“The route to there goes through a steppe. The area between the Euphrates and Tigris is so fat and abundant that it is said that cattle are driven away from there not to die from over-satiety. The reason for such fertility is irrigation: the moisture from the rivers through water-bearing veins is spread throughout the …
Nairi was an Armenian state which formed after the unification of Armenian tribes in the struggle against Assyria. In the ancient cuneiform tablets of that time, the king of Nairi was also often called the king of the Ararat kingdom. Thus, the term “Ararat kingdom” – or the Kingdom of Van (Urartu) – has been …
One of the ancient Armenian states Aratta is mentioned in the ancient Sumerian legendary poem “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta.” The poem describes Aratta as a country where the cult of sun worship flourished, a country with rich spirituality, and a country of holy rites and righteous divine laws. In this epic, this country …
A contemporary of Artashes, Greek historian Polybius called Artashes the “Lord of the greatest part of Armenia. Strabo confirmed: “Armenia has grown through the efforts of Artashes, and everyone in his state was monolingual, that is, Armenian-speaking.” This valuable information from Strabo indicates that Artashes managed to unite all the Armenian-speaking territories in one state. …
The reign of the grandson of Hethum I and Queen Zabel Hethum II was one of the most dramatic periods in the history of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The Armenian state at that time was in the thick of internal and external shocks. The main reason for the internal strife was the policy of …
The Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire was marked on the political map as the successor of the Roman Empire in 395, when the sons of Emperor Theodosius I Arcadius and Honorius divided Rome between themselves. The name “Byzantine” received by the eastern part of the former empire was first used by German historian Hieronymus …
In this 16th-century miniature are portrayed Sparapet (commander) Mushegh Mamikonyan, King Pap, and the soldiers of the Armenian cavalry detachment. This miniature illustrates the great victory of the Armenians over the Persian army of Shapur II in the Battle of Dzirav in 371 AD. Thanks to this victory, Pap returned the marginal territories that had …
Today’s journey takes us to another holy of holies of the Armenian Cosmos, a country where the Armenian nation was formed, where one of the first Armenian states took shape in the 2nd millennium BC. This country was called the House of Torgom. Traditions and legends of all the most ancient nations – Armenian, Jewish, …
One of the most ancient cities of Armenia, the legendary Mutsatsir or Musasir, for many centuries has been the main religious and spiritual center of the Kingdom of Van (Urartu), as well as its throne city where the kings of Van have been crowned. Disputes about the location of Mutsatsir continue to this day. I …
Objective idealist David Anhakht or David the Invincible (6th century) was a great representative of Neo-Platonism in Armenia. His writings combine the teachings of classical Platonism with the teachings of Pythagoras and Aristotle. In his works “Analysis of the Introduction of Porphyry” and “Definitions of Philosophy”, many questions are raised about the nature of philosophical …
A mere video or photo cannot convey the true picture of an architectural structure or surrounding nature even if captured by a high-class professional. And not because they are badly filmed or something is missing. Rather, it is because the video does not convey the fullness of sensations dependent on sounds and smells that can’t …
The ancient Arsacid royal dynasty was founded by Parthian King Arsaces I in 250 BC. The Arsacid dynasty ruled in Armenia, Persia, Atropatene, Iberia, and Caucasian Albania. The Parthian branch of the Arsacids (250 BC – 224 AD), having liberated Persia from the Greco-Macedonian dynasty of the Seleucids, proclaimed its connection with the legendary kings …
Below are published illustrations of the ruins of the medieval Armenian capital Ani. The illustrations are from a 19th-century French book titled “The Ruins of Ani — the Armenian Capital of the Royal Bagratid Dynasty of the 10th and 11th Centuries: History and Description” written by Mr. Brosset (published in the Imperial Academy of Sciences …
This silver medallion partially covered with gold depicts a deity sitting on a throne supported by lions. In front of the deity is a man whose hands are stretched out in prayer or as a sign of respect. The deity with a horned headdress on the throne, animals, the figure of a praying man – …
Excavations of the ruins in the archaeological settlement of Metsamor in central Armenia revealed a very large metallurgical industrial facility of the Bronze Age, including a foundry with two types of blast furnaces. It is known that the foundry was used to mine and process gold, copper, several types of manganese, zinc, strychnine, mercury, and …
This city at the foot of the sacred mountain Npat bore two names, and both demonstrated its cult significance. Bagavan or Dyutsaznavan – “the place of the gods” – was famous for its temple of the supreme god Aramazd and twelve other sanctuaries dedicated to the gods who were submissive to him. The city was …
In 851, the Armenian prince Bagrat Bagratuni, his sons Ashot and David Bagratuni, and Prince Sasun John Hutevtsi were in captivity. The place of the Armenian prince was occupied by Sparapet Smbat Bagratuni Ablbas (852-855). However, in 855, he was also arrested and exiled to Samaria. The son of Smbat, Ashot Bagratuni, achieved the withdrawal …
The first known historical information about the Armenian Highlands is contained in Sumerian cuneiform records dating back to the 18th-17th centuries BC. These records mention an early state formation called Aratta. The name “Aratta” is identified with Ararat and is considered its pro-form. This is evident from the comparisons of Sumerian and biblical stories about …