The Armenian Highlands: The Birthplace Of Civiliza

[Armenian Highlander]

The Armenian Highlands: The Birthplace of Civilization

 

Based on my exposure to European and Near-Eastern research regarding genetics, archeology, anthropology, mythology and linguistics, I have come to the conclusion that the origins of human civilization and the aboriginal homeland of all proto-Armenian and all proto-Indo European/Aryan tribes were somewhere within the vicinity of the Armenian Highlands (eastern Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia, north eastern Iran and the southern Caucasus).

 

Putting aside wishful thinking and fairytales propagated by self-serving "Euro-centric" westerners on the one hand and equally unreliable Zionist saturated academia within America on the other hand, there is a large body of evidence that mainstream western academia has not been exposed to yet that clearly points to the Armenian Highlands as the primordial location where civilized man as represented by Indo-European and Mesopotamian tribes first entered the pages of history.

 

It is unfortunate that most of us Armenians today fail to realize the unique greatness of our cultural heritage and the immense value of our ancient homeland. Our sacred highlands, stretching from Anatolia to the southern Caucasus was the epicenter of world civilization and, more specifically, of western culture. Nevertheless, time has not been kind to us Armenians, tragic consequences of our long and bloody history has devoided our sacred highlands of its aboriginal poulation and turned it into a cesspool.

 

I have complied the following aspects of early and 'primordial' cultural and technological developments that which have taken place within the Armenian Highlands. According to Armenian and some European scholars and scientists as well, the following statements are either accepted as corroborated facts yet to be disproved by other discoveries elsewhere, or very likely speculations and/or theories that yet need to be corroborated through additional research. Thus, based on the evaluation of various scholarly and scientific disciplines, the Armenian Highlands are said to be:

 

The earliest location where metal smelting is said to have taken place.

 

The earliest location where agriculture is said to have been developed.

 

The earliest location where animal husbandry is said to have been developed.

 

The earliest location where wheeled transportation is said to have been implemented.

 

The earliest location where petroglyphs of wheels, ox carts and swastikas are depicted.

 

The earliest location where mankind is said to have developed a keen understanding of movements of the stars and the planets.

 

The earliest location where cyclopic walls and round dwelling have been unearthed.

 

The earliest location where some of the Babylonian, Sumerian, Iranian, Celtic, Slavic, Germanic and Greco-Roman gods and goddesses have their primordial predecessors.

 

The location where Babylonian/Sumerian and Hebrew sacred texts indicate the civilization/mankind was first "created."

 

The location where Babylonian/Sumerian and Hebrew sacred texts indicate the world was repopulated after the Great Flood.

 

The location where, according to Hebrew sacred scripture, God is said to have changed the languages of mankind, thus, scattering them to the far corners of the world. (in my opinion, most probably a metaphor describing the Indo-European language diffusion)

 

I will make periodic relevant additions to this thread. The following web-sites are related to the aforementioned statements:

 

Indo-European homeland, Armenian prehistoric artifacts:

http://www.armenianhighland.com/homeland/chronicle120.html

 

Karahunge: Armenia's "stonehenge" advent of astronomy:

http://www.iatp.am/resource/science/parsam...ew/pars-eng.htm

 

Shengavit: a seven thousand year old dwelling:

http://www.armenianow.com/2003/november14/features/history/

 

Metsamor: Pre-ancient dwelling a center for metallurgy and astronomy:

http://www.tacentral.com/astronomy.asp?story_no=4

 

Petroglyphs: Neolithic depictions of celestial bodies, swastikas, wheeled transportation, etc: http://www.arminco.com/hayknet/naskal.htm

 

Pre-historic religions within the Armenian Highlands, Armenian national gods and goddesses: http://www.angelfire.com/hi/Azgaser/AR.html

Edited September 4, 2004 by Armenian Highlander

[Armenian Highlander]

ONE OF MOST ANCIENT GRAINS FOUND IN SOUTH CAUCASUS AND MIDDLE ASIA FOUND IN ARMENIA

 

YEREVAN, JULY 27. ARMINFO. While exploring the rocks in the canyon of the river Kasakh a group of Armenian and French archaeologists has found a monument of mesolite (epipaleolite) quite unique for the South Caucasus and Middle East region, says Boris Gasparyan, the head of the group, the employee of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

 

Found in the Kmlo caves near the village of Apna, Aragatson region, were not only fragments of obsidian tools but also a wild wheat grain dating back from a period 10,000-8,000 years ago. If the experts confirm the age of the grain it will become one of the oldest grains ever found in the region's mesolite monuments (11,000-10,000 years ago).

 

The discovered cultural layers are well preserved which is a good opportunity to collect enough scientific materials about the period. Despite threat of caving-in the archaeologists are going to continue the excavations. The group consists of three research teams. Besides the Kmlo caves they are exploring the traces of the man living in the areas of so called paleo lakes (middle paleolite). There they have found sites of primitive men who are assumed to do hunting, fishing and collecting.

 

Another group is examining the rock paintings found in the cave Gegamavan I, 1 km of the Kmlo caves. The unique paintings are in ochre - a substance said to be used only in late eneolite and early bronze (IV-III). Meanwhile the Gegamavan I paintings date back from neolite. The neolite man proves to already master the linear drawing technique. The paintings depict animals mostly deer. So the findings have shown that the rock painting traditions widely presented in the mountains of Gegama, Sunik and Aragats are older than they were thought to be.

