After the establishment of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century by Genghis Khan, the nomadic Tatar-Mongolian tribes inhabiting Central Asia undertook invasive campaigns against neighboring and distant countries. After several reconnaissance attacks, the 30,000-strong army of Mongols under the command of Chormagan was split into separate groups in the Mugan Plain. These groups attacked …
The Armenian town of Meghri is known for its old-fashioned hotels, vodka, as well as its wonderful fruits and vegetables, especially Meghri figs and yellow pomegranates. Atop the rocky Mount Meghri in the vicinity of the town are the ruins of the 10th-century fortress of Meghri. The fortress of Meghri was first mentioned in 1083. …
King Mithridates VI of Pontus, who conflicted with Rome and sought to oust it from Asia Minor, sent ambassadors to Tigran II with a proposal to conclude an alliance. The union with the powerful Kingdom of Pontus, which was enforced by the marriage between Tigran II and Mithridates VI Eupator’s daughter Cleopatra, was beneficial to …
Each manuscript has its own destiny. Just like people. The fate of the most ancient Armenian manuscripts repeats the path of the Armenians themselves: exile, loss, and finding their homeland. This is how the Armenian manuscript heritage is characterized by Doctor of Historical Sciences Gevorg Ter-Vardanyan, head of the Matenadaran manuscript storage. By the will …
In the second half of the 4th century BC, Armenia was divided by the Achaemenids into Greater and Lesser Armenia. From the beginning of the 4th century BC, the weakened power of the Achaemenids embarked upon the path of decay. In 334 BC, Macedonian King Alexander the Great crossed the straits of the Black Sea, …
According to ancient Greek sources, the territory of Armenia under Achaemenid rule was divided into two administrative units (satrapies). For two centuries, Armenia has paid a large tribute with gold and horses to the Achaemenids, which testifies to the country’s economic prosperity. Considering the military power of the Armenian dynasty of Yervandunis (Orontids), the Persian …
In the 20th century, many propagandists from history (as I call such historians) questioned the work of Movses Khorenatsi, which no one has considered legendary and unreal in world historiography until the end of the 19th century. I am talking mainly about the first chapter of Khorenatsi’s “History of Armenia” based on the works of …
The Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic) lasted for about 5–6 thousand years, from about the 12th to the middle of the 7th millennium BC. During this time period, the modern human has been finally formed. The invention of the bow and arrow greatly facilitated hunting, which in its turn increased the consumption of meat food. The …
In the 4th century BC in the territory of historical Armenia, two administrative-political units were formed, Greater Armenia and Lesser Armenia, whose borders ran along the Western Euphrates River. Greater Armenia included fifteen provinces (nahangs) – Ayrarat, Gugark, Utik, Artsakh, Syunik, Paytakaran, Parskahayk, Vaspurakan, Korchayk, Moghk, Aghdznik, Turuberan, Tsopk (Sophene), Upper Armenia, and Tayk. Each …
In 743 BC, the powerful army of Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III invaded the Kingdom of Van. Tiglath-Pileser III passed from west to east, plundering the country, and laid siege to the capital of the Kingdom of Van Tushpa. Unable to capture the powerful citadel, Tiglath-Pileser III destroyed the city and left the country. The invasion …
The writings of Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi (5th century) preserved important information about the first Armenian king Paruyr. According to the Armenian tradition, a descendant of Hayk, Paruyr managed to unite the western regions of the Armenian Highlands starting from Lake Van and ending with the Euphrates River. At the end of the 7th century …
Ar (Armenian: Ար) is the chief deity of the Proto-Armenian (Aryan) pantheon. He symbolized the power of the sun and combined the features of the forces of nature and spring. The cult of Ar in the Armenian Highlands appeared in the 3rd millennium BC (A. Teryan). However, the rock carvings of the sun and its …
Above is the gold coin of Yervand I from the National Library of Paris. This coin is dated to 362 BC. It depicts Yervand I, the Satrap of Sophene and Mitanni from 401 BC to 344 BC. Born in the 5th century BC, Yervand was a member of the Armenian Orontid (Yervanduni) dynasty. He was …
In 1714, David Bek supported Vakhtang VI of Kartli in his struggle against the Lezgins, after which the people of Artsakh recalled David Bek from Georgia. He headed the Artsakh Military Council. David Bek appointed prominent commander Mkhitar a sparapet. Ter-Avetis, Parsadai, Toro, and Karabakh meliks Yegan-Melik Avankhanyan and Avan-Yuz-bashi Babanyan became commanders of military …
Mihr (Mher, Mithra or Mithras in Latin) was the main deity of the pantheon of ancient Armenia. In the Armenian pagan pantheon, Mihr was considered the chief deity. Mihr was the personification of the Illuminating Rays of the Sun. The main temple of Mihr was located in the town of Bagaran in the Derdzhan region …
It is known from history that during the reign of Seleucid King Antiochus the Great (223-187 BC), Artashes, a prominent Seleucid military leader, was appointed the governor of Armenia and was nominally subservient to the Seleucid king. Because the war with Rome greatly weakened the Seleucid Empire (in particular, in the battle of Magnesia in …
The artist of the Naryshkin chambers, Armenian prince Ivan (Bogdan) Saltanov (born Astvatsatur Saltanian) from the fortress of Jugha of the Nakhichevan district of Armenia built and presented the Diamond Throne to Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich Romanov. Ivan Saltanov is considered the first ever designer in the world. He established the Art Academy in Moscow and …
John I Tzimiskes was one of the greatest emperors of Byzantium. John originated from a noble Armenian family (the nickname “Tzimiskes” is derived from Armenian “Chmishkik”, meaning “short stature”) and was the nephew of his predecessor, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas. John played an active role in the assassination of Nikephoros, entering into an agreement with …