Lake Van, located in eastern Historical Armenia, has long been a subject of fascination and speculation. Historical references, including the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (1875-1889), mention that “the natives speak of underground channels through which the waters of Lake Van are connected with the sources of the Tigris River.” Additionally, it was noted that “Lake Nazik, lying on the divide, by a rare phenomenon sends its waters both to Lake Van and to the Euphrates.”
Underground Connections and Volcanic Activity
In the late 19th century, a researcher suggested the existence of another underground connection between the Euphrates and Lake Van through an opening in the cleavages of the Nemrut volcano. Although these connections remained speculative and were excluded from the revised edition of the Britannica (1910-1911), a later confirmed assumption linked the unusual structure of the watersheds in the region and the formation of Lake Van to a major eruption of the Nemrut volcano.
The Ryan-Pitman Hypothesis
William Ryan and Walter Pitman from Columbia University proposed a hypothesis that the story of the Great Flood is a reflection of the global process of rising sea levels. According to V. A. Safronov, the global catastrophe caused by the rapid melting of glaciers should be dated to 8122 BC. Ryan and Pitman associate the rise in the water level of the Black Sea by 140 meters around 5500 BC with the Great Flood. Their analysis of flooded coastlines and sedimentary rock layers indicates that the sea level rose by tens of meters, leading to the formation of the Bosphorus Strait and a significant increase in the area of the Black Sea.
Evidence of Sudden Flooding
Deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard supports Ryan and Pitman’s hypothesis. Using underwater robots, he examined sunken settlements off the coast. Data analysis showed that the flooding was sudden, with a timeline close to the biblical account. Lev Regelson and Igor Khvartskiya provide additional arguments based on Abkhaz mythology, which reflects the memory of the flood.
Geological and Historical Perspectives
The causes of the cataclysm are hypothesized to involve a breakthrough of waters from the Mediterranean Sea into the Black Sea due to an earthquake. Scientists studying the bottom of the Black Sea have dated the change in aquatic plants and sedimentary rocks from freshwater to saltwater to approximately 7.5 thousand years ago.
Andrey Chepalyga has conducted long-term research into the traces of grand floods in the Black Sea-Caspian region during the deglaciation of the last (Valdai) glaciation, dating back 16-10 thousand years. He considers these floods to be prototypes of the Great Flood.
The Biblical Connection
Historians believe that this entire cataclysm occurred before the eyes of the people living in the region. According to the Bible, Noah moored the ark to the mountains of Ararat, which could have appeared as islands in a raging stream of confluence of seas.
Ancient Connections
Rock paintings in Armenia testify that the Earth gave birth to the Moon in agony, a fact confirmed by modern scientists. The Ynglinga Saga tells of a flood in the Ararat Mountains and ancient connections between the Scandinavians and Armenians.
The story of Lake Van and the Great Flood is a fascinating blend of historical references, geological hypotheses, and ancient myths, offering a unique perspective on the interconnectedness of natural events and human history.
Artatsolum
Based on the article by Prof. G. Vahanyan, Ph.D. in Art. V. Vahanyan