 

The objective of the expedition is to study the ancient history of the use of obsidian as a tool of the primitive man. Obsidian tools are widely spread over the territory of historical Armenia and perfectly characterize social-economic relations of the Stone Age. The expedition is financed by Gfoeller Foundation (US).

 

Source: http://www.arminfo.am/

[Armenian Highlander]

Olive tree was brought into Palestine from Armenia 4000 BC

 

Zaitounah Museum new addition to Tunisian heritage

 

By Naceur M'tir

 

SOUSSE, Tunisia, July 12 (KUNA) -- The Zaitounah (olive) Museum which was

opened recently in the eastern city of Sousse is considered a new addition

to the Tunisian cultural heritage due to the pivotal role the olive tree

plays in the lives of Tunisians and the population of the Medieterranean

region.

 

[...]

 

Gadira said that it also aims at preserving the heritage of this "blessed"

tree for future generations, noting that this tree remained steadfast before

the various civilizations which ruled Tunisia over some 3000 years like the

Berbers, Phoenicians, Byzantines, Arabs, Spaniards and Turks.

 

He said that the most ancient documented sources available report that the olive tree was brought into Palestine from Armenia 4000 BC and then taken by the Phoenicians to Greece and later to North Africa, particularly Tunisia.

 

Since the ancient times, olive oil was the choice of the elite and notables

in Tunisia and other countries of the region. It was used in religious

rituals, as a massage oil, producing perfumes and for other medical

purposes. According to the latest figures, there are an estimated 55 million olive trees stretching from the country's north to south and covering an area of nearly 1.6 million hectares or 30 percent of Tunisia's farmlands.

 

Tunisia is the world's second largest producer and exporter of olive oil

after EU states, mainly Italy and Spain. Article originally published by Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) 12-Jul-04

 

Source: http://www.kuna.net.kw/English/Story.asp?DSNO=648372

[Armenian Highlander]

Some fascinating analysis of pre-historic mythology and archeological remains of the proto-Armenian peoples. Within the text regarding the linguistics study you will find a brief mention of a long held theory by Armenians that claims the Angels (as in the Anglo/English) had their aboriginal homeland within the southern Caucasus prior to migrating into Europe. I admit the theory is based on a subjective linguistics premise, however, it nevertheless is very interesting. At the bottom of this post I have added a web-site regarding what Armenians call "karahunj" which is said to be an astrological observatory that resembles the one found within Stonehenge England, yet predates it by many centuries. Perhaps the two prehistoric sites are in some way connected? Perhaps the theory put forth by Armenian linguists regarding the 'Anglos' are more substantial than it seems at first glance.

 

HAYK -- THE NATIONAL GOD OF ARMENIANS

 

The god Hyek (Hayk), the mighty archer, has been closely interwoven with the life of the Armenian people since times immemorial, as ancient perhaps as the hunting stage of the primeval communal society. He was the principal indigenous deity of the most prominent (central)group of the Nairian tribes that have formed the Armenian people. We know that Hyek (Hayk) is none other than Haldi and that Hyek-Haldi was a deity of fire who had taken origin from the volcanic nature of the Armenian Highland.

 

As mentioned earlier, Movses Khorenantsi, drawing his information from Mar Aba's book, uses a distinctive expression for Hyek:"the Yapetostean Hayk",i.e. having the nature of Yapetos-Hephaestus. Remembering that Hephaestus was a god of fire, such a characterization of Hyek appears to have taken place during the Hellenistic (Artashessian) period of Armenia when Hyek's fiery nature was still remembered. Personified as the eponymic ancestor of the Armenian people, Hyek is also described as having "very curly hair and sparkling eyes",a description that was inspired by his fiery nature and paralleled with that given to Vahagn who, too "had hair of fire...and his eyes were two suns."

 

In the old genealogical list preserved by Khorenatsi, Hyek is considered the son of Torgom. The origin of this name is linked with that of the city-land of Tarkuma/Tarhigama (some scholars locate this city in Hyeasa, but others who place it in the south-western regions of the Armenian Highland (see Tarkuma)), in Arme-Subaria, north of Syria (see Tarhigamani), seem to be more correct. In this connection, it might be right to point out the village of Derik, below Angel Tun-the birthplace of Angls or English, in the region of the sources of the Khabur, 40km west of Mardin.As we have seen before, Adad-Nirari-2 called this region Hark'((Harki)) which was in Armani as mentioned by Naram-Sin) mentioned in Hittite and Urartian inscriptions.

 

It must be recalled that Hyek is a deity, hence, he should have been considered the son of the god Tarku, the god Tork' of Armenians, whose name is radical component of the city name of Tarkuma/Tarhigama.Tork's main temple was in Aghtznik(Arme-Subaria), at the Armenian sacred city-fortress Angel-Tun(Ingalava?), now called Egil. Among Armenians Tork 'was also called Tork'Angel; Khorenatsi refers to him as Tork'of Angel, i.e.Tork' of Angelian descent.In the Old Armenian translation of the Bible, the god of the Underworld, Nergal of the Semitic text, is translated as Angel (who probably corresponds also to the Sumerian Engur, the god of the Abyss).

