If we do not consider that the ancient man appeared on the territory of Armenia in the early Paleolithic era, then the first pra-Armenian tribes (Urartians, Hurrians, Luvians, etc.) inhabiting the Armenian Highlands are already mentioned at the turn of the 4th - 3rd millennium BC. According to one hypothesis, these are the Thracian-Phrygian tribes, according to another, the ancient Indo-European tribes that came from Asia Minor. The name of the country "Arminia" and the people "Armina" are found for the first time in the cuneiform writings of the Persian king Darius I, who ruled in 522-486. BC..
Urartu
At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. a class society emerges. The tribes of the Armenian Highlands are united in tribal unions (Uruatri, Nairi, Dayani, etc.), on the basis of which in the XI century BC. the powerful ancient slave-owning state of Urartu with the capital Tushpa (Van) is formed. During this period, an intensive ethnic unity of the tribes of the Armenian Highlands takes place and the Armenian nationality is formed.
During the IX-VI centuries BC. e. the peoples of the Urartian kingdom created a high ancient civilization that determined the cultural future of ancient Armenia. The heights of this civilization are evidenced not only by the existence of writing, the development of agriculture, cattle breeding and metallurgy, but also by the high technology of building fortresses-cities - Erebuni, Teishebaini, Argishtikhinili, etc.).
However, internal contradictions, lack of unity, the invasion of the Assyrians led at the beginning of the VI century BC. to the fall of Urartu.
Yervanduni
After Urartu, the baton of history on this land was taken over by the ancient Armenian
kingdom of Yervanduni. The rulers and population of Yervanduni were already representatives of the ethnic community formed on the basis of the Armenian-speaking community - the ancestors of modern Armenians.
Achaemenids
In 520 B.C. The Armenian kingdom was conquered by the Persians and remained as part of the Achaemenid Empire as a vassal state until the campaigns of Alexander the Great (330 BC).
Greater Armenia
After the fall of the Persian state, with the beginning of the Hellenistic era, which arose due to the aggressive campaigns of Alexander the Great, a new era begins in the development of ancient Armenia.
The division of Armenia between Rome and the Persians and the adoption of Christianity by Armenia.
In the first four centuries of the new era, Armenia gradually loses its independence. The reign in the Armenian kingdom is divided by two powerful empires - the Roman Empire and the Persian state of the Sassanids.
Crushing into principalities. Fall of the Sassanids.
During the 5th-6th centuries, Armenia remained divided between the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and the Persian Sassanid power.
Arab Caliphate. The unification of Armenia under the house of the Bagratids.
The devastating raids of the Arabs forced the former Persian Armenia to recognize the authority of the Arab Caliphate.
The fall of Armenia. The invasion of Byzantium and the Seljuk Turks.
From the middle of the 11th century, the Bagratid kingdom and principalities fell into decay due to the onslaught of Byzantium, which gained freedom of action after the weakening of the Caliphate and the onslaught of new enemies - the Seljuk Turks.
Cilician Armenia
The beginning of the Cilician kingdom dates back to 1080, it was founded by the Rubenyan (Rubenid) dynasty, leading from Prince Ruben ...
The Armenian Principality of Zakarids as part of the Georgian kingdom.
While the Armenian kingdom moved closer to Europe, the historical Armenian lands (Caucasian part of Armenia) began to revive statehood. It happens in the XII century. Read more...
Armenia under the oppression of the Ottoman Empire and Persia.
At the end of the 13th century, Osman Bey founded his state on the outskirts of Asia Minor. Thus was born a new great Ottoman Empire. By the end of the XIV century, they conquered Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula.
Help Russia in the struggle for liberation.
At the end of the 17th century, Armenian princes asked for liberation from the Turkish and Persian yoke of the Russian Tsar Peter I.
May 28, 1918 Russian Armenia was proclaimed an independent republic. In September 1920, Turkey unleashed a war against Armenia and captured two-thirds of its territory. In November, units of the Red Army entered Armenia, and on November 29, 1920, the Armenian SSR was proclaimed.
Independent Armenia
On August 23, 1990, at the 1st session of the Supreme Council of Armenia, the declaration "On the Independence of Armenia" was adopted. As a result, the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished and the independent Republic of Armenia proclaimed.
The Armenian people and the country of Armenia as its abode have existed since ancient times. The very first mentions of Armenia are found in the cuneiform writings of the Persian king Darius (522-426 BC). Xenophon tells about Armenia in the VI century BC. e. The National School believes that the history of ancient Armenia originates from Hayk, the fifth generation grandson of the biblical Noah. The most ancient Greek historians attributed the name "Armenia" to one of the Argonauts, Armenos of Tesal, i.e., they also attributed the origin of the Armenians to the prehistoric era.
The hieroglyphic records of Manetho (Egypt, late 4th - first half of the 3rd centuries BC), as well as Bishutian and Assyrian cuneiform writing, mention ancient Armenia as a country defending its independence in centuries-old wars against the all-consuming weapons of the great conquerors of the world. And in fact, being between Rome and Parthia, constantly at war with each other, the Armenians had a hard time.
