An ancient state on the territory of Armenia 5 letters. Ancient Armenia

If we do not consider that ancient man appeared on the territory of Armenia back in the Early Paleolithic era, then the first proto-Armenian tribes (Urartians, Hurrians, Luwians, etc.) inhabiting the Armenian Highlands are mentioned already at the turn of the 4th - 3rd millennia BC. According to one hypothesis, these are Thraco-Phrygian tribes, according to another, ancient Indo-European tribes who 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 reigned in 522-486. BC..

Urartu

At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. a class society emerges. The tribes of the Armenian Highlands unite into tribal unions (Uruatri, Nairi, Dayani, etc.) on the basis of which in the 11th century BC. the powerful ancient slave state of Urartu with its capital Tushpa (Van) is formed. During this period, intensive ethnic unity of the tribes of the Armenian Highlands took place and the Armenian nation was formed.

During the 9th-6th 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 fortress-cities - Erebuni, Teishebaini, Argishtikhinili, etc.).

However, internal contradictions, lack of unity, and the invasion of the Assyrians led at the beginning of the 6th 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 that had developed on the basis of the Armenian-speaking ethnic community - the ancestors of modern Armenians.

Achaemenids

In 520 BC. The Armenian kingdom was conquered by the Persians and remained part of the Achaemenid Empire as a vassal state until the campaigns of Alexander the Great (330 BC).

Great Armenia

After the fall of the Persian power, with the beginning of the Hellenistic era, which arose thanks to the aggressive campaigns of Alexander the Great, a new era began 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 lost its independence. Rule in the Armenian kingdom is shared by two powerful empires - the Roman Empire and the Persian Sassanid state.

Division 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 rule of the Arab Caliphate.

Decline of Armenia. Invasion of Byzantium and the Seljuk Turks.

From the middle of the 11th century, the Bagratid kingdom and principalities fell into decline 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 Rubenian (Rubenid) dynasty, which began with Prince Ruben...

The Armenian principality of the Zakarids as part of the Georgian kingdom.

While the Armenian kingdom moved closer to Europe, statehood began to be revived on the historical Armenian lands (Caucasian part of Armenia). This happens in the 12th century. Read more...

Armenia under the yoke 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 the new great Ottoman Empire. By the end of the 14th century they conquered Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula.

Assistance to 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.

On May 28, 1918, Russian Armenia was proclaimed an independent republic. In September 1920, Türkiye launched 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 was proclaimed.

The Armenian people and the country of Armenia as their home 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 6th century BC. e. The national school believes that the history of ancient Armenia originates from Hayk, the grandson of the biblical Noah in the fifth generation. The most ancient Greek historians attributed the name “Armenia” to one of the Argonauts, Armenos of Thesal, 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 writings, 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 Mars, Persians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans - shone on the historical horizon like mighty stars - sometimes with a bright, sometimes dim light - Armenia, having no aggressive aspirations, almost never stood out as an all-powerful and internationally significant power, although the Armenian people 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 Arsacids - did the names of such conquerors as Vagharshak, Artashes and Tigran the Great shine for a short time. The most glorious times 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 merchantry, agriculture and crafts. Pottery, carpet weaving, jewelry, lace-making, blacksmithing, stone and wood carving, leatherworking, and coining were well developed. Samples of the first coins of ancient Armenia, the halqs, issued in the 3rd century BC, have been preserved. kings Sames, Arsham I, Arsham II, Xerxes and Abdisares. The halqas were made of copper and decorated in Hellenistic style. The obverse of the coin depicts the profile of the king wearing a crown. On the reverse side there are various images describing the king, as well as inscriptions in Greek.
At the same time, healing also developed. Ancient Armenia was famous for its medicinal herbs, which were also popular in other countries. In the 1st century BC. In ancient Armenia there were gardens for growing medicinal plants. From the medicine of ancient Armenia, drugs such as ammonia, Armenian clay, borax, etc. came 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, labor tools, military supplies, etc. Not far from the city of Sisian there 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 presumably erected between 5.7 thousand and 2 thousand. BC.
On the shore of Lake Sevan, in the territory of the village of Lchashen, monuments of the pre-Urartian period were discovered, representing a fortress of Cyclopean masonry, burial grounds and ground burials. It has been proven that the complex dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Also, traces of ancient man were discovered in different places of the Armenian Highlands: stone tools and cave dwellings. Traces of a person dating back to the Bronze Age period, as well as traces of his activity (stone structures, traces of Cyclopean fortresses) were discovered 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 (the residence of the father), therefore the year of the founding of Yerevan is considered the year of the founding 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: karas and other ceramic products related to Urartu.

