In fact, Armenians have a lot of habits, both positive and negative, and their character traits are very diverse. The temperament and mentality of Armenians is very complicated thing. However, this article contains everything that can distinguish an Armenian from representatives of other nationalities
Armenians are an ancient people who predominantly speak the Armenian language. Formation Armenian people in the territory Armenian Highlands began at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. and ended by the 6th century BC. e.
Despite the fact that Armenians are united by one history, one blood and many common features, both externally and internally, representatives of this nation are radically different from each other. The Sputnik Armenia portal tried to understand what an Armenian really is like.
One heartbeat
Mostly in all large countries representatives of Armenian communities live around the world. Most Armenians live in Russia, France and the USA. In particular, Armenians moved to many countries after the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire. The most interesting thing is that Armenians have about 50 dialects, while there are Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian languages, which are spoken by the vast majority of representatives of this nation. As for Eastern Armenian, this is one of the modern options Armenian language, spoken in modern Armenia.
The second variety of the Armenian language is common among the Armenian diaspora, which appeared after the Genocide. This group of Armenians primarily resides in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Despite the fact that the dialects are very different, Armenians can easily communicate with each other, speaking in their own dialect. The most difficult to understand Armenian dialects are among residents of the Syunik region and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh). It is for this reason that many Armenians do not speak native language, but have an excellent command of the language of the country in which they live.
If you communicate with Armenians, then, undoubtedly, you have noticed that these people have a bright sense of humor. They can cheer you up in a few minutes, tell you a huge amount funny stories, jokes, and make sure you walk around in high spirits for the next few days.
It is impossible not to note the fact that there are a lot of famous Armenian comedians in the world. In particular, everyone knows Evgeny Petrosyan, Garik Martirosyan and Mikhail Galustyan. In fact, despite their cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, Armenians are very serious people, especially if we're talking about about people of the older generation who have suffered many difficulties.
There are also eternally dissatisfied Armenians. Usually, these are those people who cannot find their place in life. In my opinion, the most dissatisfied are Armenian taxi drivers and public transport drivers. It is clear - the driving style in Yerevan and other cities of Armenia is distinguished by a special temperament.
If you are a person close to an Armenian, then, most likely, he is ready for a lot, and maybe even everything, for your sake. Probably only Armenians know how to give everything to a loved one without reserve, to surround him with care, attention and affection.
Armenians love and value family very much. In an Armenian family, the parent is the king. And in fact, this is all mutual, since many Armenian parents raise their children in Great love and do everything for them, even the impossible. The attitude towards children in our country is special, and this can be called a cult of children. Also Armenian man idolizes his beloved women (mother, sister, wife).
Hospitality
Another one national trait- this is hospitality. If you are visiting a “correct” Armenian, he will definitely treat you to something. But if you have agreed in advance to visit an Armenian or an Armenian family, then a whole festive treat awaits you! And especially, delicious Armenian cognac.
One can talk about Armenian dishes forever and write for a long time, but the most favorite dishes of Armenians are dolma (stuffed cabbage rolls made from grape leaves), khash - a spicy soup made from beef legs with garlic, spas - a healthy soup based on matsoni, Armenian tabbouleh salad made from bulgur grains and finely chopped parsley.
Armenian habits
Most Armenians are hard-working. If an Armenian finds a job he likes, then he works tirelessly.
Armenia's sunny weather allows residents of the country to hang out their laundry on the streets. This habit is traditional, for example, for residents of Italy, when a huge amount of clothing is hung from building to building.
The “classical” Armenian is distinguished by the fact that he loves to use a large number of bread and coffee, organizes luxurious weddings, birthdays, engagements, christenings and other celebrations. And in fact, the Armenian may not have money... He will take it on credit and will repay the debt for months. But if the soul wants a holiday, then he will not be able to deny himself and his loved ones this.
Armenians love expensive cars, clothes and accessories. This trait is probably characteristic of all nationalities.
And many Armenians open all the windows in the car when their favorite song is playing, regardless of whether you like this music or not. But a music lover will drive around the city after listening to his favorite track several times, even in winter.
If you decide to use public transport in Armenia, and there is no longer a place where you can sit, then they will definitely give it to you.
Armenians also love to greet each other. "Barev" and "Bari luys" ("hello" and " Good morning") is something that can lift a person’s spirits or become a reason for further communication. It’s not for nothing that they say in Armenia that “greeting belongs to God.”
Very often, instead of the traditional “thank you,” Armenians say “merci.” Maybe I'm just too lazy to say it every time beautiful word"shnorakalutsyun".
By the way, only an Armenian will buy himself an expensive gadget - a phone, laptop, tablet or netbook, and will be too lazy to study it in order to use it correctly. He will definitely start asking people around him how to set everything up and make it work.
In fact, Armenians have a lot of habits, both positive and negative, and their character traits are very diverse. The temperament and mentality of Armenians is a very complex thing. However, this article contains everything that can distinguish an Armenian from representatives of other nationalities.
We are glad if Armenian habits are also characteristic of you.
Speaking about Armenian holidays, where national costumes are traditionally present, one cannot fail to mention the musical heritage of this people. Their music is very melodious, because it has absorbed not only Middle Eastern motifs, but also taken something from the Mediterranean.
A striking example of musical instruments can be considered the Armenian duduk, which many call unique, and those who hear it claim that it is heavenly music. Under such fairy tale motifs it is impossible to move awkwardly. Therefore, they are always distinguished by extreme harmony and internal aestheticism.
It does not go unnoticed, which, as historians have proven, is one of the oldest in the world. The gastronomic set of cooks always includes a lot of greens, meat, and dairy products. Sweets are widely known, often created only from sugar and flour, but with an indescribable taste.
Other Armenian dishes are no less unique, among which shashlik comes first. It is no coincidence that their restaurants are famous throughout the world for their delicious dishes.
