Model of The Solar System – Ancient Lchashen

The first inhabitants of the modern village of Lchashen located on the northern slopes of the Gegham Mountains settled there in the 4th millennium BC. Eastern areas of the village are among the oldest monuments in the open air.

In that area since the 1950s, archaeologists have discovered many ancient artifacts that are now displayed in the Historical Museum of Armenia. The finds included wooden and metal carts with carvings, bronze statuettes of bulls and horses, fragments of gold ornaments, bones of horses and wild animals, clay vases, and much more.

Among the most notable finds was a bronze statuette made in the 2nd millennium BC. According to experts, it is a complex model of the solar system. It was found in 2015 after the water level of Lake Sevan lowered.

If you look closely, you can see an image known in astronomical literature as the symbol of the planet Earth in the lower end of the statuette. The symbol is surrounded by two rings, which in the opinion of researchers depict layers of water and atmosphere.

At the upper part of the statuette, you can recognize the sign of the Sun. In the center between the Sun and the Earth are images of planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon.

The statuette was mentioned in ancient manuscripts. Based on the obtained data, it can be assumed that the model of the solar system was a valuable invention back then. However, scientists still have difficulties in understanding what for and how this unique find was used.