While the neighboring peoples - the Marys, Persians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans - shone on the historical horizon like mighty stars, either bright or dim, Armenia, having no aggressive aspirations, almost never stood out as an all-powerful and international power, although the people of Armenians were older than some of these peoples, and had their own native land. Only in the royal family of Arshakuni, the third branch of the Parthian Arshakids, did the names of such conquerors as Vagharshak, Artashes and Tigran the Great shine for a short time. The most glorious for Armenia were the times of Tigran the Great, who ruled for 40 years, and during his reign increased the territory of Greater Armenia from 300,000 to 3,000,000 〖km〗^2.
But the ancient Armenians preferred a peaceful life and developed their merchants, agriculture and crafts. Pottery, carpet weaving, jewelry, lace-making, blacksmithing, stone and wood carving, leatherworking, and chasing were well developed. Samples of the first coins of ancient Armenia, the khalks, issued in the 3rd century BC, have been preserved. Kings Sames, Arsham I, Arsham II, Xerxes and Abdisares. Halks were made of copper and decorated in the Hellenistic style. The obverse side of the coin depicts the profile of a king wearing a crown. On the reverse side are various images describing the king, as well as inscriptions in Greek.
At the same time, medicine also developed. Ancient Armenia was famous for its medicinal herbs, which were popular in other countries as well. In the 1st century BC. in ancient Armenia there were gardens for the cultivation of medicinal plants. From the medicine of ancient Armenia, such preparations as ammonia, Armenian clay, borax, etc. got into the world.
prehistoric era
During excavations on the historical, as well as on the current territory of Armenia, many archaeological monuments were found that testify to human activity. These are burial grounds, household utensils, means of labor, military supplies, etc. Not far from the city of Sisian is the Karahunj complex, which is a structure made of huge stones, on the top of which there are round holes. There is an opinion that this is an ancient observatory. The structure was erected presumably in 5.7 thousand - 2 thousand years. BC.
On the shore of Lake Sevan, in the territory of the village of Lchashen, monuments of the pre-Urartian period were discovered, which are a fortress of cyclopean masonry, burial grounds and ground burials. It is proved that the complex belongs to the III millennium BC. Also, in different places of the Armenian Highlands, traces of an ancient man were found: stone tools and cave-dwellings. Traces of a man belonging to the period of the Bronze Age, as well as traces of his activities (stone structures, traces of cyclopean fortresses) were found in the Shengavit region of Yerevan.
On the territory of modern Yerevan, on the Arin-Berd hill, there are the ruins of the ancient Urartian city of Erebuni, which was built by King Argishti I. Linguists have proven that Yerevan and Erebuni have the same meaning (father's residence), therefore the year of foundation of Yerevan is considered to be the year of foundation of Erebuni – 782 BC On the territory of Artashat, the former capital of Armenia, founded by Artashes, fragments of household utensils were found during excavations of the fortress wall. Among them: karases and other ceramic products related to Urartu.
Formation of the Armenian people
According to Armenian mythology, the progenitor of the Armenians is Hayk, Noah's great-grandson (Noah-Japhet-Gomer-Tiras-Torgom-Hayk).
There are two scientific hypotheses, according to one of which the formation of the Armenian people dates back to the end of the 2nd millennium - the beginning of the 6th century BC. During this period, the Armenian-speaking tribes lived in the southeast of the Armenian Highlands (Small Hayk). According to one hypothesis, they arrived here from the Balkans, according to another - from the west of Asia Minor. In the XIII - XII centuries BC. around Lake Van, an alliance of Nairi tribes is formed, which included not only Armenians, but also the Khets, Hurrians and Luvians, who were fleeing from the constant raids of the Assyrians. Subsequently, this union turned into the Urartian state, headed by the Urartian-speaking nobility. Later, the speakers of the proto-Armenian language scattered throughout the territory of Great Hayk.
Today in Armenia, the second hypothesis is more supported, according to which it was ethnic Armenians who began to inhabit the Armenian Highlands much earlier.
State of Hayas XVI - XIII centuries BC
According to the studies of some scholars, “Hayasa” consists of the Armenian word Hay (haya, Armenian) and the Hittite suffix asa (country), and is translated as “country of Armenians”. The state of Hayasa occupied the territory of present-day Turkey (Western Armenia). Armenian was the main language of the state of Hayasa. The capital of Hayasa was the city of Kummakh, later Kemmakh, located at the headwaters of the Euphrates. In 1405 - 1380. BC. there was a long war between Hayasa and the Hittites for the Hayasa province of Tsopk. During this period, the army of Karanni, the successor of the Hayas king Mariyas, attacked and devastated the Hittite kingdom more than once. After another attack, Karanni captured and burned the capital of the Hittite kingdom of Hattusa. The confrontation lasted until 1317 BC, until the Hittites suffered several serious defeats near the fortress of Ur and near Kanuvara.
As a result of constant wars with the Hittites and the raids of the Hurrians, the State of Hayas lost its strength. So, by the beginning of the XIII century. BC. it collapsed, and its territory went to the Hurrian tribes.
State of Urartu XIII - VI centuries BC.