What are modern Armenians like?
Armenians are an integral part of modern society. They can equally be attributed to both European and Eastern ethnic groups. Today, their number cannot be accurately calculated, however, according to statistics, there are up to 10 to 12 million representatives of this people in the world. They live in many countries, from Russia to Brazil and Australia. And everywhere they bring a touch of Armenian flavor, which is undoubtedly worthy of respect.
Even jokes about Armenians speak about the unusual mentality these people have. In numerous literary sources they appear to be a friendly, brave and cheerful people who can joke, dance, and defend their independence if necessary. And the old good neighborly relations with the Russians largely became the guarantee that their contribution to Russian and world culture did not go unnoticed.
So, among those who fought with the fascist aggressors in the Great Patriotic War, there were many Armenian heroes. These are Senior Lieutenant Sergei Burnazyan, Lieutenant Colonel Garnik Vartumyan, Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Bagramyan. These are just three names of those representatives of the Armenian people who became Heroes of the Soviet Union. And there were dozens of such people, and thousands more ordinary Armenians, along with Russians, Belarusians, and Georgians, fought for their common homeland.
There are no fewer of those that have become among the symbols of world culture and sports. Among the most famous Armenians we can name film director Sergei Parajanov, actors Dmitry Kharatyan and writer William Saroyan, football player, chess player, singer Bulat Okudzhava (the last names of both of the latter are on the maternal side). These and many other people contributed to the development of modern civilization.
They really gave a lot not only to those peoples next to whom they were historically forced to live, but also to the entire world community. Today they complement the community of Caucasian ethnic groups in a special way, preserving their originality and at the same time remaining a people, genetically intact. The Armenian diasporas existing all over the world only confirm this.
Armenians are one of the most ancient peoples...
Armenians live in more than 85 countries around the world, mostly in cities. In total, there are about 7-11 million Armenians in the world. Armenians are Christians, mostly believers of the Armenian religion apostolic church, belonging to the group of pre-Chalcedonian (Miaphysite) ancient Eastern Orthodox churches. There are believers of the Uniate Armenian catholic church, as well as Protestants.
There are not only legends about the education of the Armenian people, but also numerous scientific theories. But the case with the Armenians is precisely the case when the legend explains everything, and scientific theory everything just gets confusing.
The history of the Armenians began when the Assyrian king Shalmaneser V conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, inhabited by ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. The entire population of the kingdom was taken away in a direction unknown to the Jews. However, being unknown to the Jews, this direction was well known to the Assyrians themselves.
They were taken to the Armenian Highlands, to the place where the state of Urartu, also defeated by Assyria, had recently been located. The inhabitants of Urartu were taken to the western coast of the Persian Gulf, the inhabitants of those places were resettled to the site of the former Kingdom of Israel, and the Israelis themselves were settled around Lake Van and at the foot of Ararat. There, merging with the remains local population, formerly under the rule of Urartu, the former Israelis adopted their language, but basically retained their anthropological type. This is why Armenians are so similar to Jews.
This legend is also confirmed by genetics - most Armenians have haplogroup J2. Although she is non-Jewish, she has a common ancestor with Jews. This ancestor lived long before Abraham. The bearer of the original basic haplotype of the Armenian and Jewish populations lived 6200 years ago, that is, two and a half thousand years before the exodus of Abraham from Ur to Canaan.
In Armenia itself, another version of the origin of the Armenians is more widespread: the Armenian state, from the name of which the self-name of the Armenians comes, was Hayasa, which is described in sufficient detail in ancient Hittite cuneiform writings between 1500-1290. BC e., even earlier, between 1650-1500. BC e. this country was found in Hittite cuneiforms under the name Armatana. The Armenians themselves call themselves Hay, and their country - Hayastan. However, the second version does not at all contradict the first: first the Urartians captured Hayasa, and then they brought proto-Jews to this territory, and they mixed with the Hayastanis to form the Armenian ethnic group.
Armenian language belongs to Indo-European family languages. The latest researchers suggest that in ancient times it, along with the Thracian and Phrygian languages, was part of southern group Indo-European languages. At the same time, the Armenian language has similarities with the Caucasian languages. They can be traced in vocabulary, phonetics and grammatical structure.
The ancient Armenian language survived until the 19th century. as a literary language. However, due to the evolution of living speech and interaction with other languages (Persian, Greek, Arabic, Georgian, Turkic), the ancient Armenian language gradually became only a written language, receiving the name “grabar” (“written language”). The common people ceased to understand him, and he became the property of only a narrow circle educated people and churches.
In the language of the Armenian people, 31 dialects were discovered and briefly described. Some of them have such profound sound differences with national language, which are incomprehensible to Armenians who do not speak this dialect. These are MSgrip, Karadag, Karchevan, Agulis, Zeytun, Malatian, Sasup and many other dialects. Urban population modern Armenia speaks literary Armenian, and Diaspora Armenians use the Western Armenian dialect.
The basis of men's and women's traditional clothing of Armenians is a low-necked shirt and wide trousers, gathered and secured at the ankles for women and wrapped with a wide winding for men. An arkhalukh (a type of long frock coat) was worn over the shirt; in Western Armenia, instead of arkhalukh, men wore shorter and open vests and jackets. Citizens, artisans, and rich peasants had belts made of massive silver plaques. Were put on over different kinds outerwear such as chukha (Circassian) was belted either with a belt or (more often among women) with a long scarf.
Women wore an embroidered apron. Headdresses for men were fur hats in Eastern Armenia, felt and woven hats in Western Armenia, for women - capes complemented by a headband with various decorations, shoes - pistons made of rawhide, low-heeled shoes with a curved toe or boots made of soft leather. From the end of the 19th century, these forms of clothing were gradually replaced by clothes of European cut.
