Medallion from Ancient City of Armavir – Armenia

Armavir had been one of the most ancient and sacred cities in Armenia. It has been an ancient capital of Armenia and is said to have been founded by King Aramayis in 1980 BC, though it is more commonly believed that it was founded in the 8th century BC by King Argishti I of the Kingdom of Van.

Armavir has been a center of religious worship since its establishment. Its successor city of the same name Armavir now located in the Armavir Province, Armenia, continues this tradition.

Traces of ancient sun and moon worshipping cults, pre-Christian temples, and medieval fortresses have been uncovered in ancient Armavir.

Having been frequently founded on top of each other, each sacred structure replaced the ancient temples due to the beliefs changing over time. However, this area maintained its religious importance for thousands of years…

The traditional Armenian historiography describes the history of Armavir as follows: Armenak, the elder son of Hayk, the progenitor of Armenians, moved from Hark, Hayk’s province, to the foothills of Mount Aragats. There, Armenak’s son Aramayis established a settlement and named it Armavir after himself.

Several generations later, one of his successors, patriarch Aram, expanded Armenia from all directions to establish a new superior Armenia. The patriarch’s name would then become the second Armenian eponym (cf. Armenians’ exonym Armen).

Aram was succeeded by his son Ara the Beautiful, who died after rejecting the love of the Assyrian queen Semiramis in a battle against her troops. Ara would be succeeded by his namesake son.

The 19th-century city of Armavir in Russia founded by Armenians was named after the ancient city of Armavir. by PeopleOfAr