After the collapse of Hayas, separate small tribes were formed on the territory of the Armenian Highlands, having the common name "Nairi". These tribes competed with each other, trying to establish their charter throughout the Armenian Highlands. But, having a common enemy - Assyria, they united into one state. So, in the XIII - XII centuries BC. around Lake Van, an alliance of Nairi tribes is formed, which later became the basis of the Urartian state, headed by the Urartian-speaking nobility. During the formation of the Armenian people, the Urartians spoke the ancient Armenian language and constituted the main genetic component of the Armenian people.
One of the famous kings of Urartu was Rusa II, who ruled in 684-645. BC. During his reign, the southern part of the highlands, the Ararat valley, was built up, and the Teishebaini fortress was erected in the northern part. After the death of Russa II, Urartu gradually lost its power. Several kings changed on the throne, but their rule did not lead to new conquests and the restoration of the territorial integrity of Urartu. Closer to 580 BC
Urartu finally ceased to exist as a state, and its territory was captured by the Scythians and Cimmerians.
The history of Ancient Armenia has more than one thousand years, and the Armenians themselves lived long before the emergence of the nations of modern Europe. They existed even before the advent of the ancient peoples - the Romans and Hellenes.
First mentions
In the cuneiform writings of the Persian rulers, the name "Arminia" is found. Herodotus also mentions "armen" in his writings. According to one version, it was an Indo-European people who migrated from Europe in the 12th century. BC e.
Another hypothesis claims that the pra-Armenian tribal unions arose for the first time in the 4th-3rd millennium BC. It is they who, according to some scholars, are found in the poem "Iliad" by Homer under the name "Arims".
One of the names of Ancient Armenia - Hai - according to the proposals of scientists, comes from the name of the people "Hayas". This name is mentioned on Hittite clay tablets in the 2nd millennium BC. e., discovered during the archaeological excavations of Hattushashi - the ancient capital of the Hittites.
There is evidence that the Assyrians called this territory the country of rivers - Nairi. According to one hypothesis, it included 60 different peoples.
At the beginning of the ninth century BC e. a powerful kingdom of Urartu arose with the capital Van. It is believed that this is the oldest state on the territory of the Soviet Union. The civilization of Urartu, the successors of which were the Armenians, was quite developed. There was a written language based on the Babylonian-Assyrian cuneiform, agriculture, cattle breeding, and metallurgy.
Urartu was famous for the technology of erecting impregnable fortresses. On the territory of modern Yerevan there were two of them. The first - Erebuni, was built by one of the first kings Argishti. It was she who gave the name of the modern capital of Armenia. The second is Teishebaini, founded by King Rusa II (685-645 BC). This was the last ruler of Urartu. The state could not resist the powerful Assyria and perished forever from its weapons.
It was replaced by a new state. The first kings of Ancient Armenia - Yerwand and Tigran. The latter should not be confused with the famous ruler Tigranes the Great, who would later terrify the Roman Empire and create a great empire in the East. A new people appeared, formed as a result of the assimilation of the Indo-Europeans with the local ancient tribes of the Khayami and Urartu. From here came a new state - Ancient Armenia with its own culture and language.
Vassals of the Persians
At one time, Persia was a powerful state. All the peoples who lived in Asia Minor submitted to them. This fate befell the Armenian kingdom. The dominance of the Persians over them lasted more than two centuries (550-330 BC).
Greek historians about Armenia in the times of the Persians
Armenia is an ancient civilization. This is confirmed by many historians of antiquity, for example, Xenophon in the 5th century BC. e. As a participant in the events, the author of Anabasis described the retreat of 10,000 Greeks to the Black Sea through a country called Ancient Armenia. The Greeks saw the developed economic activity, as well as the life of the Armenians. Everywhere they found wheat, barley, fragrant wines, lard, various oils - pistachio, sesame, almond. The ancient Hellenes also saw here raisins, leguminous fruits. In addition to crop products, the Armenians bred domestic animals: goats, cows, pigs, chickens, horses. The data of Xenophon tell the descendants that the people living in this place were economically developed. The abundance of different products is striking. The Armenians not only produced food themselves, but also actively engaged in trade with neighboring lands. Of course, Xenophon did not say anything about this, but he listed some products that do not grow in this territory.
Strabo in the 1st century n. e. reports that ancient Armenia had very good pastures for horses. The country was not inferior to Media in this regard and supplied horses annually for the Persians. Strabo mentions the obligation of Armenian satraps, administrative governors during the reign of the Persians, of the obligation to supply about two thousand young foals in honor of the famous festival of Mithra.
Armenian wars in antiquity
The historian Herodotus (V century BC) described the Armenian soldiers of that era, their weapons. The soldiers wore small shields, had short spears, swords, and darts. On their heads were wicker helmets, they were shod in high boots.
Conquest of Armenia by Alexander the Great
The era of Alexander the Great redrawn the entire map and the Mediterranean. All the lands of the vast Persian empire became part of a new political association under the rule of Macedonia.