 

Thus, it becomes easier to understand why Hyek, the god of volcano (later attributed to Vahagn) is called "son of Torgom", i.e. the son of Angelian Tork,' the god of the Underworld, because both the volcano and the god of volcano originate from the underworld forces. The epic of Hyek's fight against Bel(babylonian god) provides a substantial proof that Hyek and his people were already in existence in the land called Hark', at the center of the Armenian-Nairian Highland, at the time when Bel was carrying out his raids, that is, when the mighty Assyro-Babylonian empire was seeking to expand; a proof which, unfortunately, has been overlooked by those who (wrongly) support the theory of migration of Armenian people from the Balkans...

 

Source: http://www.angelfire.com/hi/Azgaser/AR.html

 

ARMENIA'S STONEHENGE?

 

"These simple stones stretched out along the crest of a hill overlooking the Sissian River challenge the very dating of early astronomy and the answer to the question, "Who were the first astronomers?" If proven true, a current controversial dating of the stones at Karahundj predate England's Stonehenge, they predate the Babylonian's claim to being the first astronomers, and they confirm what some people already suspect: that Armenia is the birthplace of the zodiac, and perhaps the beginning of navigation and the concept of time..."

 

"It should be no surprise to anyone who knows something of Armenia's history that astronomy is such an important part of the national character. Sun symbols, signs of the zodiac, and ancient calendars predominated in the region while the rest of the world was just coming alive, culturally speaking. Egypt and China were still untamed wilderness areas when the first cosmic symbols began appearing on the side of the Geghama Mountain Range around 7000 BC..."

 

Source: http://www.tacentral.com/karahundj/karahundj1.asp

Edited September 4, 2004 by Armenian Highlander

[Armenian Highlander]

World's oldest sewer system found in Van (historic Armenia)

 

The find revealed a far more advanced understanding of architecture and

plumbing that had hitherto been known

 

NTVMSNBC.com

August 23, 2004

 

August 23 - What is believed to be the world's oldest first toilet

and sewer system, dating to prehistoric times, has been unearthed in

the eastern Turkish province of Van. The sewerage system was found by archaeologists working on excavations at the site of a Urartian castle in Gurpinar region of eastern Turkey.

 

According to Professor Dr. Oktay Belli, the director of Istanbul

University's Eurasian Archaeology Institute, the find was of

particular significance. The discovery of a toilet in the western

part of Cavustepe Castle built by Urartian King Sarduri II in 764 BC

pushed back the dating for such systems, he said in an interview with

the Anatolian news agency.

 

"We revealed that Urartian architects had formed a sewer system before

building the castle. The toilet and sewer system in the castle is

similar to today's toilets," the professor said.

 

The Urartu Kingdom gave great importance to architecture," Belli said.

"Their architects used the most developed techniques of the prehistoric

period. They had built their castles in strategic areas after carrying

out ground studies. We believe that Urartu Kingdom was the first

civilisation to use toilet and sewer systems."

 

The Urartu Kingdom was formed in eastern Anatolia at the beginning

of the first millennium BC after the fall of the Hittite empire and

survived for three centuries.

 

Source: http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/news/283730.asp?cp1=1

[Armenian Highlander]

Archeologists find evidence of settlement seven thousand years old

 

Excavations in the Yerevan district of Shengavit over the past two years have uncovered a city which local and some foreign archeologists believe to have been settled five thousand years before the birth of Christ. Scientists say the site has yielded some of the archeologically-richest finds in all the Caucasus, and if the dating proves accurate, it would mean that the area was settled nearly 4,000 years before the Urartus founded Yerevan. Among the unearthed remains are jewelry, female idols, baked-clay statues, a furnace for making flint forging instruments, suggesting a developed settlement. More than 50 horse bones have been found, evidence of developed horse-breeding - a find that archeologists say is the first of its kind in the Caucasus. Shengavit is not a new site of interests for archeologists. The shapeless hill some 30 meters above the Yerevan Lake has been the focus of scientific study since 1936, when archeologist Yevgeni Bayburdyan started a two-year study there.

 

In 1958, excavations were renewed by a group of archeologists under the leadership of Sandro Sardaryan. After 1985, however, the area was turned into a training ground for archeological practice. It remained an archeological laboratory until last year and over the years the site itself suffered damage as a result. Research restarted in 2000, but was sporadic. But new funding from the British Embassy (about $4,000) helped the research continue since September. It is being carried out by the Armenian Center of Cultural-Historical Heritage. Two main areas have been the focus of excavation. In one, an area of about 250 square meters, evidence of brick and river-stone walls was found. In the second area, on the hill's northern side researchers found a wall surrounding the city. "The low level dwellings discovered as a result of the excavations were two-to-three meters below the ground level," says director of the Center, historian Hakob Simonyan. According to Simonyan the dwellings were built in a hurry, using available materials, not paying attention to the aesthetic side and also ignoring seismic stability.

 

Unlike its common first-level houses, two meters below the ground level are dwellings made of stone blocks and basalt, mortared with clay, and are of rectangular, polygonal and round shapes. "The variety of construction materials indicates that the society was divided into different social and economic groups," Simonyan says. Onyx, marble and granite staffs were found among structures that surprised scientists by their sense of aesthetics and attention to seismic stability. "A very interesting method of building the lodgings was used to resist earthquakes," Simonyan says. "Stones were attached to each other with weeds dipped into liquid clay. This made the walls more flexible and protected from the quakes."

