the notes):

1. There should be a hint of housing in the title of the PHD

2. Stone appeared to be emerging as the trope for organizing the PHD around; geometric and mathematical explorations should be accompanied by in depth research into Armenian geology and stone/s – processes of its formation, its distribution, different types, its material properties, how it is quarried and cut, tools used, its relations of production and geometries of fabrication. As well as the symbols and cultural meanings it has absorbed over time. Its relations with language as key to Armenian Identity. Stone and language as ways of anchoring a diaspora people to a particular place on earth? Relation to the construction of domestic environments. Rock – religion – culture – identity – daily life - belonging. 

3. Comments about being careful in ascribing the category of reference geometry – instead think of it as two things referencing each other – stone, geometry, stone, house etc.

4. The road – what that the road brings gets absorbed into or taken from the stone? 

5. Work is throwing up questions of national identity, belonging, and, language, culture, symbolism, stone, domesticity and the processes that make these.  

Hence, below is the new, re-structured short term strategy, where the stone is the central idea and the main sub categories cluster around it.

Current short term strategy

Week 5: Sketching the next steps

In brief, 3 other areas I am contemplating on doing much thorough research include the
- Architectural comparisons in terms of motifs, symbolism, materials and techniques
- Armenian time cycles
- Economic, demographic, territorial and other relevant numeric data

Week 4: Geometric explorations part 2

Previously, I have looked into computational manipulations based on the frame of the Armenian stone carving patterns, in particular, the work on the Geghard monastery dome, which is a great example of the Armenian stone masonry style of 5th century.

From 2D to 3D explorations of the stone masonry specimen

I have conducted further preliminary studies in pattern recognition, sectioning and tessellation. Modern maths is described as a science of patterns, hence the mathematician analyses patterns which can be geometric, numerical, visual or mental, static or dynamic etc. These patterns can derive from nature, or can be arrived from within inner workings of human brain, as well as they can be generated computationally.
I will be looking into the intersection of the visual, analogue geometric patterns and the ones that have been assembled through following design algorithms, which, nevertheless, bare reminiscences of the analogue framework.

Geghard dome single pattern expansion

According to Stanford university professor Keith Devlin (http://www.stanford.edu/~kdevlin/), arithmetic and number theories deal with patterns of counting and numbers, calculus portrays patterns of motion, theory of probability studies patterns of chance, logic is an exploration of patterns of reasoning, geometry investigates shape patterns, topology looks into patterns of closeness and position and fractal geometry unveils the self-similarity patterns found in the natural world. These last three mathematical applications are the ones I will be using most frequently in my explorations. 

Topology pattern studies

The main 3D software tool I have at my disposal has the above mathematical concepts already embedded in its platform, so the manipulations of the shape and topology produce the mathematical results, as shown on the above example. Here, the hexagonal seed structure, was populated to form a continuous mesh and in essence became the building block of the surface, hence the change of the parameters of strength and growth iterations on the seed are translated onto the whole fabric.

Tessellation as topology determinant

In its most basic form, tessellation is simply a method of breaking down the polygons. The analogue concept of tessellation is that of a seamless tiling of shapes that create a continuous surface. Digital tessellation merges these concepts and when aligned with other algorithms of mapping and displacement, produces extremely high resolution geometries. On the above example, the seed building block is tessellated on 2D plane, thus changing the resolution of the outcome.

Topology tessellation and shape manipulation

3D tessellation is programmable and it opens the doors to enormous potential to new design frontiers. On the last example, the topological tessellation enables much complex shape deformations.  Next I will be looking into the application of these studies in parametric architecture and scripting.

Parametric manipulation of sections

In the example above, the reference stack of planes (light orange) is "remotely" manipulated with the 3D shape (in grey), which itself, however, is absent from the final design, still, the sections describe the shape through the negative space. Each geometric change in the original shape is instantly resonated in the final output. These and other parametric relationships present intriguing possibilities for modern architects.

Parametric manipulations of 3D shapes

Parametric architecture is a liquid discipline that has evolved rapidly during the last 3-5 years, offering curious, speculative and experimental design scripting. My intuitive approach is to start direct manipulations of the above discussed techniques on the past methodology of stone carving and perhaps some unpredictable outcomes will materials themselves.

Week 4: The essence of Armenian Identity

Let's have a look at some of the historic as well as modern facts that make Armenia a distinctly curious entity in terms of its culture, heritage, folklore and location.

World's oldest leather shoe found in an Armenian cave

This, rather modern looking female moccasin is about 5500 years old, found in Areni 1 cave in Armenia, dated to about 3500 B.C. , during Armenian copper age.
A 5900 year old skirt - was also found in Armenian cave, which could be the world's oldest piece of clothing discovered to date.

A mummified goat that could be 5900 years old was also found in Areni cave, which is more than 1000 years older than mummified animals found in Egypt.

And lastly, world's first wine producing facility was also discovered in this cave.

Noah and his family walking down from mount Ararat by I. Aivazovsky

After the great flood, Noah's Ark has come to rest upon Ararat- the historical Armenian mountain (Bible, Gen 8:4).

Hayk Nahapet, defeating the King of Babylon

Noah's great-great-grandson Hayk, established Hayk (Hayastan-Armenia) in Ararat region in 2492 B.C. (after defeating Bel of the Babylon with the shot of one arrow).

Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew

Armenian Apostolic Church was found by two of Jesus' 12 Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew in AD 40-60 (hence the name Apostolic), thus making the Armenian Church the oldest church in the world.

Armenia is the first state to embrace Christianity in 301 AD

As the first country in the world to accept Christianity in 301 AD, Armenia is a land of churches and Khachkars, its cultural, socio-economic and political faculties have always been greatly influenced by its religion. It can appear as a miracle that Armenia managed to maintain its Christian state for decades being under the rules of Islamic Ottoman and Persian empires.

Etchmiadzin- the world's oldest church

Located in current territory of Armenia, Etchmiadzin cathedral is the oldest church in the world built by the state, with the supervision of Gregory the Illuminator in 301-303 AD.

Yerevan- The world's oldest city

The capital of Armenia, Yerevan is the world's oldest city to have documented its foundation in 782 B.C. by king Argishti 1.

2nd Largest lake in the world Sevan, Armenia

Relative to its latitude, the lake Sevan is the 2nd largest in the world.

Armenian diaspora

There are about 11 million Armenians worldwide, of which only 3 million live in Armenia.

Compulsory chess

Chess is now a compulsory curriculum in Armenian schools from age of 6. Yes that is right. And Armenian men's team is the current world champion as well as Armenia won the World chess Olympiad twice in a row.

The "liberation" from communism

Armenia is also the first non-Baltic republic to declare its independence from the USSR on 23rd of August 1990.

The biggest chocolate bar

Less revolutionary indeed, but far tastier- the biggest chocolate bar in the world was made in Armenia.