After the death of Alexander the Great, the state disintegrates. In the east, the Seleucid state is formed. The once unified territory of a single people was divided into three separate regions as part of a new country: Greater Armenia, located on the Ararat plain, Sophena - between the Euphrates and the upper reaches of the Tigris, and Lesser Armenia - between the Euphrates and the upper reaches of Lykos.
The history of ancient Armenia, although it speaks of constant dependence on other states, however, shows that it concerned only foreign policy issues, which had a beneficial effect on the development of the future state. It was a kind of prototype of an autonomous republic in the composition of successive empires.
They were often called basileus, i.e. kings. They maintained only a formal dependence, sending tribute and troops to the center in wartime. Neither the Persians nor the Hellenistic state of the Seleucids made any attempts to penetrate into the internal structure of the Armenians. If the former ruled almost all of their remote territories in this way, then the successors of the Greeks always changed the internal way of the conquered peoples, imposing on them “democratic values” and a special order.
The collapse of the Seleucid state, the unification of Armenia
After the defeat of the Seleucids by Rome, the Armenians gained temporary independence. Rome was not yet ready to start new conquests of peoples after the war with the Hellenes. This was used by the once united people. Attempts began to restore a single state, which was called "Ancient Armenia".
The ruler of Greater Armenia Artashes declared himself an independent king Artashes I. He united all the lands that spoke the same language, including Lesser Armenia. The last region of Sophene became part of the new state later, after 70 years, under the famous ruler Tigran the Great.
The final formation of the Armenian nationality
It is believed that under the new Artashesid dynasty, a great historical event took place - the formation of the Armenian nationality with its own language and culture. They were greatly influenced by their proximity to developed Hellenistic peoples. The minting of their own coins with Greek inscriptions spoke of the strong influence of neighbors on culture and trade.
Artashat - the capital of the ancient state of Greater Armenia
During the reign of the Artashesid dynasty, the first large cities appeared. Among them is the city of Artashat, which became the first capital of the new state. Translated from Greek, it meant "the joy of Artaxias."
The new capital had an advantageous geographical position in that era. It was located on the main route to the ports of the Black Sea. The time of the appearance of the city coincided with the establishment of overland trade relations between Asia and India and China. Artashat began to acquire the status of a major trade and political center. Plutarch highly appreciated the role of this city. He gave it the status of "Armenian Carthage", which, translated into modern language, meant a city that unites all nearby lands. All the Mediterranean powers knew about the beauty and luxury of Artashat.
Rise of the Armenian Kingdom
The history of Armenia from ancient times contains bright moments of the power of this state. The golden age falls on the reign of Tigran the Great (95-55) - the grandson of the founder of the famous dynasty Artashes I. Tigranakert became the capital of the state. This city became one of the leading centers of science, literature and art throughout the ancient world. The best Greek actors performed in the local theater, famous scientists and historians were frequent guests of Tigran the Great. One of them is the philosopher Metrodorus, who was an ardent opponent of the growing Roman Empire.
Armenia became part of the Hellenistic world. The Greek language penetrated the aristocratic elite.
Armenia is a unique part of the Hellenistic culture
Armenia in the 1st century BC e. - developed advanced state of the world. She took all the best that was in the world - culture, science, art. Tigran the Great developed theaters and schools. Armenia was not only the cultural center of Hellenism, but also an economically strong state. Trade, industry, crafts grew. A distinctive feature of the state was that it did not take the system of slavery, which was used by the Greeks and Romans. All lands were cultivated by peasant communities, whose members were free.
The Armenia of Tigran the Great spread over vast territories. This was an empire that covered a huge part from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Seas. Many peoples and states became its vassals: in the north - Tsibania, Iberia, in the southeast - Parthia and Arab tribes.
Conquest by Rome, end of the Armenian Empire
The rise of Armenia coincided with the rise of another eastern state on the territory of the former USSR - Pontus, headed by Mithridates. After long wars with Rome, Pontus also lost its independence. Armenia was in good neighborly relations with Mithridates. After his defeat, she was left alone with mighty Rome.
After long wars, the unified Armenian Empire in 69-66. BC e. broke up. Under the rule of Tigranes, only that which was declared a "friend and ally" of Rome remained. So called all the conquered states. In fact, the country has become another province.
After entering the ancient stage of statehood begins. The country fell apart, its lands were appropriated by other states, and the local population was constantly in conflict with each other.
Armenian alphabet
In ancient times, the Armenians used writing based on the Babylonian-Assyrian cuneiform. During the heyday of Armenia, during the time of Tigran the Great, the country completely switched to the Greek language in business. On the coins, archaeologists find Greek writing.
Created by Mesrop Mashtots relatively late - in 405. It originally consisted of 36 letters: 7 vowels and 29 consonants.
The main 4 graphic forms of Armenian writing - yerkatagir, bolorgir, shkhagir and notrgir - developed only in the Middle Ages.
What do such famous people as Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov, marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky, priest Pavel Florensky, writer Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko, poet Bulat Okudzhava have in common? The connecting link between all these outstanding people is the fact, unexpected for many, that Armenian blood flowed in the veins of each of them. Even the customs officer-hero from the film "White Sun of the Desert" actor Pavel Luspekaev - and he always proudly wrote "Armenian" when filling out Soviet questionnaires in the well-known fifth column. And his surname goes back to the Armenian princely family - Lusbekyan.