 

Sanctuaries, decorated by ornamentation depicting rams, stone instruments and clay plates made with great professionalism were also found here. Obsidian stones were used for the sheep eyes, which according to ancient belief, was a symbol of protection. "This is the first case in Armenia when eyes of an animal are decorated by stones," Simonyan says. Pear-shaped barns for storing grain, with round entrances were also found. The huge, four-meter deep storages could have held four tons of wheat. A large quantity of sickles, axes, and tools for wheat milling were found in the barn areas. The principles of town-planning and house construction suggest that Shengavit was once a city. Further, remnants of a forge with nine smelts indicate an industrial settlement producing copper. Some of the artifacts have been sent to Germany, where archeologists there confirm local scientists' belief that the finding - from the bronze age - shows Yerevan to have been built not only on the basis of the ancient city of Erebuni, but also on the basis of this earlier founded habitat.

 

Source: http://www.armenianow.com/2003/november14/features/history/

Edited September 4, 2004 by Armenian Highlander

[bellthecat]

The Armenian Highlands: The Birthplace of Civilization 

 

Based on my exposure to European and Near-Eastern research regarding genetics, archeology, anthropology, mythology and linguistics, I have come to the conclusion that the origins of human civilization and the aboriginal homeland of all proto-Armenian and all proto-Indo European/Aryan tribes were somewhere within the vicinity of the Armenian Highlands (eastern Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia, north eastern Iran and the southern Caucasus).

 

Putting aside wishful thinking and fairytales propagated by self-serving "Euro-centric" westerners on the one hand and equally unreliable Zionist saturated academia within America on the other hand, there is a large body of evidence that mainstream western academia has not been exposed to yet that clearly points to the Armenian Highlands as the primordial location where civilized man as represented by Indo-European and Mesopotamian tribes first entered the pages of history.

 

Carefull. While much of this and your other postings may be true, put things into proportion and into a proper perspective or you might find yourself a suitable subject for Nairi's "liars and braggers" thread.

 

[Vigil]

Carefull. While much of this and your other postings may be true, put things into proportion and into a proper perspective or you might find yourself a suitable subject for Nairi's "liars and braggers" thread.

 

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You are pathetic. The rest of the world can relish in nationalism, but yet when a Armenian tells history how it is you start castrating him.

 

AH, keep up the good work.

[bellthecat]

You are pathetic. The rest of the world can relish in nationalism, but yet when a Armenian tells history how it is you start castrating him.

 

AH, keep up the good work.

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It is you that is pathetic. To be a member of a nation that is so unhappy with its current identity and place in the world that it has to resort to childish fantasies in order to extend its importance to being the centre of the world. Even Ataturk's "sun theory" didn't descend to such pathetic depths and such ludicrous heights.

[Vigil]

It is you that is pathetic.  To be a member of a nation that is so unhappy with its current identity and place in the world that it has to resort to childish fantasies in order to extend its importance to being the centre of the world. Even Ataturk's "sun theory" didn't descend to such pathetic depths and such ludicrous heights.   

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When did I say I was unhappy about our current identity? EVERYONE ON THIS FORUM IS ANTI ARMENIAN! What good is caring about Armenia if you do want to claim what is rightfully yours? No, my so-called friend you are the one that is pathetic because automatically you think you are a loser and frankly, most Armenians are losers like you.

[Vigil]

HAHA...what is so funny is how the U.S. and UK, day in and day out, talk about how the War in Iraq is “spreading” freedom. THEY CAN BROADCAST their superiority and it is deemed ok, but yet when an Armenian does it he is a “nationalist”.

 

They make dropping bombs on innocent people a good thing, but yet when an Armenian describes how Armenians have a rich history he is castrated by the very Armenian that he patronizes.

 

It is truly tragic how Armenians think they are losers. It almost gets me to a point where I do not want to even associate with Armenians because if you are my fellow Armenian then I do want to associate myself with a loser. If you think you are a loser then you will automatically become a loser.

[gamavor]

It is you that is pathetic.  To be a member of a nation that is so unhappy with its current identity and place in the world that it has to resort to childish fantasies in order to extend its importance to being the centre of the world. Even Ataturk's "sun theory" didn't descend to such pathetic depths and such ludicrous heights.   

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

 

This sounds to me as a British excuse!

[Teutonic Knight]

What Highlander wrote very much sounds like Ataturk's "Sun Theory".

This does not make bellthecat right. In any case it's better to have more Vigils and Highlanders than people who think they are worthless.

The ideal Armenian is Gamavor, who is exteremely proud of his culture and hsitory but does not resort to creating fairy tales.

[Vigil]

What Highlander wrote very much sounds like Ataturk's "Sun Theory".

This does not make bellthecat right. In any case it's better to have more Vigils and Highlanders than people who think they are worthless.

The ideal Armenian is Gamavor, who is exteremely proud of his culture and hsitory but does not resort to creating fairy tales.