Of all the components traditional culture Armenians preserve food most completely. Traditional food is based on grain products. Thin bread - lavash - is baked from wheat (in the past, barley) flour in tonirs, butter cookies and other flour dishes are made, including noodles - arshta. Porridge is used to cook porridge, make pilaf, and season soups with it.
Dairy products are common: cheeses, butter, sour milk - matsun and buttermilk - tan, used both as a soft drink and as a base for making soups. The poor rarely ate meat: boiled meat was used in ritual dishes, and fried meat was used on holidays. The set of mixed vegetable, cereal and meat dishes is varied: arisa - porridge with meat boiled until fibers, kyufta - meat and cereal meatballs in soup, tolma - vegetable cabbage rolls with meat and cereals, etc. There is a very wide range of preservatives prepared from grapes and fruits. Characteristic wide use fresh and dried herbs.
The traditional family is large, patriarchal, with clear gender and age regulation of the rights and responsibilities of its members. The traditions of kinship and neighborly mutual assistance in the 19th century began to be destroyed as a result of development capitalist relations, especially in Eastern Armenia, which was part of the Russian Empire.
The first mention of the name of Armenia, which was then synonymous with Urartu, is found in the Behistun inscription, dated back to 520 BC. e. After the defeat of the Persian Empire by the troops of Alexander the Great, Armenia became dependent on the Seleucids and was ruled by special governors, of whom. two, Artaxias and Zariadr, in 190 BC, declared themselves independent and formed two states: Greater and Lesser Armenia.
The ruler of the first of them, Tigran the Great, united both in 70 BC. Under Tigran II, Great Armenia turned into a large state stretching from Palestine to the Caspian Sea, but soon the Armenian Kingdom fell into semi-vassal dependence, first on Rome, and then on Byzantium, which eventually divided its territory with the Persians.
Constant relations with new peoples developed in the Armenians a love of trade, and they soon realized what a huge power capital is in Everyday life not only of individuals, but also of entire states. In 301 AD, Armenia became the first Christian country in the world, but by not taking part in the IV Ecumenical Council, the Armenians retained, that is, their rejection of the God-Man in Jesus Christ.
In 405, the Armenian scientist and educator Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet, which is still used by Armenians. Before Mashatots, the Armenians, as in other Hellenistic states of Western Asia, in the state and cultural life used Syriac and Greek writing.
“So he endured many hardships in [the matter of] providing good help to his people. And he was granted such happiness by the most merciful God with his holy right hand; he, like a father, gave birth to a new and wonderful child - the writing of the Armenian language. And there he hastily drew, gave names and arranged [the letters in order], arranged [them] according to syllabic syllables.”
In the middle of the 7th century Armenian lands were captured by the Arabs, but in the 860s the princely family of the Bagratids united most of the Armenian lands and overthrew the power of the Arab Caliphate.
In 885, the Arabs and Byzantines recognized the independence of the Armenian Bagratid kingdom, which was the largest and most powerful feudal state of ancient Armenia.
In 908, the Vaspurakan kingdom was formed, in 963 - the Kars kingdom, in 978 - the Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom, and in 987 - the Syunik kingdom.
All these Armenian states were in vassal relations with the Bagratid family. In 1064, most of the Armenian lands, with the exception of Syunik and the Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom, were conquered by the Seljuk Turks.
At the end of the 12th century, during the reign of the Georgian Queen Tamara, the Armenian lands became part of the strengthened Georgian kingdom. In the first half of the 13th century, the Armenians were attacked by the Mongols, and later by the troops of Tamerlane. As a result of centuries-old foreign invasions, the Armenian lands were inhabited by Turkic nomadic tribes. IN mid-16th century century Ottoman Empire and Persia, after a 40-year war, agreed to divide spheres of influence. The eastern Armenian lands went to the Persians, and the western lands to the Turks.
Under the rule of the Turks, who were rather indifferent in all respects to the peoples they conquered, the Armenians calmly practiced their religious cult and, uniting around the Catholicos - the head of the Armenian church - were able to preserve their language, writing and culture. But sometimes Turkish indifference disappeared by itself, and the conquerors turned to the pockets of the conquered.
Of course, this was most painful for the Armenians, who main goal capital in life. Resistance awakened the fighting instincts of the Turks, and therefore Armenian pogroms often began.
In the 17th century, the Turks had a mortal enemy - Russia. The Armenians noticed this and, when they saw that this enemy was little by little inflicting heavy blows on Turkey and gradually moving south, despite the fact that Russia was still far from Armenia, they took advantage of this and began to ask for protection from the Russians. Potemkin already became their ardent defender.
In order to further arouse sympathy, the Armenians resorted to deception with their religion and presented themselves as equally Orthodox. When Emperor Paul assumed the title of Grand Master of the Order of Malta and at the same time the title of protector of Christians around the world, the Armenians sent a deputation to him asking him to accept him under their protection. In 1799, Paul I was even presented with the rite of the liturgy, compiled specifically for this by Bishop Joseph of Argutinsky. This liturgy said that it is necessary to pray for the Orthodox Emperor of All Russia and the Most August House. Since then, in Russia, Armenians began to be considered “Orthodox brothers.” The deception was revealed only in 1891, when Eastern Armenia was already part of Russia.
Back in 1779, Armenians appeared on the Don. The resettlement of Armenians to the Don from Crimea was commanded by the famous commander Suvorov. They founded Nakhichevan-on-Don, which merged with Rostov in 1928. That's why there are so many Armenians in Rostov-on-Don.
As a result of the Russian-Persian War (1826-1828), Russia took possession of the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates and the Ordubad district. By the 19th century, in these territories, as a result of centuries of emigration and expulsion of the Armenian population], Armenians accounted for only 20% of the population. The Russian authorities organized a mass resettlement of Armenians from Persia and Turkey to the Transcaucasus, which led to significant changes in the demography of the region, also taking into account the presence of mass emigration to Turkey of the Muslim population from areas annexed to Russia.
