Since antiquity, the Eagle and the Lion have been the most common themes of Armenian iconography, particularly, on Armenian coats of arms. Below, you can see a variety of artifacts with Armenian national and royal emblems. The list is quite long yet incomplete.
230 BC. A coin of King Arsames II of the Armenian Kingdom of Sophene. The reverse side features an eagle standing on thunderbolt.
189 BC – 12 AD. A coin of Tigran II the Great of Armenia with the coat of arms of his dynasty, the Artaxiad house. An eight-pointed star flanked by two eagles can be seen on both sides.
6 AD – 12 AD. Draped bust of Tigran V with long pointed beard, and wearing a tiara. An eagle depicted on the left.
643 AD – 652 AD. A relief with a royal eagle from the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral in Armenia.
861 AD – 1118 AD. Lion depicted on the gates of Ani, the medieval Armenian capital. The coat of arms of the Armenian Bagratid dynasty can also be seen.
Flag symbols of Bagratids on two Armenian churches, the Noravank Church (left) and the Geghard Monastery (right).
1000 AD – 1260 AD. The coat of arms of Armenian Rubenid dynasty depicting a lion holding a cross.
The coat of Arms of King of Armenia (left) and the King of Troy in Armenia (right). Notice that the cross was transformed into a sword piercing the lion. From “Sammelband mehrerer wappenbücher” (Augsburg – Bavaria – 1530).
The coat of arms of the king of Lesser Armenia illustrated by master Miltenberger. It was titled “Rex hermenie” in Richenthal.
A coat of arms of Greater Armenia from “Chronicles of the Council of Constance.”
1341 – 1375. The coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Armenia, Lusignan dynasty, as illustrated by Le Breton.
1432 — 1458. The coat of arms of Lusignan dynasty from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. From the Kolossi Castle in Cyprus.
The coat of arms of Cilicia from “O Livro de Armeiro Mor”, Portugal, 1509. The text reads “Rey d ermenia”, meaning “Armenian coat of arms”.
Illustration of Armenian Queen Sinope from the Amberley Panels. “Heroines of Antiquity”, Lambert Barnard, ca. 1526 (oil & tempera on panel). This is one of the eight surviving panels forming the decorative scheme of Amberley Castle, former residence of the bishops of Chichester. It was commissioned by Robert Sherborne (ca.1450-1536), Bishop of Chichester.
A coat of arms of the king of Greater Armenia as illustrated by German sources of the beginning of the 16th century.
Shields with Armenian coat of arms illustrated on an Armenian manuscript of Gladzor, ca. 1620.
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Armenia painted in 1850.
Arms of Armenia, engraving and drawing by Filipos Sarkissian, 1875.
1918 – 1920. The coat of arms of the First Republic of Armenia.
1920 – 1991. The coat of arms of the Armenian SSR on a traditional rug.
The current coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia. Thus can be seen the continuation of the eagle-lion theme widely used throughout Armenian history.
Source: PeopleOfAr