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TK, Armenian Highlander was not trying to create fairy tales. He provided a historic theory and in no way should he be critized for that. Furthermore, we both know that Armenian history has some holes in it. If you want to accept Khorenatsi's version of our origins or actually think we are a Phyrigian colony you have my blessing, but I just do not like the fact that anything that is remotly nationalistic is shot down before it can flourish.

 

It is like Armenians fear self-respect and progression. Like I said earlier just look at the Germans. We predate them, but yet they have risen from two world wars to be the economic leaders of the world.

[Vigil]

I do not see anything close to Ataturks "Sun Theory" or are you all telling me that the "most ancient grain found in Armenia" is a lie? Or what about the fact that there are indeed stone henge type ruins that predate those in Ireland? Please do not resort to belittiling AH, he has provided very interesting reads and in fact most of his posts are just articles.

 

In short, stop belittling yourselves and start relishing in your history. If the Chinese can make the movie Hero, which boasts their nationalist pride and history, then AH has the right to post these articles which are historic facts based on evidence unless ofcourse you are actually telling me that the Armenian stone henge was created by contemporary Armenian animalists?

Edited September 4, 2004 by Vigil

[gamavor]

What Highlander wrote very much sounds like Ataturk's "Sun Theory".

This does not make bellthecat right. In any case it's better to have more Vigils and Highlanders than people who think they are worthless.

The ideal Armenian is Gamavor, who is exteremely proud of his culture and hsitory but does not resort to creating fairy tales.

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

OK, thanks! I'll try to clone myself!!! The side effect might be that I might turn into the "Scourge of God"!

[Armenian Highlander]

Yeghbayr Vigil, good to see you here.

 

What a bunch of self-hating and ignorant losers within this forum as well. Who is that excrement called beelthecat? The "Sun Theory" proposed by Ataturk had absolutely no academic backup, it was pure fiction. My claims regarding the importance of the Armenian Highlands within western culture and world civilization is supported by academia worldwide and is gaining more exposure and acceptance with each passing year.

 

How low will diasporan Armenians go to prove their utter worthlessness. For how long are we to deal with such pathetic low lives and children of borniks. My God, what is wrong with these people? As much as I disagree with the position of Herr Teutonic, at least he more-or-less has intelligent posts. Nevertheless, I would like to see more of your ideology posted, along with gamavor's and Arpa's. I am serious about starting an "Armenocentric" forum so that individuals like us can disassociate ourselves form the disgusting filth saturating forums such as this. You want the 'Armenian Legion' to reform? A nationalistic web-site with that name would be a good start, would it not? What do you say?

 

I ask any one of these children of borniks and cowards to refute any of my claims regarding the Armenian Highlands.

[Armenian Highlander]

Pantheon of Armenian gods

 

The first god in Armenia was one of the language’s first sounds, ‘AR’, which means sun or light. As the source of life, the sun became equated with power and the supreme god. Ararat is mentioned as early as ca. 6000 BC in the Sumerian epoch poem Gilgamesh, as the land of the mountains where the gods live. The word Ararat can be divided into three words: AR-AR-AT. AR-AR being a plural form or all encompassing god; ‘AT’ being an archaic version of the Armenian word ‘hat’, which means ‘a piece of’. Thus Ararat meant ‘a piece of gods, or a piece of creation.

 

 

Early symbols for gods are closely connected with astral symbols. The first use of the sacred swastika and cross are found in ca. 20,000-15,000 BC inscriptions in the Geghama Mountain Range. Carvings dating back to ca. 8500 BCE show symbols associated with astronomy, giving them a god like prominence: the sun, moon, and constellations were thought to be deities in themselves, and astral occurrences such as an eclipse or a comet were considered communication from the gods. By the 5th millennium BC, Ancestral Armenians combined sun worship with sophisticated astronomy. They are now credited with assigning the constellations of the zodiac their design and names, and creating one of the first solar calendars based on 365 days in the year.

 

 

Also around the 5th millennium BC a series of Vishaps (Dragon Stones) began to be erected on mountainsides throughout Armenia, near water sources. At first resembling fish (dragons in Armenian were thought to be huge fishlike creatures, something like a cross between a whale and a gigantic squid), the monolithic stones were later carved with snakes, the heads of beasts, swastikas and crosses. Around 3000 BC, Ancestral Armenians had created a specific iconography and pantheon of the gods. The Armenian gods were still centered on the worship of the sun, but by the Urartian period, they resembled Mesopotamian and Egyptian deities based on animal-human combinations. Human deities emerged during the Armenian Hellenistic period. Though bearing remarkable likeness to Greek gods and goddesses, which first gave speculation as to their Greek origins, it is now thought that many of the Greek gods are actually inherited from Ancestral Armenian sources, with some coming from as far away as India. The heroic legends of Hercules, for example, were first attributed to the legend of the Armenian king-god Haik in the 3rd millennium BC.

 

 

Pantheon of Armenian gods: the Armenian god or goddess is listed with the Greek equivalent deity in parenthesis.

 

Aramazd (Zeus) - The father of all gods and goddesses, the creator of heaven and earth. The first two letters in his name, "AR" is the Indo-European root for sun, light, and life. Aramazd was the source of earth’s fertility, making it fruitful and bountiful. The celebration in his honor was called Am'nor, or New Year, which was celebrated on March 21 in the old Armenian calendar (also the Spring equinox).