According to General Merlini’s office description of the Armenian region for 1830, 30,507 people lived in the Nakhchivan province (this did not include Sharur and Ordubad), of which 17,138 people were Muslims, 2,690 people were native Armenians, 10,625 people were Armenians resettled from Persia and 27 people - Armenians resettled from Turkey. In 1830, approximately 45 thousand more Armenians from Erzurum and Bayazet pashalyks immigrated to the lands of the former Erivan Khanate and settled southeast of Lake Sevan. By 1832, the Armenian population of the Erivan province reached 50%. The ethnic composition of the region also underwent great changes in the second half of the 19th century. As a result of the war of 1877-1878, the Russian Empire defeated Turkey and captured part of southern Georgia, which later formed the Batumi region. In two years (1890-1891), more than 31 thousand Muslims were evicted from the region, whose place was taken by Armenian and partly Georgian settlers from eastern regions Ottoman Empire. The resettlement of Armenians from these areas to the Batumi region continued until the beginning of the 20th century.
In Turkey, relations between Armenians and Muslims worsened in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Repeatedly, the Turks slaughtered the Armenian population of entire regions (Sasun massacre of 1896, Adana massacre of 1909), and during the First World War the Turks decided to exterminate the Armenians without exception. On the personal orders of Nicholas II, Russian troops took a number of measures to save the Armenians, as a result of which, out of 1 million 651 thousand souls of the Armenian population of Turkey, 375 thousand, that is, 23%, were saved.
In 1918, the Armenians gained independence, but were left alone with the Turks and Azerbaijanis, who did not even think of abandoning their plans for the wholesale extermination of all Armenians. On September 24, 1920, the Armenian-Turkish war began. Turkish troops under the command of Kazim Karabekir they took first Sarykamysh, then Ardagan, and on October 30 Kars fell. In response to an inquiry about the intentions of the Entente made in Tiflis by the Armenian representative Alexander Khatisov, the British representative Stokes said that Armenia had no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils: peace with Soviet Russia.
On November 29, 1920, a group of Armenian Bolsheviks, with the help of the Soviet 11th Army and troops of Soviet Azerbaijan, entered the city of Ijevan and proclaimed the creation Revolutionary Committee, an uprising against the Armenian government and the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia. The Turks did not fight the Russians, especially since the Bolsheviks supported their leader Mustafa Kemal with money and weapons.
Armenia entered the Transcaucasian Federation, and as part of it joined the USSR in 1922. In 1991, with the collapse of the USSR, Armenia became independent. For several years by that time, it had been waging a war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ultimately ended in an Armenian victory.
Origin of the Armenian people
Armenians - self-name Gai (or Hay) - are one of the few “original” peoples on earth. Their origin is based on a beautiful biblical legend about the miraculous salvation of Noah and his family on the top of Mount Ararat. However, similar or similar legends underlie the history of many nations. The Book of Genesis calls Noah's descendants by name and indicates initial settlement of this offspring near Ararat in the Sanaar Valley. Much of this information is confirmed by ancient Chaldean, Syrian and Greek historians.
According to biblical tradition, one of the great-grandsons of Noah, the grandson of Japheth, the son of Homer, Forgom, during his lifetime, divided his possessions between his sons. Hayk got Armenia, he became the founder of the dynasty of the first Armenian kings - the Gaikids, and the ancestor of the Armenians. Legend says that, being at the same time one of the main ancestors of the Babylonians, Hayk participated in the construction of the Tower of Babel at the suggestion of the main Chaldean ancestor Bel (aka Nimrod). But, feeling that Bel was striving for sole dominance, Hayk and his sons returned to their lands. Bel did not forgive Gadget for this.
Trying to avoid open clashes and subjugate Gaik by cunning, Bel invited him to choose any, even the most fertile lands Babylon for resettlement within the boundaries of their possessions. Gayk categorically refused. Then Bel declared war on Gayk. This was the first documented war in human history. Decisive Battle occurred at Lake Van, where Bel’s troops were defeated, and he himself died from Gaik’s arrow. At the site of the battle, the city of Hayk was built in honor of the winner. This is what the biblical story says.
The historical process of the formation of the Armenian people was, of course, much more complicated
A large nation, forming, absorbs hundreds of small nations, tribes, and clans. Raids, conquests, migrations, and religious traditions also influence this process. The Armenian people were formed according to all these laws. Ancient Armenian historians Mar - Ibas - Katina (II century BC), Moses of Khorensky, Agafangel (IV century) and others testify to many small tribes (Aguvans, Albanians, Utians, Kartmanians, Janarians, Dzotians, Karkarians and etc.), who were settled in different parts Armenia, but were completely assimilated by the Armenians.
The million Semites captured by the Armenian king Hrachya were also completely assimilated. It was from their midst that the powerful Bagratuni family emerged, which gave princes, great commanders and royal dynasty, who ruled in Armenia and then in Georgia. The Chinese settlers, who received possessions on the border with Georgia, and the title of princes Orbelian and Mamikonyan, whose descendants served Armenia faithfully, were completely assimilated.
The process of formation of the Armenian people proceeded gradually, but the most important role was played by the fact that it ended in ancient times. The self-awareness of the Armenians as a single people was probably formed in the early period Armenian statehood, and practically has not undergone any major changes to this day
The Armenian language also testifies to this.
An attempt to attribute the Armenian language to any language group didn't lead to anything. It formed a separate group of the Indo-European language family. Modern alphabet Armenians was invented by Mesrop Mashtots in the 4th century. Its creation was not a simple copying of already existing alphabets. Mashtots and his students, among whom was Moses Khorensky, carried out extensive scientific research. Young people were sent to Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, whose goal was to deeply study the language, its sound series and the correspondence of the sound with its letter designation.