Armenia... An inhabitant who has had time to live among fifteen Soviet republics immediately has certain associations. The mountain peak Ararat, whose snow-covered cap adorned the label of the cognac of the same name. Inimitable cuisine and sincere hospitality, characteristic of all Caucasian peoples. Apricots, pomegranates, grapes, with which Armenia generously filled our markets. But Armenia is also the infamous tragedy of 1988 in Spitak, which did not leave indifferent any people of the large "family" of the former USSR. These are the dramatic events in Nagorno-Karabakh, which claimed the lives of many young soldiers.
But, despite the general idea, for many of us, Armenia is still like an iceberg, the religious, cultural, historical part of which remains hidden.
My personal acquaintance with Armenia began from afar, in the truest sense of the word, namely, in Venice, at a conference on biblical studies. The delight from the report of the professor of the priest Bogos Levon Zekiyan and the visit to the Armenian island in the Venetian lagoon prompted a deeper study of the history and traditions of this amazing culture. By the way, I noted the innate desire to comprehend the unknown among Armenians in the monastery museum on the Venetian Armenian Island, which contains a unique collection of Byzantine glass, artifacts from Egypt and Sumer, and the main attraction of the museum of the monastery is the Egyptian mummy of Nemethetamun (XV century BC). X.).
Noah's Ark and the Stone Passport of Yerevan
Each nation is territorially tied to some part of the land. As for the Armenians, they have two homelands: one is historical, and the other is inherited as a result of political injustice. Today, this territory is equal in area to the modern Kyiv region.
There was no limit to my surprise when I first saw a map that recorded the climax of the expansion of the borders of the Armenian state during the time of Tigran the Great (I century BC). The eastern part of modern Turkey, modern Lebanon and Syria, partly the north of modern Israel and Jordan, and partly the north of Iraq and Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia - all these were once the lands of Great Armenia.
Indeed, the historical homeland of the Armenians is the Armenian Highlands, which can be called a mountainous island in relation to the Anatolian and Iranian plateaus located below. It is from here that the five largest rivers of the Middle East originate: Euphrates, Tigris, Aratsani, Chorokh, Kura. In the center of the Armenian Highlands rises the biblical Mount Ararat (now located in Turkey) - the highest point in the Middle East. At its top, as is known from Scripture, the Ark of Patriarch Noah stopped. Unfortunately, today the Turkish authorities do not give scientists access to Ararat, and it is possible to study the issue of the remains of Noah's Ark only from photographs from space.
It can be assumed that it was on that part of the land that Noah first saw after the Flood that the city of Yerevan later appeared (the twelfth capital of Armenia), because in Armenian “ereval” means “to appear”, and “erevangal” means “to appear” .
The cuneiform stone "passport" of Yerevan is exhibited today in the State Museum of Armenia. According to his data, Yerevan is 29 years older than Rome! (The Eternal City was founded in 753 B.C.)
Aystan - Urartu - Armenia
In the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, 500 years before the anointing of the first king in Israel, a state had already been created in Armenia that united all the Armenian tribes into a single people. Initially, Armenia was called Aystan, and the Armenians themselves today call themselves “ay”. We, probably, from history textbooks, Armenia is better known as the ancient state of Urartu - this is how it was called in the cuneiform sources of the Assyrian court office.
“Kingdom of Van”, “Kingdom of Yervanduni”, “Accession to the Achaemenid Empire”, “Seleucids and Armenian Kingdoms”, “Armenian-Pontic Union” - all these are dry titles of paragraphs from a textbook on the history of Armenia. But even a cursory acquaintance with the table of contents gives rise to respect for the people with such a past.
Christian Armenia
If sometime when solving crossword puzzles you have to answer the question of which state was the first to adopt Christianity, know that this is Armenia. In the western and eastern parts of the Roman Empire, smoke was still smoking in front of the Roman and Hellenic pagan pantheons, the persecution of Christians was still going on - and in Armenia, the gospel seed sown by the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew had already brought good and abundant fruits: in 301, Armenia became the first in the world Christian state. For comparison: despite the fact that Emperor Constantine the Great stopped the persecution of Christians in 313, and the First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325, the Byzantine Empire officially became a Christian power only in 380, after the adoption of the edict of Emperor Theodosius I .
The first primate of the Armenian Church was the hard-working missionary, confessor St. Gregory, whom the Armenians call the Enlightener with love and pride.
The connection between Armenia and its neighbor and sister in Christ, the Eastern Roman Empire, was very close. Until 387, all the Catholicoses* from St. Gregory the Illuminator to Nerses the Great were consecrated in Cappadocia, while Armenia itself was the metropolis of the Caesarea Church**. The liturgical tradition, as well as the liturgical language, were united throughout this period, and the Armenian episcopate actively participated in the life of the Universal Church. Armenian delegates took part in the work of the I and II Ecumenical Councils. However, due to the division of Armenia in 387 between Persia and Rome, the new Catholicos Isaac, being on the territory of the Persians, was imprisoned, as a result of which the Armenian delegation did not get to the III Ecumenical Council. Nevertheless, after his release from prison, Catholicos Isaac convenes the Ashtishat Council in 435, at which Nestorius is anathematized, thereby confirming the canonical symphony with the fathers of the III Ecumenical Council. However, being irreconcilable opponents of the heresy of Nestorius, the Armenian theologians unwittingly created the precondition for Monophysitism****.
