According to the Armenian tradition, Persian King Cyrus the Great and Armenian prince Tigran were long-time bosom friends who together defeated the Midian kingdom. Ancient Greek historian, commander, and politician Xenophon (5th-4th centuries BC) has written down the Persian legend about the friendly relations between Cyrus the Great and Armenian prince Tigran. Xenophon himself at …
The holy and miraculous book, the Red Bible brought by St. Ter-Karapet from Jerusalem in the 18th century and obtained from the monastery of St. Arakelots (Apostles Monastery) today is in Kharberd (Armenia) and continues to heal thousands of people. To store this holy relic in Kharberd, a new beautiful church of red tuff has …
Earlier, the monastic complexes of Surb Stepanos, Surb Tadevos Arakyal (Apostle Thaddeus), and the Dzor Dzori chapel located in the territory of Iran have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition, Iranian officials stated that they intend to do everything possible to have the main Armenian temple of Iran, the Holy Savior …
In the Turkish province of Diyarbakir (in historical Western Armenia), scientists discovered a unique underground temple dedicated to the ancient deity Mithra. The structure is estimated to have an age of 1,700 years. According to the Turkish “Hurriyet”, the temple was discovered near the historic Zerzevan castle during archaeological excavations conducted by the staff of …
5,000 years ago, the Sumerians considered the sunrise (the rise of the god of the Sun) on the day of the vernal equinox a special event and called it “zidig” / “zitik” / “zedik” / “zetik.” Only on this day, the Sun (the Sun deity) rose above the two-headed Masis (in Sumerian, “mas” meant “pair”). …
For several years now, the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia has been conducting a number of archaeological excavations in the villages of the Ararat Valley. This year, investigations led the archaeologists to an unusual structure which was built in the 3th-2th millennia BC. Interestingly, the structure in …
We present to your attention a very interesting film on decrypting Armenian cryptograms. It turns out that this is not at all difficult. The film’s scriptwriter is Samvel Karapetyan, editor is Trdat Karapetyan, and composer is Aydina Davudi. A cryptogram is a type of puzzle that consists of a small piece of encrypted text. Typically, …
The elements mentioned above (see here) of the code of honor of the Armenian army have a noticeable similarity to the elements included in medieval European chivalry and in the codes of honor of Japanese samurai. So, samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo in his work “Hagakure” (“In the Shadow of Leaves “, 1716) notes the need for …
We present to your attention an archival document compiled seven centuries ago in 1331. This document is a decree on the creation of a free trade zone with Europe signed by the Armenian King of Cilicia Levon IV. According to this decree, in order to organize trade, Levon IV granted special economic privileges to merchants …
Today, it is hypothesized that Armenia and Asia Minor have been among the most ancient centers of astronomical knowledge. Outstanding historians of astronomy came to the conclusion that the people who divided the sky into constellations lived between 36 and 42 degrees of north latitude. According to English astronomer Olcott, people who invented the ancient …
Another episode from the “History of Armenia” by Pavstos Buzand well shows how the loyalty to the family and Homeland were closely intertwined in the Armenian Warriors (the requirement of the sixth clause). Describing the mental state of the Armenian army that left Armenia and set up a camp opposite the Roman army near Mtsbin, …
“There is direct evidence of the existence of the proto-Hayk calendar,” said Ph.D. in astrophysics and calendar scientist Grigor Brutyan. “In antiquity, calendar studies in Armenia were considered to be a rather rare specialty. Moreover, it was highly respected. But how much do we know about this science and its origins?” “Let’s start with the …
A unique manuscript written in the first quarter of the 17th century recently complemented the treasury of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, reports the Armenian Shoghakat TV channel. The monthly notebook (church calendar) created by Priest Hovhannes dates back to 1625. Its double silver cover was made by master Shahmir Karapet in 1656. This …
On August 11, 2492 BC, on the eastern shore of Lake Van, Vayots dzor, the battle between Hayk and Bel took place. The tyrant of Mesopotamia and Elam Mesilim Bel demanded from the priests of the state of Armenia (Aratta) to accept his dominion. He received a refusal. The combined army of Mesopotamia and Elam, …
In the territory of the Armenian Highlands from the 5th to the 4th millennia BC, locals have processed and exported almost all types of minerals. Among them have been copper, tin, gold, silver, iron, lead, zinc, magnesium, antimony, arsenic, quartz, salt, and much more. Metal casting and the manufacture of various products from weapons and …
“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 …