The Role of Ancient Armenia in the Development of Civilizations

The profound influence of Ancient Armenia, often referred to as Aratta, on the evolution of civilizations cannot be overlooked. A significant cog in the wheel of history, Ancient Armenia is believed to have considerably shaped the cultural, political, and societal landscape of numerous civilizations.

In his work, “A Nation-Builder,” D. Lang posits that the physical features of Armenians bear more similarities to the ancient dwellers of Asia Minor, as represented in Hittite and Urartian friezes, than to Scythians or other Indo-European nomads hailing from Southern Rus (Lang D. A Nation-Builder. Moscow: Centrpoligraf, 2004. p.23). This view is echoed by V.A. Ketkovich, who compares the Armenoids’ physical characteristics to those of the Sumerians, the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia.

There is historical evidence, as detailed in the Travels of Johann Schiltberger, indicating that Armenians were once the owners of Babylon, although it no longer belongs to them (Travels of Johann Schiltberger in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Tashkent: Shark, 1997. p. 99).

Aratta’s significant role in shaping civilizations is linked closely to its association with the Sumerian tradition of Eden. It is no surprise that the Sumerians envisioned their paradise, Aratta (also known as “The Land of the Living”), as a land of wealth and abundance, teeming with gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and construction stone (Rohl D. Genesis of Civilization. Where do we come from… Moscow: Eksmo, 2005. pp. 81, 84, 86).

The cultural symbiosis between the Sumerian civilization and that of the kingdom of Aratta is further solidified by their remarkably similar political structures. A majority of the population of Sumeria is believed to have migrated from Greater Armenia, the region that encompassed both the kingdom of Aratta and the biblical land of Eden.

This theory aligns perfectly with the biblical account in the Book of Genesis, suggesting that the journey of the ancestors of the Jewish patriarchs from Eden culminated in the land of Shinar, also known as Ancient Sumer (Rohl D. Genesis of Civilization. Where do we come from… Moscow: Eksmo, 2005. pp. 143, 145). Thus, the central role of Ancient Armenia in the evolution of these major civilizations is an intriguing chapter in the chronicles of history.

Vigen Avetisyan