It was a kind of multi-year linguistic expedition, at the end of which information was collected and processed, on the basis of which the original Armenian alphabet was created. Its accuracy and uniqueness have been proven for centuries: it is known that linguistic composition speech changes over time, ancient language becomes “dead” (ancient Greek, Latin), but the uniqueness of the Mashtots alphabet allows us today to speak fluently in ancient Armenian and read ancient Armenian manuscripts. Although vocabulary The language changed, its sound range remained the same, and all the richness of speech sound was embodied in the Armenian alphabet. Mesrop Mashtots is also the creator of the Georgian alphabet.
Until recently, it was believed that before the advent of the Mashtots alphabet, Armenians used Persian scripts, and previously did not have their own written language. Indeed, during the reign of the Arsacids - a dynasty with close blood ties with the Persian kings - official documents, correspondence was conducted in Persian, and there was no need to talk about the presence of more ancient writing among the Armenians due to the lack of “physical evidence”. More recently, at the end of last year, a group of young scientists from Yerevan made an attempt to decipher the previously almost unreadable writings of Urartu.
The key was the ancient Armenian language. Unfortunately, there are no official publications on this issue in our press yet, but there is a high probability that the Urartu cuneiform was the most ancient alphabet Armenians There is also some information that before Mesrop Mashtots there was a certain Armenian alphabet consisting of 28 letters, which absolutely did not correspond to the sound series of the Armenian language. Mashtots' alphabet consists of 36 letters.
Speaking about Armenian writing, one cannot fail to mention the first Armenian historians and writers, thanks to whom much of antiquity has survived to this day. The oldest Armenian historian is considered to be Mar-Ibas-Katina, the secretary of King Vagharshak I. Having received permission from the Persian king Arshak to study in the archives of Nineveh, where the libraries of Babylon captured by the Persians were kept, Mar-Ibas, based on Chaldean sources, wrote the history of Armenia from the first kings to Tigran I. This work came to us only in lists.
Agafangel - secretary of King Trdat, who wrote the history of the spread of Christianity in Armenia (IV century). Gregory the Illuminator - author of a collection of sermons and prayers in Armenian. Postus Buzand - compiled the history of Armenia from 344 - 392. Mesrop Mashtots - in collaboration with Catholicos Sahak, translated the Holy Scriptures into Armenian, author of the Breviary (known as Mashdots) and the Festive Menaion. Moses Khorensky is the author of the history of Armenia in 4 books. Yeghishe - left to his descendants a description of the wars of the Armenians with the Persians between 439 - 463. Lazar Parbetsi - history of Armenia 388 - 484. David the Invincible - philosophical works on principles. Among the authors of the 7th century: Ioannes Mamikonyan - the history of the Mamikonian princes. Shirakatsi - nicknamed the Arithmetician, astronomer, compiler of the Armenian calendar. Moses II is the author of grammar and rhetoric. VIII century: John Ocnetziator of teachings against heresies. XI century: Thomas Artsruni - history of the house of Artsruni; historians John VI, Moses Kagkantovotsi; Gregory Magistros is the author of the Grammar of the Armenian language and the poetic transcription of “the history of the Old and New Testaments.”; Aristakes Lasdiverdzi - “history of Armenia and neighboring cities” (988 - 1071). XII century: Samuel - compiler of chronologies from the creation of the world to 1179. Physician Mkhitar - “Consolation in Fever.” Nerses Klaetsi - patriarch, theologian, author of a poetic translation of the Bible, including 8,000 verses. Mkhitar Gosh is the author of 190 fables, the Code of Church and Civil Laws. XIII century: Stefan Orbelian - Bishop of Syunik, author of the elegy "Lamentation for Etchmiadzin". Vartan the Great is the author of "General History from the Creation of the World to 1267." Kirakos Kanzaketsi - described the devastation of the city of Ani by the Mongols in 1230 and the flight of the Armenians to Astrakhan, Trebizond, and Poland. Magakia Apega - described the Tatar invasions of Asia before 1272. Mkhitar Anetsi - gave rich information on the history of Armenia, Georgia, Persia and translated astronomy from Persian. Aristakes is the author of “the science or instructions on how to write correctly” and the “Dictionary of the Armenian Language”. The 14th century brought terrible trials to the Armenian people.
Subjected to continuous persecution and extermination, the Armenians sought salvation in other countries
When a person’s house is on fire, he unconsciously grabs the most valuable thing, trying to save it. Among the most valuable things that the Armenians saved, sometimes at the cost own life, there were books - guardians of the memory of the people, their language, history, culture. These books, saved from fire, water, and enemy desecration, are collected today in the treasury of Armenia - Matenodaran. Among them there are many that were rewritten, or rather redrawn, by absolutely illiterate people who can neither read nor write. But precisely thanks to their high patriotic feat, today we can read ancient sources, torn out of oblivion by the hands and labors of these people.
With the advent of printing in the 16th century. Armenian literature continued its development. Everywhere where the Armenians settled, they tried to open their own printing house. So, in 1568 such a printing house appeared in Venice, and in the 17th century. Printing houses were founded in Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, Leipzig, Constantinople, and later in London, Smyrna, Madras, Echmiadzin, Trieste, Tiflis, Shusha, Astrakhan, in St. Petersburg (1783), Nakhichevan. With the resettlement of Armenians to America, printing houses appeared in many countries of the New World. Back...
