Several scholars (W. Alcott, Camille Flammarion, and others) argue that some part of modern astronomical knowledge, for example, the division of the celestial sphere into constellations, comes from a territory mostly occupied by the Armenian Highlands.

From this point of view, rock astronomical paintings of the 8th-1st millennia BC discovered in Armenia are of significant interest. The rock “astronomical maps” feature such constellations as Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila, Serpens, Scorpius, and several others. Interestingly, stars are depicted as circles, the sizes of which differ depending on the star’s visual brightness. Another rock features the Sun, Moon, and a number of planets.

Two rocks feature two large circles, one with 29,5 branching beams and the other with 12. These numbers are supposedly connected with the duration of a month and the number of months in a year respectively. The rock images allow us to conclude that back in the days, Earth was imaged as a sphere.

These ancient astronomical images are exceptionally important for elaborating the astronomy of ancient civilizations.

by B.E Tumanyan S.B. Petrosyan

Արշավ դեպի Սև սար` Պորտաքար և Օձաբերդ` Թեշեյբաինի քաղաք

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