Giant stone monuments older than Stonehenge were built by an ancient 'water cult', archaeologists say [View all]

It remains a mystery how the ancient people dragged the pillars up into the mountains

Vishwam Sankaran
Tuesday 23 December 2025 10:10 GMT



Giant “dragon stones” found across the Armenian highlands were shaped and installed by an ancient “water cult”, archaeologists revealed in a new study.

The pillar stones carved in animal shapes and dating to over 6,000 years ago are found across the mountainous regions of Armenia and neighbouring countries. They predate the Stonehenge megalithic structure in England by almost a thousand years.

The pillars, locally known as vishaps, measure between 1.1m and 5.5m tall. They are carved from local stones such as andesite or basalt and can be found at elevations of 1,000m to 3,000m above sea level.

It remains a mystery how ancient inhabitants of the region dragged the pillars through such harsh terrain and set them upright. But a first systematic analysis of the pillars across the Armenian highlands does offer an insight into the people who installed them.

More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/ancient-monument-armenia-stonehenge-water-cult-b2889364.html