* καθολικός - universal (bishop).
** In the signature under the acts of the First Ecumenical Council (325), Archbishop Leonty indicated his title as follows: "Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia, Pontus of Galatia, Paphlagonia, Pontus of Ptolemaic, Lesser and Greater Armenia."
*** At the same Council, Theodore of Mopsuetia and Diodorus of Tarsus were anathematized, as a result of which the Armenian fathers went further than the fathers of the III Ecumenical Council - after all, Theodore's heresy will be condemned only at the V Ecumenical Council.
**** Monophysitism (µόνος - “one, only”, φύσις - “nature, nature”) is a doctrine that recognizes in Christ only the Divine nature and completely rejects His humanity.
Cheating in Greek
The feeling of being close to such a strong, co-religious state as the Byzantine Empire gave rise to the illusion among the Armenians that at a critical moment they could count on intercession. This was the tragedy of the situation in which the Armenian people found themselves and which set the projection for the development of further inter-church relations between Byzantium and Armenia.
The year 451 in the history of the Church is known for the fact that the IV Ecumenical Council was held in the city of Chalcedon, at which the heresy of Monophysitism was condemned. But few people know the fact that in the same year in Armenia, Christians defended their faith far from being in theological discussions. In response to the demand of the Persian king to renounce Christianity and adopt Zoroastrianism, the Armenians, having gathered for a meeting in Artashat, wrote a letter on behalf of the entire population justifying the refusal. This provoked the invasion of the Persian army into Armenia.
The Armenians were sure that in the war with the Persians for loyalty to Christ they would receive the help promised the day before from Byzantium. However, the Persians at that time had already received assurances of non-intervention from the emperor Marcian...
On May 26, 451, the commander-in-chief of the Armenian army Vardan Mamikonyan and 1036 soldiers testified with their blood their loyalty to the Christian faith in a battle with a disproportionately stronger enemy. The dead were canonized as saints, as was Catholicos Joseph, who was executed by the Persians a little later.
It is clear that the name of the emperor Marcian became hated for the Armenians, and they transferred their hatred for the basileus to the orosi of the IV Ecumenical Council...
We dare to assume that the boomerang of betrayal, once launched by Byzantium in relation to Christian Armenia, returned back to Constantinople in 1204, when the knights of the IV Crusade approached its walls with their highly raised Christian banners, swords and armor sparkling in the sun ...
But Byzantium owes a lot to Armenia. And not only due to the fact that the imperial guard consisted of Armenians, just as the Papal Guard in the Vatican consists of the Swiss. In general, the military power, military organization and military talent of Byzantium are the merit of the Armenians, both military leaders and ordinary soldiers. Armenian foot units and Armenian cavalry were considered the best parts of the Byzantine army, selflessly devoted to their emperor. By the way, of all the emperors of the Byzantine Empire, fifty-four (which is 67%) were Armenians*. Some historians believe that it was the removal of Armenians from the leadership of military units on the eve of the IV Crusade that caused the defeat inflicted by the Turks.
* Some Byzantine emperors, despite having Armenian roots, persecuted their fellow tribesmen. So, some chroniclers report that in the VI century. the rebellious prince Smbat, pursued by the Armenian emperor Mauritius, landed in the Crimea and went up the Dnieper. Attention, people of Kiev! It was on the steeps, where Kyiv would later appear, that the Armenian prince built a powerful citadel of Smbatas on the mountain, which is called Zamkova to this day.
Between the hammer and the anvil
In the historian Neil Faulkner, in his book Apocalypse, or the First Jewish War, I once read that Armenia was a kind of Poland of the Ancient East. Indeed, Armenia was of such great strategic importance that the peaceful life of the country was constantly disturbed by the military marches of the armies of the empires between which it had to exist. Unfortunately, in most cases, buffer Armenia itself was chosen as a platform for clarifying relations between the superpowers; in many conflicts, the warring states attracted her to their side.
“Armenians cannot be defeated, they must be separated,” these words were uttered in the 4th century. BC, King Darius I, who was defeated in Armenia. This installation turned out to be not only effective, but also timeless - for centuries.
After the first division of Armenia between the Roman Empire and Parthia (in 387), its people more than once experienced a block between the superpowers. So, the second division of the territory of Armenia took place in 591, but already between the Byzantine Empire and Sasanian Persia.