State history of Armenia
The state history of Armenia, according to ancient sources, dates back 3,671 years - from 2,107 BC. 1.395g each - ancient and average history, and only 169 years of the latest, directly related to the liberation of part of the Armenian lands by Russian troops and the formation of the Principality of Yerevan in 1828
Armenia in the period from 2,017 BC to 331 BC - Hayk dynasty
After the death of the legendary Gaik in 2026 BC. the reign passed to his son Armenak. He was known among the people as a collector of Armenian lands. Thanks to his policy, the borders of Armenia expanded significantly, many tribes voluntarily entered the borders of Armenia. Apparently, Armenia as a state declared itself precisely during his reign, because neighboring states (Persia, Greece, etc.) appropriated new country the name of its sovereign is Armenia (land of Armenak).
Armais - 1980 BC -, son of Armenak, continued the policy of strengthening the state, erected on the banks of the river. Araks ancient capital Armavir.
Amaziah - 1940 BC - the son of Armais, carried out intensive construction at the foot of Ararat, which thanks to this acquired its second name - Masis.
Kegam - 1908 BC - son of Amaziah; Garma - 1858 - son of Kegam.
Aram - 1827 BC - son of Garma, with his victories significantly expanded the borders of Armenia in all directions. The successes of the Armenian king alarmed the Assyrian ruler Nin, who could not forgive the Armenians for the death of his ancestor Bel. Fearing open clashes, Nin decided to resort to cunning and win Aram over to his side: as a sign of mercy, the powerful Assyrian king allowed Aram to wear a pearl bandage and ordered him to be called his second. Some ancient historians connect the name of the country Armenia with the name of Aram. Aram is credited with the first geographical division of Armenia (Greater, Lesser).
Ara the Beautiful (Kegetsik) - 1769 BC - son of Aram, succeeded his father shortly before the death of Nina, whose wife was the beautiful Semiramis (Shamiram). Stories about the beauty of Ara have long excited the imagination of Semiramis. Having been widowed, she sent ambassadors to Are with rich gifts and an offer to visit her court, the most magnificent at that time in Asia. Ara ignored the proposal of the powerful queen. Having met with a refusal, Semiramis decided that the offer to become only a subject insulted Ara. She sent a new embassy offering her hand and the throne. Ara refused again, citing the fact that he was quite happy with his beloved wife Novara and his people, who dearly loved their ruler. Semiramis took this as an insult and immediately ordered the gathering of troops.
In 1767 B.C. Semiramis' troops invaded Armenia. Taken by surprise, Ara did not have time to gather troops and took the battle with small forces. Semiramis ordered the troops to deliver Ara to her only alive. But Ara did not spare his life, fighting shoulder to shoulder in simple wars against the invaders. He died in battle. The inconsolable Semiramis ordered that Ara’s body be found and brought to her. She then demanded that the High Priest of Armenia, Meras, revive Ara's body. According to legend, to calm the army awaiting a miracle, Ara’s double was found among the soldiers and presented to the crowd.
In memory of the “miraculous revival” of Ara, Semiramis erected a tomb with a memorial inscription. Having looked around conquered Armenia, Semiramis found its climate healthier and decided to establish her summer residence here. On the shores of Lake Van, she ordered the construction of a city in her honor - Shamiramakert. To protect the city from lake overflows, a Cyclopean dam was built by order of the queen. The city was built in the best traditions of Babylonian culture, equipped with water pipes, baths, decorated with gardens, flower beds, and built with two three-story palaces.
Ara II -1743 BC, (Kardos), son of Ara the Beautiful. At the insistence of Semiramis, he took the name of his deceased father and at the age of twelve was appointed governor of Armenia by the queen. Armenia became a tributary of Babylon. Having matured, Ara II directed all his forces to fight against Assyrian rule, remembering the death of his father and hating Semiramis. Ara II died in battle. Armenia remained under the rule of Ninias (Zamasis), the son of Semiramis, who herself died at his hand.
Anushavan Sos - 1725 BC - son of Ara II, appointed by Ninias as ruler of Armenia.
From this period, Armenia remained a tributary of Assyria for almost a thousand years, although it constantly made attempts to get rid of dependence. In this regard, this dependence either weakened or intensified. But the procedure for appointing Armenian rulers remained the same. A long series of rulers of this period are known to historians only by name; they did not leave any noticeable mark on the history of Armenia. The exceptions are the following:
Zarmair - 1194 BC - during his reign, Armenian troops took part in Trojan War on Priam's side. Zarmair died under the walls of Troy. His death caused long unrest in Armenia, which did not give up hope of freeing itself from Assyrian dependence.
Paruyr - 742 BC - in alliance with the Medes, he rebelled against the Assyrian king Sardanapalus. Under the onslaught of the rebels, the Assyrian kingdom fell after sixteen centuries of existence, and liberated Armenia met Paruyr already adorned with the royal diadem. Paruyr became the first king of Armenia.
Hrachya - 700 BC - son of Paruyr, was an ally of King Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered Judea. It was from this campaign that Hrachya brought, who he had bought from Nebuchadnezzar, a noble Jew named Shambat, who later became the ancestor of the Bagratuni clan.
Tigranes I - 565 BC - stayed in Armenian history one of the most famous Gaikids. It was under him that the possessions of ancient Armenia reached their maximum limits. Armenia prospered. This was facilitated by her alliance with the Persian king Cyrus. This alliance greatly disturbed the Median king Astyages, whose possessions were eyed by both Tigran and Cyrus. Astyages decided to use any means to destroy this alliance. This means was to be the marriage of Astyages to the beloved sister of the Armenian king Tirganui. With its help, the Median king wanted to quarrel between Tigran and Cyrus, and, taking advantage of the situation, expand his own possessions.
But Tigranui remained faithful to her beloved brother and warned the Armenian king in time about Astyages’s insidious plan. Tigran sent an angry letter to his treacherous relative, and he himself began to prepare for war. In a fierce battle, the Armenian king killed Astyages with his own hands. As a result of this battle, the kingdom of Media fell. The winner returned home with rich trophies and many prisoners, among whom were high-ranking nobles and relatives of the Median king. The Armenian king settled them all in the Nakhichevan province, transferring its management to his sister Tigranui, in whose honor the city of Tigranakert was built here.