Formation of the Armenian people

According to Armenian mythology, the ancestor of the Armenians is Hayk, the great-grandson of Noah (Noah-Japheth-Homer-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, Armenian-speaking tribes lived in the southeast of the Armenian Highlands (Little 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. A union of Nairi tribes was formed around Lake Van, which included not only Armenians, but also Khits, Hurrians and Luwians, fleeing the constant raids of the Assyrians. Subsequently, this union turned into the Urartian state, led by the Urartian-speaking nobility. Later, 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 Hayasa XVI - XIII centuries BC

According to the research of some scholars, “Hayasa” consists of the Armenian word Hay (haya, Armenian) and the Hittite suffix asa (country), and is translated as “country of the Armenians.” The state of Hayasa occupied the territory of present-day Turkey (Western Armenia). Armenian was the main language of the state of Hayasi. The capital of Hayasa was the city of Kummaha, later Kemmaha, located at the source of the Euphrates. In 1405 - 1380 BC. A long war was fought between Hayasa and the Hittites for the Hayasa province of Tsopk. During this period, the army of Karanni - the successor of the Hayasian king Marias - more than once attacked and devastated the Hittite kingdom. After another attack, Karanni captured and burned the capital of the Hittite kingdom, Hattusa. The confrontation lasted until 1317 BC, until the Hittites suffered several serious defeats at the fortress of Ur and at Kanuvara.
As a result of constant wars with the Hittites and Hurrian raids, the State of Hayas lost its strength. So, by the beginning of the 13th 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, with the common name “Nairi”. These tribes competed with each other, trying to establish their own charter throughout the Armenian Highlands. But, having a common enemy - Assyria, they united into one state. So, in the XIII - XII centuries BC. A union of Nairi tribes is formed around Lake Van, which later became the basis of the Urartian state, led 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 from 684 to 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 the throne, but their rule did not lead to new conquests or 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 goes back more than one thousand years, and the Armenians themselves lived long before the emergence of the nations of modern Europe. They existed before the advent of 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, they were Indo-European people who migrated from Europe in the 12th century. BC e.

Another hypothesis states that Proto-Armenian tribal unions arose for the first time in the 4th-3rd millennium BC. It is they, as some scientists claim, that are found in the poem “Iliad” by Homer under the name “arima”.

One of the names of Ancient Armenia - Hay - according to the proposals of scientists, comes from the name of the people "Hayasy". This name is mentioned on clay Hittite tablets in the 2nd millennium BC. BC, discovered during archaeological excavations of Hattusashi, the ancient capital of the Hittites.

There is information 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 9th century. BC e. the powerful kingdom of Urartu arose with its capital Van. It is believed that this is the oldest state on the territory of the Soviet Union. The civilization of Urartu, of which the Armenians became the successors, was quite developed. There was writing based on Babylonian-Assyrian cuneiform, agriculture, cattle breeding, and metallurgy.

Urartu was famous for its technology of constructing impregnable fortresses. There were two of them on the territory of modern Yerevan. The first - Erebuni, was built by one of the first kings of Argishti. It was she who gave the name to 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 was unable to resist the powerful Assyria and perished forever from its weapons.

It was replaced by a new state. The first kings of Ancient Armenia were Yerwand and Tigran. The latter should not be confused with the famous ruler Tigran 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 Indo-Europeans with the local ancient tribes of the Hayami and Urartu. From here came a new state - Ancient Armenia with its own culture and language.

Persian vassals

At one time, Persia was a powerful state. All the peoples living in Asia Minor submitted to them. This fate befell the Armenian kingdom. The Persian rule over them lasted more than two centuries (550-330 BC).