Throughout this period, the Armenians did not give up and, maintaining their devotion to faith in Christ, fought for their independence. Evidence of this may be the creation and existence of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia surrounded by the Seljuk Iconian Sultanate, which the Byzantine Empire could not resist. In fact, this Christian island was destined to become the second homeland of the scattered Armenians in Asia Minor. It was here that the throne of the Catholicos was transferred from the city of Ani. Being in a Muslim environment, the princes of Armenian Cilicia minted gold, silver and copper coins with their image and legend (inscription) in Armenian. It was during this period that trade relations were established with Venice and Genoa.
Surprisingly, when in the XIII century. the Mamluk Egyptian state conquered one after another the powers created by the crusaders in Palestine, the only unconquered Christian state in the Middle East remained the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia! And only in 1375 the Mamelukes still managed to break the resistance of the Armenians, and Christian Cilicia fell - the Armenian people lost their statehood for more than 500 years.
1386th, 1394th, 1398th, 1403rd - these are the years in which the army of Tamerlane devastated Armenia, as a result of which most of the population was destroyed.
1453 - the year of the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks, after which Ottoman Turkey became the strongest state in the Middle East. Under her rule were the Balkan countries and all of Asia Minor. It was precisely between Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran in 1555 that the third division of the territory of long-suffering Armenia was carried out, and in 1639, after the forcible deportation of 300 thousand Armenians to Iran, the fourth redistribution took place.
Armenian Renaissance
Surprisingly, however, it was during this tragic period that Armenian culture and art experienced their renaissance. From the 10th to the 14th century, many masterpieces of church choral music were created; at the same time, "khazy" were invented - a special system of signs for recording music, in fact, an analogue of the Byzantine "neums" and ancient Russian "hooks". Armenian architecture flourished - temples were erected in Sanahin, Haghpat, Kecharis, Haghartsin, Goshovank, and the famous monastery complex in Geghard was carved into the rock mass. Probably the most famous architect of this time can be called the architect Trdat. It was he who undertook the reconstruction of the dome of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, destroyed by an earthquake, when his Greek colleagues admitted their impotence. The dome of Hagia Sophia restored by Trdat is still standing!
Few people know that before the opening of the first European university in Paris in 1200, its analogues already existed in Armenia, called vardapetarans (higher schools), where the “seven liberal arts” were studied. Separately, there were medical vardapetarans. And the Gladzor vardapetaran, created according to the European model and having two faculties - theological and legal - in 1280 was the first in Armenia to receive the status of a university. Literature also experienced a renaissance: it was during this period that Grigor Narekatsi wrote the Book of Sorrowful Hymns, which today has been translated into many languages of the world.
It is impossible not to mention the genius of the architect Manvel, the creator of the temple of Surb-Khach (Holy Cross) and the port harbor on the island of Akhtamar, and those famous khachkars that this talented person created.
Khachkars (translated literally as “cross-stone”) is a unique, purely Armenian type of stone arts and crafts. Each khachkar is a stone stele with an image of a cross carved on it, elegantly decorated with an ornament. Not a single khachkar, even made by the same master, is repeated.
Vardapet Mesrop Mashtots
A person who is visiting Armenia and wants to get to know its culture better should visit the Matenadaran - the main repository of books. What was not in the history of the Armenian book was the manuscripts rolled into a roll. The first samples of the Armenian books of the 5th-6th centuries that have come down to us. bound, stitched and bound with a cover.
The Armenian tradition connects the creation of the Armenian alphabet with the translation of the books of Holy Scripture*. But, undoubtedly, before the appearance of the new alphabet “Yerkatagir”, in addition to cuneiform, Aramaic and Greek, the Armenians had their own way of writing. Unfortunately, no epigraphic evidence and artifacts with the fixation of ancient records have survived to our time.
* The first book of Holy Scripture translated from Syriac into Armenian is the book of Proverbs.
Mesrop Mashtots is the person who has the honor of creating the Armenian alphabet. Today, Armenians, reading newspapers, sending SMS messages, sometimes do not even think about what treasure they own.
Once the famous linguist Meyer said that the Armenian alphabet is a masterpiece. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that out of 36 letters, each character corresponds to one specific sound, and vice versa (for comparison: there are only 33 letters in the Russian alphabet, two of which do not denote sounds).
In the Armenian alphabet (by the way, as in the Church Slavonic language), each letter is provided with its own numerical value. Relatively recently, journalist and researcher Eduard Ayanyan added up the numerical codes of letters in the Armenian names of metals and received exactly the numbers that Mendeleev put in the upper corners of the cells of his table to designate the atomic charges of the same chemical elements. For example, gold (Armenian "waxes") - 79; lead (arm. "Archich") - 82, as in the periodic system. But Mesrop Mashtots did not invent words, and even more so - the Armenian language, which was formed thousands of years before the official date of the creation of the Armenian alphabet - 405!
Later, Mesrop Mashtots recruited a school and, with the help of a hundred students, translated the books of Holy Scripture from Syriac into Armenian. The Armenian translation of the Bible is called by the paleographer F. Cross the queen of the translation. And despite the fact that today philologists are asking the question: is there anything left of the original translation of the Bible from the Syriac, because in 432 the Greek translation of the Scripture - the Septuagint, the text of which was subsequently agreed with the original version - came to Armenia - the work of Mesrop Mashtots , undoubtedly, is outstanding, for which Mesrop was awarded the title "vardapet" - a teacher of the Church.
