Ancient historians referred to antique Armenia by the name that is in use even today. That’s because Armenia predates most of the surrounding countries and nations, which is easily overlooked by some, even though it testifies to the continuation of Armenia from distant antiquity until today. Armenia has survived in spite of the significant political …
In Matthew 2:1–12, we read that Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem during the days of Herod, when Jesus Christ was born. Magi told Herod that they had seen the Star. They had followed it in hopes of finding the one who was to be born to become the new King. Jewish scribes confirmed …
Armenia has been a renowned land of horse breeding from times immemorial. In fact, the Armenians have been one of the first to develop the chariot. Iron Age frescos scattered throughout the Armenian Highlands testify to the richness of the horse-breeding practice in ancient Armenia. According to Strabo, ancient Persians had even collected Armenian horses …
The Biblical Garden of Eden has preoccupied the minds of believers, theologians, and countless adventurers of the past for a very long time. Many have attempted to discover the location of the Garden, proposing theories putting it from the underground to the north pole and even on the surface of the moon. However, if one …
After the unification of the Nairi states by Arame (858 – 844 BC), a historic Armenian state known as the Kingdom of Van (Urartu to Assyrians) became one of the most powerful states of the Ancient East. Among the earliest cities of the kingdom was Erebuni lying on Arin-berd hill, the southeastern outskirts of present-day …
After an exploring tour in Persia and Armenia in 1830 and 1831 respectively, Rev. E. Smith described the state, especially accentuating the Ararat Plain. He wrote that the name of Mount Ararat occurred but twice in the Old Testament (Gen. viii, 1, and Jer. li, 27), both time as the name of a country. The …
Ancient Armenians were well-informed in astronomy. In fact, the oldest known observatories are located in Armenia. Karahunj dated to 4,200 BC and the observatory at Metsamor dated to 2,800 BC gave the ancient Armenians the opportunity to develop refined knowledge of geometry. This knowledge would allow the Armenians to measure distances, longitudes, latitudes, imagine the …
The Monastery of Bardzrakash St. Gregory in Dsegh, Armenia, is one of the 11 monuments and sites that have been shortlisted for “The 7 Most Endangered” 2014 program. This program was produced by Europa Nostra, a leading European heritage organization, and the European Investment Bank. Built between the 10th and 13th centuries, this monastic complex …
Last year, an enigmatic sculpture of an unknown deity was unearthed at the site of a 1st-century BC temple (to be more precise, inside the supporting wall of a medieval Christian monastery) in southeastern Turkey. The sculpture portrays a bearded deity rising out of the stalk of a plant. Experts seem to be confused over …
Cilician Armenian coins were minted from copper, bronze, silver, and rarely gold. Their styles have been completely unique and included images of stylized busts, Armenian texts, and sometimes the Crusaders’ crosses and iconography. The tradition of Cilician coin minting was established by the first King of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Leo I and was …
Glkho Monastery (otherwise known as Orek, also referred to as Urekavank or Orekavank in ancient accounts) is located on the slopes of one of the mounts beyond the village of Talish in Martakert District of the Republic of Artsakh. Historian Movses Khorenatsi writes that the monastery was established in the 5th century. Over the centuries …
Nakhichevan Province is believed to have been the land where Noah descended to from the peak of Mount Ararat after the Great Flood. The city of Nakhichevan is one of the oldest settlements of historic Armenia, occupying the site of a prehistoric settlement Kültəpə. “Nakhichevan” means “the pre-shelter” in Armenian. According to a tradition, Noah …
All kinds of crosses and many other symbols are abundant in the ancient Armenian art of petroglyphs. Those symbols would be adopted by many nations around the world. Thanks to the Armenian petroglyphs, we can trace the genealogy of the swastika and the six-point star, which is now more commonly known as Star of David. …
The monastic complex Vanavank is located in the vicinity of the town of Kapan, Syunik Province, Armenia. According to Stepanos Orbelian, the monastery was founded by prince Vahan in 911, in honor of whom it would also be named. The first structure of the monastery was the Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. After the …
The passing of Armenian King Trdat III (reigned 298 – 330) was followed by clashes between several nakharar (an Armenian hereditary title of the highest order) families, in the scopes of which, groups of rebellious feudal lords intruded state lands. King Khosrov Kotak (Khosrov III the Small), the successor of Trdat III, followed the policy …
In summer 69 BC, Roman legions under the command of Lucullus invaded Armenia and rapidly advanced towards the heart of the country. At the time being in the southern regions of Armenia, Tigran II the Great sent a 3,000 cavalry under the command of Meruzhan to stop the Romans. Having covered a large distance, the …
Aparank Monastery’s name derives from the Armenian word “aparank”, meaning “fortress”. While it is unknown what the purpose of the monastery had been initially, it is known that in the 19th century, it was the episcopal center of the Terkan district, which included 34 Armenian villages. In fact, most of the monastery’s buildings belong to …
Below, you can see a collection of 12 lithographic engravings on Armenian motifs published in Yerevan in 1939 by an Italian artist Rotter. These images were recently digitized by ARM_ENIKENDSKIJ, which pretty much allowed the engravings to be preserved and be seen by the general public in all their splendor.