Greek historians about Armenia during 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 thousand Greeks to the Black Sea through a country called Ancient Armenia. The Greeks saw developed economic activities, as well as the life of the Armenians. Everywhere in these parts they found wheat, barley, aromatic wines, lard, various oils - pistachio, sesame, almond. The ancient Hellenes also saw raisins and legumes here. In addition to crop products, Armenians raised domestic animals: goats, cows, pigs, chickens, horses. Xenophon's data tells 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 didn’t say anything about this, but he listed some products that do not grow in this area.

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 to the Persians. Strabo mentions the obligation of the Armenian satraps, administrative governors during the reign of the Persians, to supply about two thousand young foals in honor of the famous festival of Mithras.

Armenian wars in ancient times

The historian Herodotus (5th century BC) described the Armenian warriors of that era and their weapons. The soldiers wore small shields and had short spears, swords, and darts. On their heads were wicker helmets, and they were wearing high boots.

Conquest of Armenia by Alexander the Great

The era of Alexander the Great redrew the entire map of the Mediterranean. All the lands of the vast Persian empire became part of the new political union under the rule of Macedonia.

After the death of Alexander the Great, the state disintegrates. The Seleucid state is formed in the east. The once unified territory of a single people was divided into three separate regions within the new country: Greater Armenia, located on the Ararat Plain, Sophene - between the Euphrates and the upper reaches of the Tigris, and Lesser Armenia - between the Euphrates and the upper reaches of the Lykos.

The history of ancient Armenia, although it speaks of constant dependence on other states, shows that it concerned only issues of foreign policy, which had a beneficial effect on the development of the future state. It was a kind of prototype of an autonomous republic as part of successive empires.

Often called basileus, i.e. kings. They maintained only formal dependence, sending tribute and troops to the center in wartime. Neither the Persians nor the Hellenistic Seleucid state made any attempts to penetrate the internal structure of the Armenians. If the former managed almost all of their remote territories in this way, the successors of the Greeks always changed the internal structure of the conquered peoples, imposing on them “democratic values” and a special order.

Collapse of the Seleucid state, unification of Armenia

After the defeat of the Seleucids from Rome, the Armenians gained temporary independence. After the war with the Hellenes, Rome was not yet ready to begin new conquests of peoples. The once united people took advantage of this. Attempts began to restore a unified 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 Sophen became part of the new state later, 70 years later, 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. Minting their own coins with Greek inscriptions indicated the strong influence of their neighbors on culture and trade.

Artashat - the capital of the ancient state of Great 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 Artaxius.”

The new capital had an advantageous geographical location in that era. It was located on the main route to the Black Sea ports. 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 “Carthage of Armenia,” which translated into modern language meant a city that unites all nearby lands. All Mediterranean powers knew about the beauty and luxury of Artashat.

The rise of the Armenian kingdom

The history of Armenia since ancient times contains bright moments of the power of this state. The golden age occurred during 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 Hellenistic culture

Armenia in the 1st century BC e. - a developed advanced state in 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, and crafts grew. A distinctive feature of the state was that it did not adopt the system of slavery that the Greeks and Romans used. 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, led by Mithridates. After long wars with Rome, Pontus also lost its independence. Armenia had good neighborly relations with Mithridates. After his defeat, she was left alone with powerful Rome.

After long wars, a unified Armenian Empire in 69-66. BC e. fell apart. Only one remained under the rule of Tigran, who was declared a “friend and ally” of Rome. This is what all the conquered states were called. In fact, the country has turned into just 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, Armenians used a writing system based on the Babylonian-Assyrian cuneiform script. In the heyday of Armenia, during the time of Tigran the Great, the country completely switched to the Greek language in business transactions. Archaeologists find Greek writing on coins.

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 the Armenian letter - erkatagir, 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 Luspekayev, always proudly wrote “Armenian” when filling out Soviet forms in the famous fifth column. And his surname goes back to the Armenian princely family - Lusbekyan.

Armenia... An average person who has lived among fifteen Soviet republics immediately develops certain associations. The mountain peak of Ararat, whose snow-capped cap adorned the label of the cognac of the same name. Inimitable cuisine and sincere hospitality characteristic of all Caucasian nationalities. Apricots, pomegranates, grapes, which Armenia generously filled our markets with. But Armenia is also the notorious tragedy of 1988 in Spitak, which did not leave any people of the large “family” of the former USSR indifferent. These include 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 literal sense of the word, namely in Venice, at a conference on biblical studies. The delight from the report of Professor Rev. 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 for myself the innate desire to comprehend the unknown among the Armenians in the monastery museum on the Venetian Armenian island, where a unique collection of Byzantine glass, artifacts from Egypt and Sumer is collected, and the main attraction of the monastery museum is the Egyptian mummy of Nemethetamun (XV century BC. X.).