 

Anahit (Artemis) - The goddess of fertility and birth, in early period she was the goddess of war. By the 1st c. BCE she was the main deity in Armenia.

 

Nuneh (Athena) - The goddess of wisdom, common sense, motherhood and protector of the home, keeper of the family.

 

Vahagan (Hephaestus) - The god of thunder, clouds and fire. Comes from "Vah" -god, "Agne" - fire. Vahagan is the constellation Orion.

 

Astghik (Aphrodite) - The goddess of love and beauty, symbolized by skylight. She was the wife or lover of Vahagan, the god of fire and metal. She was also the goddess of water. The celebration in her honor occurred in mid June and was called Vardevar. It is still celebrated in Armenia by pouring water on unsuspecting passersby.

 

Ara Geghetsik- "Ara the Beautiful’- the god of spring, flora, agriculture, sowing and water. He is associated with Isis, Vishnu and Dionysus, as the symbol of new life.

 

Haik - a king, but in legend the father of Armenia. He slew the Babylonian god Bel, which in history was Nemruth, the Babylonian king described in the bible as attempting to build the tower of Babel. Haik’s armies invaded Babylon, and establish the kingdom from which Armenians claim their heritage. The legend of Haik is the forerunner of the legend of Hercules.

 

Tsovinar, Nar - The goddess of water, sea, rain. She was a fire creature, who forced the rain and hail to fall from the heavens with her fury.

 

Vanatur - the god of hospitality and bountiful hosts.

 

Tir (Apollo) - the god of literature, science and art, also an interpreter of dreams.

 

Tork Angegh (Aries) - the god of power, bravery, war, the military.

 

Aralez - One of the oldest gods in the Armenian pantheon, Aralez was a god in the form of a dog, whose powers included the ability to resurrect the dead by licking wounds clean.

 

Source: http://www.tacentral.com/mythology.asp?story_no=2

[Armenian Highlander]

Metsamor Civilization

 

Written by Grigor Hakobyan

 

Through out the last two hundred years, hundreds of world scholars have spent thousands of hours of in-depth scholastic research, in their pursuits to identify the unique birthplace of the world civilizations; The birthplace of the first human intelligence in the world. From the Siberian mountains of Ural to the Sub-Saharan Africa, from the Sub-Tropical jungles of Peru to the warm shores of the Mediterranean/Adriatic, from the highest tops of the Himalayas to the soaring twins of the Mt. Ararat, the beginning of the first human civilization have been pre-supposed. But the highly sophisticatedarchaic ruins of the Mestamor, lying at the heart of the Armenian Highland emerged to be the most likely of them all.

Extensive archeological finds of obsidian instruments roughly fashioned by the primitive man indicate ancient human settlements in Armenia, dating back to the Old Stone Age (Abbevillian culture) and further onwards. Thus, the archaic history of the human race begins to unravel in Armenia, dating back to 500,000 years ago.

 

The earliest civilization that has been found in Armenia, and is believed to be the first in the world is the Metsamor Civilization, which is dating back to around 5,000 BCE. The ancient capital of the Metsamor kingdom is located on the area of 26 acres, which consists of a cyclopic stonewalls, citadel within them and a vast cosmic observatory. The fortress of Metsamor is further enhanced by a large series of oval shaped dwellings along with adjacent buildings and an underground tunnels.

 

The "heavenly" knowledge of metal processing thought to be received from the pre-deluvial "gods" of the ancients was the most sophisticated of its kind ever found to be of that time period. Metsamor was known to have processed a high-grade gold, copper, and various types of bronze, strychnine, manganese, zinc, mercury and iron. Metal goods made in the Metsamor were highly valued and widely known by its surrounding cultures, stretching out as far as Central Asia, Chine, India and Egypt.

 

Around 11BCE, Metsamor city-capital grew to occupy 247 acres of land, extending itself up to the Lake Akna. Some 500 m. southwest of the citadel, archeologists have found another stretch of land, about 247 acres big, hosting ancient dwellings enough to accommodate about 75, 000 people. A city of such size rivaled any those of the archaic world.

 

Another swat of land, around 200 acres big, located next to the city constitutes to be the main burial ground of the archaic Metsmorians, where archeologists have managed to retrieve the remnants of 30, 000 people. Very interesting commonality with the Egyptians that Metsamorians had was to burry the rich and noble people separately, just like the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. However, such distinction have helped to avoid grave robbers, thus providing scholars with a significant amount of information into the traditions and burial rights of the deceased on their way to the afterlife.

 

Armenia's Fertile Crescent was located in the land between rivers, the famous Tigris and Euphrates, further encompassing the land behind the Arax River. However, within the Ararat valley, a much smaller crescent of land still bearing the marshland once covering the entire Ararat Valley is found. One of the oldest settlements found in Armenia, beyond Erevan extend to the caves and stone-inscriptions found on the Geghama Ler (Mt), where only few sites have so far been excavated.

 

The metal ore mined in Armenia was the purest in the world that resulted in the formation of a culture, where the use of metal idols and building of temples made out of metal have been widely practiced. Their complex cosmic observatories made out of stone stood proudly, charting the vastness and enormity of the nightly sky.

