In many books on history it is said that in territory of the Great Armenia 4300 – 4200 years ago there lived tribes of Hourites (or Hayassa). These are wrong, because they were not tribes and did not have said names. They were Armenians-Aryans living all the time in the Great Armenian Kingdom.
In Armenia have always lived Armenians. And it is not necessary to devise other names for inhabitants of Armenia. In the Great Armenia during the period of 13-6 centuries BC existed the Armenian Behayna Kingdom which consisted of two parts: Nairi Kingdom (known in 13-9 cent. BC) with capital town Van (founded in about 35 mill. BC) and Araratian Kingdom from very old time, which was wrongly so-called ”Urartu”, for the period of 9-6 centuries BC. Until 9 cent.
BC Araratian Kingdom had a capital town Manazkert (founded in about 25 mill. BC). In 9 century BC Nairi was united with Araratian Kingdom at the period of the King (Kesar) Aram (860-840 BC) having the capital town Van. This united Armenian State was called Behayna, which in Armenian means: Be-hay-na =it (is) double Armenian =17w qpq(iwtUt hWJqwqw(i (bPtUtpt).
Ararratian Kingdom is well researched for the “Urartian” period. On the territory of present Armenia many excavations were done and many old things were found: home utensil, dishes, decoration, carts, weapon, dresses, paints, etc. All these artefacts for pre-Urartian, Urartian and after-Urartian periods are the same as well as the Armenoid race for people.
This means that there was not a certain “Urartu” for a short period of 9-6 centuries BC, but was Armenian Araratian Kingdom for a very long period, which with Armenian Nairi Kingdom in 9-6 centuries BC were called Behayna. The names of all kings of the period of 9-6 cent. BC are known (see Table of King below). Present capital town of Armenia, Yerevan, was founded in 782 BC by the King Argist I (788 – 764 BC).
On the territory of present Yerevan the old town-castle ”Yerebouni” was excavated and partly reconstructed. Here was found out the stone with cuneiform characters of King Argist I (Armenians in that time used Alphabet and also cuneiform in parallel) about the foundation of Yerebouni – Yerevan, with the text:
“I am, Argist, son of Menoua, by the order of the God Bald this beautiful town built for the potency of Behayna country…” (see Fig. 87). So “Urartian” kings called their own country Behayna. In Fig. 88 another Armenian old and big castle “Amberd”, on Mount Aragats, is shown.
An extract from the book “Armenians and Ancient Armenia” by Paris Herouni