Noah's Ark and Yerevan stone passport

Each nation is territorially attached 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.

My surprise knew no bounds when I first saw a map that recorded the culminating point of the expansion of the borders of the Armenian state during the time of Tigran the Great (1st century BC). The eastern part of modern Turkey, modern Lebanon and Syria, partly the north of modern Israel and Jordan, as well as partly the north of Iraq and Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia - all of these were once the lands of Greater 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 in 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 the patriarch Noah stopped. Unfortunately, today the Turkish authorities do not give scientists access to Ararat, and the question of the remains of Noah’s Ark can only be investigated using 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 (the twelfth capital of Armenia) subsequently appeared, because in the Armenian language “ereval” means “to appear”, and “erevangal” means “to appear” .

The cuneiform stone “passport” of Yerevan is today on display in the State Museum of Armenia. According to his data, Yerevan is 29 years older than Rome! (The Eternal City was founded in 753 BC)

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, uniting all Armenian tribes into a single people. Initially, Armenia was called Aystan, and the Armenians themselves still call themselves “ay”. We are probably better known from history textbooks as the ancient state of Urartu - that is how it was called in the cuneiform sources of the Assyrian court office.

“Kingdom of Van”, “Kingdom of Yervanduni”, “Joining the Achaemenid Empire”, “Seleucids and Armenian Kingdoms”, “Armenian-Pontic Union” - all these are dry names of paragraphs from a textbook on the history of Armenia. But even a quick glance at the table of contents gives rise to respect for a people with such a past.

Christian Armenia

If someday, when solving crossword puzzles, you have to answer the question of which state was the first to adopt Christianity, know that it is Armenia. In the western and eastern parts of the Roman Empire, smoke was still smoking before the Roman and Hellenic pagan pantheons, the persecution of Christians was still continuing - and in Armenia, the gospel seed sown by the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew had already brought good and abundant fruit: 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 missionary-worker, confessor Saint Gregory, whom the Armenians with love and pride call the Enlightener.

The connection between Armenia and its neighbor and sister in Christ, the Eastern Roman Empire, was very close. Until 387, all the Catholicos* from St. Gregory the Illuminator to Nerses the Great were consecrated in Cappadocia, while Armenia itself was a metropolitanate of the Church of Caesarea**. 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, finding himself on Persian territory, was imprisoned, as a result of which the Armenian delegation did not attend the Third Ecumenical Council. Nevertheless, after his release from prison, Catholicos Isaac convened the Ashtishat Council in 435, at which Nestorius *** was anathematized, thereby confirming the canonical symphony with the fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council. However, being irreconcilable opponents of the Nestorian heresy, Armenian theologians unwittingly created the precondition for Monophysitism****.

* καθολικός - universal (bishop).

** In the signature under the acts of the First Ecumenical Council (325), Archbishop Leontius designated his title as follows: “Archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia, Pontus Galatia, Paphlagonia, Pontus 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 would 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.

Treason in Greek

The feeling of being close to such a strong state of the same religion as the Byzantine Empire gave the Armenians the illusion 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 theological discussions. In response to the demand of the Persian king to renounce Christianity and accept 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 confident 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-interference from Emperor Marcian...

On May 26, 451, the commander-in-chief of the Armenian army Vardan Mamikonyan and 1036 soldiers testified with blood their loyalty to the Christian faith in a battle with a disproportionately stronger enemy. The dead were canonized, like Catholicos Joseph, who was executed by the Persians a little later.

It is clear that the name of Emperor Marcian became hateful for the Armenians, and they transferred their hatred of the basileus to the oros of the IV Ecumenical Council...

We dare to assume that the boomerang of betrayal, once launched by Byzantium towards Christian Armenia, returned back to Constantinople in 1204, when the knights of the IV Crusade approached its walls with Christian banners raised high, 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 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 troops and Armenian cavalry were considered the best units of the Byzantine army, selflessly loyal to their emperor. By the way, of all the emperors of the Byzantine Empire, fifty-four (67%) were Armenians*. Some historians believe that it was the removal of Armenians from leadership of combat units on the eve of the IV Crusade that became the reason for the defeat inflicted by the Turks.