Vakhang - 520 BC - son of Tigran, was an extraordinary personality, possessed of extraordinary courage and strength. In the Armenian epic, folk songs his exploits are sung. Armenians compare him to the Greek Hercules.
Unfortunately, the period of prosperity did not last long.
Soon Armenia fell under the dependence of its powerful neighbor - Persia.
Vahe - 331 BC - killed in the battle of Arbella, defending the Persian king Darius III Kodomona against the new conqueror of Asia Minor, Alexander the Great. With the death of Vahe, the Gayka dynasty ended.
Armenia in the period from 331 to 149 BC
The brilliant victories of Alexander the Great quickly brought the previously powerful states of Asia Minor to their knees. Armenia was among them. This period began for Armenia under the rule of the governors of Alexander the Great. This was a common practice of those times. Alexander usually appointed a governor from among his close associates. However, the first governor in Armenia was the Armenian Mihran - 325 - 319. BC. The death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) disrupted the clear plan for building his Great Empire.
When Alexander died, he handed over the symbols of power to the guardian of his young children, Perdiccas. But almost all of Alexander’s associates began to lay claim to a tidbit from the big pie. A new redistribution has begun. Instead of Mihran, Neoptolemus was appointed governor of Armenia. Having arrived at the place, he began to harshly impose his order, regardless of the ancient customs and traditions of the Armenians. This caused general outrage. Under pain of death, Neoptolemus was forced to retire.
Arduard - 317 to 284 BC - led the discontent of the Armenians against Neoptolemus and, after his departure, proclaimed himself king of Armenia. Then the eighty-year-old Antigonus, who considered himself the ruler of all Asia Minor, instructed the chief of the Median troops, Hypostrates, and the leader of Persia, Askleniador, to bring the Armenians to obedience. But in the battle of Lake Urmia, the Armenians won a brilliant victory. The Battle of Ipsus (301 BC), in which Antigonus died, helped Arduard remain on the Armenian throne.
Grant - 284 - 239 BC. - Arduard's successor, after a series of defeats, was forced to recognize himself as a tributary of the Syrian ruler Seleucus-Nicator, who owned vast territories from the Mediterranean Sea to the river. Ind.
IN Lately attempts at appropriation by the Armenian side historical monuments and examples of Azerbaijani culture began to acquire greater scope. Our poor neighbors steal and appropriate everything - from history to culinary recipes.
From this point of view, the research carried out in the book “Armenian Foreign Tales” by chapter State agency on copyrightKamran Imanov.
The book had already been published previously and was displayed on the Internet, however, given that the information war against Azerbaijan is gaining momentum, we considered it necessary to again present it to the attention of readers.
The book thoroughly and cogently examines the roots, causes and consequences of Armenian falsifications and plagiarism.
We offer our readers chapters from this book.
The “History of the Armenian People” states that “...the cradle of humanity, its ancestral homeland is Armenia.” The Armenians are the most ancient people and the language of the Armenians is the oldest known. The idea of exclusivity and the special mission of the Armenian ethnos continues to remain manic today, despite the warnings of some realistic politicians Armenia that inflating exclusivity and exclusion is a dead end for the Armenian ethnic group. “To see everyone as an enemy means to become an enemy to everyone. This is not a path, this is an abyss” (Suren Zolyan).
One of the many facets of the ongoing legend of Armenian exceptionalism is the widespread affirmation by Armenians of the opinion that they are the natives of the Caucasus, the heirs of “Great Armenia from sea to sea.” The arrival of the Armenians, their settlement in today’s and previous “transit” habitats has long been proven historical science. Herodotus, the “father of the history of nations,” writes: “The country located on the upper reaches of the Euphrates was called Armenia.” The Armenians “lived in the western part of the highlands, called the Armenian” (Herodotus, “History”; Publishing house “Science”, Leningrad, 1972). And here is the opinion famous historian And Dyakonov, reflected in his monograph, published in Armenia: “The Armenian ethnos was formed outside the Caucasus” (I. Dyakonov, “Prehistory of the Armenian People”, Yerevan, 1958). It is now common knowledge that Armenia is not the homeland of the Armenian ethnic group. And Armenian scientists themselves are forced to reckon with this.
Academician M. Abeghyan: “... where are the roots of the Armenian people, how, when, at what time, where and in what ways did they come here... We do not have accurate and clear evidence of this” (“History of Armenian Literature”, Yerevan, 1975).
“The ancestors of the Armenians came from the Balkans” (“History of the Armenian People”, Yerevan, 1980).
As the Armenian authors themselves now claim, “the most ancient core of the Armenians was the population of the northeastern part of Asia Minor. This country... was called Armatana, and later Hayasa. From there the ancestors of the Armenians moved to the southeast of Lake Van (XII century. BC).
It is historically known that in the 9th century. BC. in Eastern Anatolia, near Lake Van, the state of Urartu (Biani) was formed, which in the middle of the 8th century BC. annexed Hayasa under the name Arme. Thus, “Arme”, as well as “Hayasa”, the name and self-identification of today’s Armenia comes precisely from these geographical areas.
It is no coincidence that Dyakonov believes that “since the ancient Armenian language is not related to the languages of the autochthons of the Armenian Highlands, it is clear that it was brought here from the outside.”
Moreover, in early middle ages and subsequently, the presence of Armenians on land inhabited by the Turkic ethnic group allowed them to survive and preserve ethnically. Well-known specialist Levon Dabegyan: “...Armenians truly owe their national existence to the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks. If we had remained among the Byzantines or other Europeans, Armenian name everything could only be preserved in history books.”