It is noteworthy that today about 30 thousand Armenian handwritten books are kept in museums and libraries all over the world (and these are only those manuscripts that have been preserved). And if we take into account that in the entire history of Byzantium, about 50 thousand handwritten folios were created, this fact causes even greater respect for the Armenians as a book-loving and reading nation.
As an assumption, we can assume a connection between such an impressive number of manuscripts - and the know-how that the Armenian copyists of books and calligraphers owned, writing under the dictation of the author. As a result of technical evolution, the habitual pen of the Armenian scribe was turned into the first prototype of a “fountain pen” quite early: an ink bottle was attached to the top of the pen-kalam. Thanks to this, scribes were freed from the incessant dipping of the pen into the inkwell. So, in the final chapters of manuscripts, Armenian scribes often add: “Each time, having typed ink into kalam, he wrote 900, even 920-930 and more letters.”
After the fall of the Kingdom of Cilicia, the throne of the Catholicos returned to Armenia, and from 1441 to this day the residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians has been located in Etchmiadzin.
The Catholicoses, throughout the history of Christian Armenia, who were the spiritual leaders of the Armenian people and who made every effort to keep the Armenians faithful to Christ, did not lose hope for the return of independence. In 1547, 1562, 1677, they initiated an appeal to the governments of European states. But Europe, not interested in helping the Armenians, was silent. Disappointed in the policy of European monarchs, but still not losing hope, in 1701 an Armenian delegation led by Israel Ori turned to the Russian Emperor Peter I with a request to support the liberation campaign against the Turks and Persians. This audience marked the beginning of the attempts of the Russian throne to help the long-suffering Armenian people. And only a century later, during the I and II Russian-Persian wars, with the participation of the Armenian volunteer militia, the first victories were achieved to liberate Armenia and return the Armenian population from Iranian captivity. But still, a significant part - mountainous, western Armenia (Sasun, Zeytun) with the Armenian population continued to remain in the Muslim isolation of Ottoman Turkey.
Genocide
When the government changes, any nation links its future with hopes for good changes.
In 1908, after a coup d'état and the overthrow of the bloody regime of Abdul-Hamid II, the Young Turks came to power in Turkey. The Armenians had hope for the long-awaited restoration of the rights of Christians in the new country... But 1909 was marked by the mass extermination of the Armenian population in Cilicia with the tacit consent of the new government. 30 thousand people died. This was a terrible beginning of the total systematic destruction of the Armenian people.
These events of the beginning of the century are very similar to those that will take place two decades later in National Socialist Germany ...
It is difficult to find words to describe what happened during this tragic three-year period from 1915 to 1918. Apparently, the decision to turkish all the subjects of Turkey, and destroy the Christians, adopted in 1911 at a secret meeting of the Young Turks in Thessaloniki, found practical embodiment in the genocide carried out according to a certain plan. Armenia lost one and a half million of its sons and daughters. The eyewitness of these atrocities, the famous Armenian composer and priest Komitas lost his mind... It is noteworthy that the Turks and the official Turkish historiography do not recognize the intentional destruction of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, in a number of countries of the world (Switzerland, France, Argentina, etc.) there are laws that provide for punishment for the denial of the Armenian genocide.
The tragic and sad fate of the Armenian people, associated with constant struggle, can be felt by those who even hear the melody of the ancient instrument duduk for the first time. Outwardly, the duduk resembles an ordinary flute, but how majestic is the magic of the sound of this instrument! She does not leave even the most callous heart indifferent. Composer of the 20th century Aram Khachaturian very succinctly said: "Duduk is the only instrument that makes me cry."
Instead of a conclusion
In almost every Orthodox church in our fatherland there is a visible reminder of Armenia - the country of hopes of a renewed humanity, the country of the biblical rainbow - this is our beloved image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. What is the connection with Armenia?
During the earthly life of Christ the Savior, the capital of Greater Armenia was the city of Edessa, which once struck Alexander the Great with its beauty to such an extent that he named his born daughter Edessa. So, according to the Armenian legend, King Abgar (Avgar) invited Jesus Christ here, to Armenia: “I also heard that many ... grumble at You and want to torture You. I have a small but beautiful city, it would be enough for both of us. So simply, sincerely, with hospitality characteristic of Armenians, King Abgar invited the Savior. The Lord, in response to this invitation, sent the king as a gift an ubrus (plate), on which the imprint of His face appeared. This is how the first original Image Not Made by Hands appeared in the history of iconography. This legend contains the entire Armenian people with all its characteristic qualities - cordiality, sincerity, devotion to Christ.
While visiting Armenia, I noticed that it is almost impossible to meet an offended or angry person here. All are animated and inspired by something. People are friendly. All have lively eyes that play with natural harmless cunning. You involuntarily recall the words of Osip Mandelstam: “The vitality of the Armenians, their rough affection, their noble labor bone, their inexplicable disgust for any metaphysics and their wonderful familiarity with the world of real things - all this told me: you are awake, do not be afraid of your time, do not be cunning. ..”
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