* Some Byzantine emperors, despite having Armenian roots, persecuted their fellow tribesmen. Thus, some chroniclers report that in the 6th century. the rebellious prince Smbat, pursued by the Armenian emperor Mauritius, landed in the Crimea and climbed up the Dnieper. Attention, residents of Kiev! It was on the steep slopes, where Kyiv would later appear, that the Armenian prince built a powerful citadel of Smbatas on the mountain, which is called Castle to this day.

Between a rock and a hard place

I once read from the historian Neil Faulkner in his book “Apocalypse, or the First Jewish War” that Armenia was a kind of Poland of the Ancient East. Indeed, Armenia was of such strategic importance that the calm life of the country was constantly disrupted by 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, warring states attracted her to their side.

“The Armenians cannot be defeated, they need to be divided,” these words were spoken in the 4th century. BC, King Darius I, who was defeated in Armenia. This attitude 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 cutoff between the superpowers. Thus, the second division of the territory of Armenia took place in 591, but already between the Byzantine Empire and Sasanian Persia.

Throughout this entire period, the Armenians did not give up and, remaining devoted to their faith in Christ, fought for their independence. Evidence of this can be the creation and existence of the Cilician Armenian Kingdom 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 moved from the city of Ani. Being surrounded by Muslims, 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 ties were established with Venice and Genoa.

Surprisingly, when in the 13th century. The Mameluk 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 managed to break the resistance of the Armenians, and Christian Cilicia fell - the Armenian people lost their statehood for more than 500 years.

1386, 1394, 1398, 1403 are the years in which Tamerlane’s army 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. The Balkan countries and all of Asia Minor came under her rule. It was precisely between Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran in 1555 that the third division of the territory of long-suffering Armenia was made, and in 1639, after the forced deportation of 300 thousand Armenians to Iran, the fourth redistribution took place.

Armenian Renaissance

Amazingly, it was during this tragic period that Armenian culture and art experienced their renaissance. From the 10th to the 14th centuries, many masterpieces of church choral music were created; At the same time, “khazy” was invented - a special system of signs for recording music, in fact an analogue of the Byzantine “neumas” and ancient Russian “hooks”. Armenian architecture flourished - temples were erected in Sanahin, Haghpat, Kecharis, Haghartsin, Goshovanka, and the famous monastery complex in Geghard was carved out of the rock mass. Probably the most famous architect of this time can be called the architect Trdat. It was he who took up the reconstruction of the dome of the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, destroyed by an earthquake, when his Greek colleagues admitted their powerlessness. The dome of Hagia Sophia restored by Trdat still stands today!

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. There were separate medical vardapetarans. And the Gladzor Vardapetaran, created on a 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 revival: it was during this period that Grigor Narekatsi wrote the “Book of Sorrowful Songs,” 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 Surb-Khach (Holy Cross) temple and the port harbor on the island of Akhtamar, and those famous khachkars that this talented man created.

Khachkars (literally translated as “cross-stone”) are a unique, purely Armenian type of stone decorative and applied art. Each khachkar is a stone stele with an image of a cross carved on it, elegantly decorated with ornaments. 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 must visit the Matenadaran - the main repository of books. What has not happened in the history of the Armenian book are rolled up manuscripts. The first examples of Armenian books that have reached us from the 5th-6th centuries. stitched, stitched and have a binding and cover.

The Armenian tradition connects the creation of Armenian writing with the translation of the books of the Holy Scriptures*. But, undoubtedly, before the appearance of the new alphabet “Erkatagir”, in addition to cuneiform, Aramaic and Greek, the Armenians had their own way of writing. Unfortunately, no epigraphic evidence or artifacts recording ancient records have survived to this day.

* The first book of Holy Scripture translated from Syriac into Armenian is the book of Proverbs.

Mesrop Mashtots is the man who holds the honor of creating the Armenian alphabet. Today, Armenians, reading newspapers, sending SMS messages, sometimes do not even think about what treasure they own.

