Ancient Iconic Armenian Wheel Of Eternity Depicted Inside A Six Pointed Star

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Armenian Wheel of Eternity is perhaps the most iconic among many ancient Armenian symbols. It is one of the country's most ancient and sacred symbols. Its origin is traced to the early observations of the sky and widely recognized worship of the Armenian Deity of the Sun.

It is also depicted in the emblem of the coat of arms of the country's ruling political party and serves as a decoration of the sacred Armenian alphabet.

In some cases, Armenians depicted the “Wheel of Eternity” inside a six-pointed star. The six-pointed star (hexagram) with the Jewish Star of David (Magen David), is also the modern symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.

Marble tombstone of the Armenian Grand Prince Hasan Jalal Vahtangian (1214-1261

As one of the most common and sacred symbols of Armenian culture, the Wheel of Eternity originates from the worship of the sun and the sky. and the sun.

The Armenians - recognized for their skills as craftsmen, mathematicians, and architects - have used the hexagram for a very long time.

In Armenian architecture, the hexagram symbol has been used frequently. It was believed that the symbol had magical powers, which were widely incorporated in sacred art, astronomy, and architecture.

Left: Hexagrams on the walls of 13th Century Noravank monastery. source; Right: Hexagram symbol, Church of The Citadel Palace, Ani,  Armenia. Image source.

One of the most famous examples of a hexagram in architecture can be found in the 12th century Armenian Church, the Cathedral of St. James in Jerusalem, where the hexagram-shaped arches support the dome.

Similar dome arches in the shape of a six-pointed star can be found in several other architectural solutions across the Armenian country.

This was not, however, the only architectural purpose for using this symbol.

A lot of Armenian churches have been built in the shape of a six-pointed star because according to ancient beliefs, the six-pointed star was considered a sacred decoration protecting the church like magic charms.

Reliefs on the ruined 12th century Teghenyats Monastery, Armenia. Image credit: PeopleOfAr.

The oldest known depiction of a six-pointed star (dating back to the 3rd millennium BC.) was excavated in the Ashtarak burial mound in “Nerkin Naver” (in Armenia). This was confirmed by a series of radiocarbon analyses of artifacts, conducted in laboratories in Germany and in the USA.

The handle of a dagger depicts the world's earliest decoration of a six-pointed star buried in a burial mound containing over 500 graves.

The first and the most important Armenian Cathedral of Etchmiadzin (303 AD, build by the founder of Christianity in Armenia) is decorated with many types of ornamented hexagrams and so is the tomb of an Armenian prince of the Hasan-Jalalyan dynasty of Khachen (1214 A.D.) in the Gandzasar Church of Artsakh.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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