 

Source: http://www.angelfire.com/hi/Azgaser/Metsamor.html

 

 

Tour Armenia: Metsamor

 

"Located just outside the village of Taronik, Metsamor (which means "black swamp" or "black quicksand") is a working excavation and museum on the site of an urban complex with a large metallurgical and astronomical center (occupied ca. 5000 BC-17th c. CE).; The site occupies a volcanic hill and surrounding area. The citadel on top of the volcanic hill is about 10.5 hectares in size, but the entire city is believed to have covered 200 hectares at its greatest extent, housing up to 50,000 people (making it a huge metropolis in those days).; Nearby spring-fed marshes and lakes suggest the extent of the wildlife that covered the area up to the bases of Mount Aragats and Ararat.; The area was rich in water, mineral and hunting resources at the time of the development of Metsamor.; The nearby Metsamor river provided both transportation and the first irrigation source recorded in Armenia."

 

"Excavations began at Metsamor in 1965 and are still in progress, led by Professor Emma Khanzatian.; The most recent excavation work occurred in the summer of 1996, along the inner cyclopic wall.; Excavations have shown strata of occupancy going back to the Neolithic period (7,000-5,000 BC), but the most outstanding features of the site were constructed during the early, middle and late Bronze Ages (5000-2,000 BC).; Inscriptions found within the excavation go back as far as the Neolithic period , and a sophisticated pictograph form of writing was developed as early as 2000-1800 BC.; The "Metsamor Inscriptions" have a likeness to later scripts, which influenced Mashtots' alphabet (see Evolution of the Armenian Alphabet)..."

 

 

Source: http://www.tacentral.com/history/metsamor2.htm

[Armenian Highlander]

The Early History of Indo-European Languages

 

by Thomas V. Gamkrelidze and V. V. Ivanov

 

"Migrations and Cultural Diffusion carried the Indo-European proto-language from the homeland, which the authors place in the Trans-Caucasus (see Historical Armenia maps), and fragmented it into dialects. Some spread west to Anatolia and Greece, others southwest to Iran and India. Most Western languages stem from an Eastern branch that rounded the Caspian Sea. Contact with Semitic languages in Mesopotamia and with Kartvelian languages in the Caucasus led to the adoption of many foreign words."

 

"Linguistics, the scientific study of language, can reach more deeply into the human past than the most ancient written records. It compares related languages to reconstruct their immediate progenitors and eventually their ultimate ancestor, or protolanguage. The protolanguage in turn illuminates the lives of its speakers and locates them in time and place. The science developed from the study of the Indo-European superfamily of languages, by far the largest in number of languages and number of speakers. Nearly half of the world's population speaks an Indo-European language as a first language; six of the 10 languages in which Scientific American appears—English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish—belong to this superfamily."

 

"Over the past 200 years, linguists have reconstructed the vocabulary and syntax of the postulated IndoEuropean protolanguage with increasing confidence and insight. They have tried to unravel the paths by which the language broke into daughter languages that spread throughout Eurasia, seeking at the origin of those paths the homeland of the protolanguage itself. The early investigators placed the homeland in Europe and posited migratory paths by which the daughter languages evolved into clearly defined Eastern or Western branches. Our work indicates that the protolanguage originated more than 6,000 years ago in eastern Anatolia and that some daughter languages must have differentiated in the course of migrations that took them first to the East and later to the West..."

 

Source: http://www.armenianhighland.com/homeland/chronicle120.html

[Armenian Highlander]

Indo-European language tree rooted in Anatolia

 

By Russell Gray and Quentin Atkinson, of the University of Auckland in New Zealand

 

"A family tree of Indo-European languages suggests they began to spread and split about 9,000 years ago. The finding hints that farmers in what is now Turkey drove the language boom - and not later Siberian horsemen, as some linguists reckon. Russell Gray and Quentin Atkinson, of the University of Auckland in New Zealand use the rate at which words change to gauge the age of the tree's roots - just as biologists estimate a species' age from the rate of gene mutations. The differences between words, or DNA sequences, are a measure of how closely languages, or species, are related."

 

"Gray and Atkinson analyzed 87 languages from Irish to Afghan. Rather than compare entire dictionaries, they used a list of 200 words that are found in all cultures, such as 'I', 'hunt' and 'sky'. Words are better understood than grammar as a guide to language history; the same sentence structure can arise independently in different tongues. The resulting tree matches many existing ideas about language development. Spanish and Portuguese come out as sisters, for example - both are cousins to German, and Hindi is a more distant relation to all three."

 

"All other Indo-European languages split off from Hittite, the oldest recorded member of the group, between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago, the pair calculates1. Around this time, farming techniques began to spread out of Anatolia - now Turkey - across Europe and Asia, archaeological evidence shows. The farmers themselves may have moved, or natives may have adopted words along with agricultural technology. The conclusion will be controversial, as there is no consensus on where Indo-European languages came from. Some linguists believe that Kurgan horsemen carried them out of central Asia 6,000 years ago. "No matter how we [changed] the analysis or assumptions, we couldn't get a date of around 6,000 years," says Gray..."

 

Source: http://www.nature.com/nsu/031124/031124-6.html

[Vigil]

Yeghbayr Vigil, good to see you here.

 

Thanks AH, I am glad to see here as well.