The famous linguist Meyer once said that the Armenian alphabet is a masterpiece. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that out of 36 letters, each symbol corresponds to one specific sound, and vice versa (for comparison: in the Russian alphabet there are only 33 letters, two of which do not indicate sounds).

In the Armenian alphabet (by the way, as in the Church Slavonic language), each letter has 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 obtained exactly the numbers that Mendeleev put in the upper corners of the cells of his table to indicate the atomic charges of the same chemical elements. For example, gold (Armenian “wax”) - 79; lead (Armenian “archich”) - 82, as in the periodic table. But Mesrop Mashtots did not invent words, much less the Armenian language, which was formed thousands of years before the official date of creation of the Armenian alphabet - 405!

Later, Mesrop Mashtots set up a school and, with the help of one hundred students, translated the books of the Holy Scripture from Syriac into Armenian. The Armenian translation of the Bible is called the queen of translation by paleographer F. Cross. And despite the fact that today philologists are wondering whether anything remains from the original translation of the Bible from Syriac, because in 432 the Greek translation of Scripture - the Septuagint, the text of which was subsequently agreed upon with the original version - the work of Mesrop Mashtots, came to Armenia , is undoubtedly outstanding, for which Mesrop was awarded the title “vardapet” - teacher of the Church.

It is noteworthy that today about 30 thousand Armenian handwritten books are stored in museums and libraries around the world (and these are only those manuscripts that have survived). And if you consider that over the entire history of Byzantium, about 50 thousand handwritten volumes were created, this fact evokes 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 possessed by the Armenian book scribes and calligraphers who wrote under the dictation of the author. As a result of technical evolution, the habitual scribe's pen among the Armenians was quite early transformed into the first prototype of a “fountain pen”: a bottle of ink was attached to the top of the kalam pen. Thanks to this, scribes were freed from constantly dipping their pen into the inkwell. Thus, in the final chapters of manuscripts, Armenian scribes often add: “Each time, having typed ink into the kalam, he wrote 900, even 920-930 or 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 is in Etchmiadzin.

The Catholicos, who throughout the history of Christian Armenia were the spiritual leaders of the Armenian people and made every effort to ensure that the Armenians remained 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, remained silent. Disillusioned with the policies of European monarchs, but still not losing hope, in 1701 the Armenian delegation led by Israel Ori appealed 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 attempts by 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 in the liberation of Armenia and the return of the Armenian population from Iranian captivity. But still, a significant part - mountainous, western Armenia (Sasun, Zeytun) with an Armenian population continued to remain in the Muslim isolation of Ottoman Turkey.

Genocide

When a government changes, any nation connects its future with hopes for good changes.

In 1908, after a coup d'etat and the overthrow of the bloody regime of Abdul Hamid II, the Young Turk party 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 the terrible beginning of the total systematic destruction of the Armenian people.

These events at the beginning of the century are very similar to those that would occur 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 Turkishize all Turkish subjects and destroy Christians, made in 1911 at a secret meeting of the Young Turk party in Thessaloniki, found practical implementation in genocide, carried out according to a specific plan. Armenia lost one and a half million of its sons and daughters. An eyewitness to these atrocities, the famous Armenian composer and priest Komitas, lost his mind... It is noteworthy that the Turks and official Turkish historiography do not recognize the intentionality of the extermination of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, in a number of countries around the world (Switzerland, France, Argentina, etc.) there are laws that provide punishment for denying the Armenian genocide.

The tragic and sad fate of the Armenian people, coupled 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 hardest 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

Almost every Orthodox church in our fatherland has a visible reminder of Armenia - the land of hopes of renewed humanity, the land 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 Great Armenia was the city of Edessa, which once amazed Alexander the Great with its beauty to such an extent that he named his daughter Edessa. So, according to Armenian legend, King Abgar (Abgar) invited Jesus Christ here, to Armenia: “I also heard that many... are grumbling against You and want to give You up to torture. I have a small but beautiful city, it would be enough for both of us.” This is how King Abgar invited the Savior simply, sincerely, with the hospitality characteristic of Armenians. The Lord, in response to this invitation, sent the king a gift of 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. Everyone is lively and inspired by something. People are friendly. Everyone has 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 working bones, their inexplicable aversion to any metaphysics and 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 deceitful. ..”