One cannot but agree with such an Armenian revelation, since the Armenians themselves in their book “Armenian medieval literature", prepared by the Institute of Literature named after M. Abeghyan and published by the publishing house "Sovetan Grokh" in Russian in Yerevan in 1986 with reference to its medieval historian Sebeos, provides a historical document - a letter Byzantine Emperor Mauritius (582-602) to the king of Persia Khosrow: "... the people (Armenians) ... live among us and stir up trouble...". And further it says that they need to be expelled from the lands of Byzantium and Iran. Comments here, as they say, are unnecessary.
According to historical chronicles, after the Armenian pogroms committed by Byzantium at the end of the first millennium, the Armenian Catholicos, in order to save the nation, turns to the Seljuk Sultan Arp-Aslan with a plea for help, and the Sultan takes the Armenians under his protection. We present the opinion of the 26th Armenian Catholicos Barces about Sultan Melik Shah, who improved the position of the Armenian Church after appealing to him: “He managed to create a peaceful and fair government everywhere... due to his greatness, he did not cause harm to anyone.”
And here is a quote taken from the Armenian historian Matevos about the residence of Armenians in the lands inhabited by the Turkic ethnic group, and the attitude of the Turks towards them. “The reign of Melik Shah was pleasing to God. His power extended to distant countries. It brought peace to the Armenians... He was full of mercy towards Christians, showed fatherly concern for the peoples...” AND last quote which we present is an Armenian testimony characterizing the reign of Sultan Fateh: “To say that with the conquest of Istanbul (Constantinople) by Sultan Fateh a star lit up for the Armenian destinies means to emphasize historical truth..." All this, as we know, ended with the fact that Armenians everywhere are trying to impose fabrications on the world community about the so-called genocide in Ottoman Turkey.
The penetration of Armenians into the South Caucasus region is associated with significantly more late times. At the same time, in Soviet times, the Armenians perpetrated a farce on the 2750th anniversary of the Erebuni fortress, the name of which was identified with Irevan (Yerevan). During the distant years of the heyday of Urartu, this Transcaucasian territory, according to sources, was considered by the Urartians as “enemy land” and which they subsequently conquered. It turns out that Erebuni was founded in an enemy country by the Armenians in those years when they were part of the state of Urartu as a region.
Armenians, as an alien ethnic group, have been settling on the territory of historical Azerbaijan since the 15th century, penetrating here from the territories of modern Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. In the 16th century, the process of resettlement of Armenians to the lands of the Azerbaijani khanates intensified, and their penetration into the lands of the Iravan Khanate, a territory that is essentially today the territory of the Republic of Armenia, especially intensified. It was during these years that Revankhan, the ruler of the khanate, wrote to the famous Shah Ismail Khatai: “... from Mesopotamia, to the coast of Lake Van, and from there here, to the Caucasus, to the Oghuz-Turkic lands, moving in small parties of 5-10 people, Armenians instead of engaging in crafts, as agreed, they strive to settle down, build churches and thereby try to create the impression that they are natives of the Caucasus, and this will bring us a lot of trouble in the future... All this is financed from the money located in Ag Kils (Etchmiadzin) Catholicasata..."
Indeed, these were prophetic words testifying to the origins of the settlement of lands by Armenians: first by individual families, then by small groups and colonies, and thereby creating the territorial prerequisites for Armenian statehood on the ancestral lands of the Iravan Khanate.
In order to create Armenian statehood on the lands of Azerbaijan, it was transferred to Ag Kils (Etchmiadzin) in the 15th century armenian church with the patriarchal throne, taking over political and government functions in the absence of Armenian statehood. From that time on, the history of Iravan, Nakhchivan and Zangezur was presented by Armenians as the history of “Eastern Armenia”.
And, of course, the resettlement of Armenians to the Caucasus, especially on the territory of the Nakhichevan, Iravan and Karabakh khanates, to the ancestral Azerbaijani land, received powerful impulses after Gulistan and Turkmenchay. However, if in the 16th century 15 thousand newcomer Armenians lived in the Iravan Khanate, then, despite the sharp increase in the number of colonists at the time of the creation of the Erivan region in 1828 by the tsarist government to replace the liquidated Erivan Khanate, its population still consisted of 80% Azerbaijanis.
Squeezing out the indigenous Turkic element from their ancestral lands in subsequent years, including Soviet period, acquired the character of deportation and, in essence, the resettlement of Armenians represented the occupation of Azerbaijani lands. All this was accompanied by the provision of greater rights and privileges to the Armenian settlers compared to those enjoyed by the local Azerbaijani population. It should be recalled that after the Treaty of Gulistan (1813), Russia consistently carried out the liquidation of the Azerbaijani khanates, and in 1822 the Karabakh Khanate was liquidated. And when, a year after its liquidation, in 1823, the “Description of the Karabakh Province” was compiled, despite the adoption of measures to exclude Azerbaijanis from here, in this document, out of 18,563 families registered by the tsarist administration, only 8.4% were Armenian Melikstvo
During the years of Soviet power, along with the eviction of Azerbaijanis from their historical places of residence, the territory of Azerbaijan was successively annexed to Armenia. If before May 1920 the territory of Azerbaijan was 114 thousand square meters. km, then it was subsequently cut by 28 thousand square meters. km and became equal to 86 thousand square meters. km. Thus, it was reduced to a volume approximately equal to the territory of Armenia (29.8 thousand sq. km).
That's it in a nutshell historical chronology settlement of the South Caucasus by Armenians at the expense of Azerbaijani lands, now declared Armenian historical place residence of their ethnic group. This process could not proceed peacefully; it was initiated by Armenian terror, persecution against the local population, which took on the character of genocide. It has always been hidden behind historical lies, forgeries and distortions, hypocrisy towards those who gave shelter to Armenian settlers, and continues to be accompanied by territorial claims to our lands in parallel with claims to our cultural heritage.