 

How low will diasporan Armenians go to prove their utter worthlessness. For how long are we to deal with such pathetic low lives and children of borniks. My God, what is wrong with these people? As much as I disagree with the position of Herr Teutonic, at least he more-or-less has intelligent posts. Nevertheless, I would like to see more of your ideology posted, along with gamavor's and Arpa's. I am serious about starting an "Armenocentric" forum so that individuals like us can disassociate ourselves form the disgusting filth saturating forums such as this. You want the 'Armenian Legion' to reform? A nationalistic web-site with that name would be a good start, would it not? What do you say?

 

Yeah, it would be a good start, but in my opinion it is all going to shit. Armenians have no self respect and furthermore have no nationalistic pride. Anything Pro-Armenian is shot down and anyone that supports nationalism is labeled a "crazy Dashnak".

 

My God, just look this thread. You came here with articles that were Pro-Armenian, but yet the first thing uttered out of the mouths of the members was trying to expose you as a "fraud". It is like they are purposely trying to ridicule themselves.

 

You know what is sad? Is that if these things came out of the mouth of a "otar" some of the members would reply with shits and giggles, but because you are Armenian they slam, ridicule, and make you look like a fraud.

 

In short, I see no point helping a group of people that can not help themselves.

 

 

 

I ask any one of these children of borniks and cowards to refute any of my claims regarding the Armenian Highlands.

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[ /QUOTE]

 

Don't even bother, most of them have no recollection of what it means to be truly Armenian. In fact a few on these boards have a "hard time" defining what a Armenian is.

 

Furthermore, you will just be banned and your posts edited. In fact, most of the moderators here are Anti-Armenian and try to make it a point to emulate Armenians as these happy go lucky hippies. It is ok for the Chinese to make movies that promote their history and nationalist feelings, but yet you get castrated for your views? Do you see why we are failure as a people now? We are truly a pethetic group of people and this thread is a great example of how Armenians casterate one another in order to make themselves look good. Bellthecat without even reading the articles automatically began labeling you as a "fanatic", but I am sure if a "otar" were to say the same things you did he would take his word for it without any question.

 

Anyways, if you make a board and need financial aid in making the board I will gladly join and contribute some funding, but in general it is useless. Armenians are just a flat out stupid group of people that have no self respect or worth. Like I said earlier the Germans built a economic empire out of the ashes of WW1 and WW2, but yet we as Armenians are still stuck in this limbo.

 

By the way, The Armenian Pirate (TAP) is most likely reading this and I hope he contributes to the discussion as well and hands all these socialites their asses on a platter like he always does. We need more people like you, TAP, and myself, but it is useless if Armenians are brought up to hate themselves.

 

Ok, have a good saturday night all! Gotta head out for labor day.

[Vigil]

AH, did you see that? DID YOU ALL SEE THAT? MY POST WAS DELETED!

 

I had a really long post, but apparently it was deleted because it "violated" some rule. Most likly I will be banned for some lame reason like "editting" my posts. Fair and balanced my ass, but since it is their board I will have to be quiet. It is strange most of the mods are living in countries that advocate free speech, but yet they feel like they can delete my posts because it does not emulate the hippie vibe.

 

OUR POSTS ARE DELETED BUT YET BELLTHECAT CAN STATE STUFF THAT ATTACK YOUR CREDIBLITY: "Carefull. While much of this and your other postings may be true, put things into proportion and into a proper perspective or you might find yourself a suitable subject for Nairi's "liars and braggers" thread. "

 

 

 

Anyways, AH, keep up the good work and hope to see that board up soon. I gotta run, short on time, peace.

Edited September 5, 2004 by Vigil

[TheArmenianPirate]

AH, did you see that? DID YOU ALL SEE THAT? MY POST WAS DELETED! 

 

I had a really long post, but apparently it was deleted because it "violated" some rule. Most likly I will be banned for some lame reason like "editting" my posts. Fair and balanced my ass, but since it is their board I will have to be quiet. It is strange most of the mods are living in countries that advocate free speech, but yet they feel like they can delete my posts because it does not emulate the hippie vibe. 

 

OUR POSTS ARE DELETED BUT YET BELLTHECAT CAN STATE STUFF THAT ATTACK YOUR CREDIBLITY: "Carefull. While much of this and your other postings may be true, put things into proportion and into a proper perspective or you might find yourself a suitable subject for Nairi's "liars and braggers" thread. "

Anyways, AH, keep up the good work and hope to see that board up soon. I gotta run, short on time, peace.

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Vigil little buddy, this is not a surprise at all on these forums, selective moderation runs rampant, hang in there. Some of the moderators on these boards know as much about "moderation" as they do about being Armenian, which in both cases, is next to nothing. I've been following this thread along with many others while on the road and at 13,000 feet, I have quite a few things to say regarding different matters. In the meanwhile, keep those great posts coming because my friends and I love reading your raw honesty and truth regarding various topics regarding our Armenian people. Last but not least don't let some of the spineless socialites on these boards get you too roused up my friend, just keep posting because TAP is ALWAYS reading, and enjoy the labor day weekend!

[Armenian Highlander]

AH, did you see that? DID YOU ALL SEE THAT? MY POST WAS DELETED!

 

Yeghbyr Vigil:

 

My post directed to you was also deleted, did you get a chace to read it?