The Armenian Highlands: The Birthplace Of Civiliza

[Armenian Highlander]

Indo-European Origins within Anatolia

 

As theorized by Colin Renfrew

 

One of the most respected archaeologists of our time, Colin Renfrew ["Archaeology and Language : The Puzzle of Indo-European Origins". ISBN: 0521386756] has argued convincingly that Indo-European languages were spread by farmers who, in search of new land gradually expanded outwards from the Fertile Crescent. He arrived at this conclusion by noting that almost all major language families were spread with farmers: didn't the farmers who colonized Europe also bring their language with them? Farmers, gradually expanding in small groups from the Fertile Crescent, and in the case of Indo-European languages from Anatolia, would profoundly alter the linguistic landscape of the lands they settled and cultivated. Renfrew's closely argued case is valuable both for providing a reasonable mechanism for the spread of Indo-European origins, and also for his thorough analysis of why other theories are wrong, or at least are supported by far flimsier evidence than they suppose.

 

Lord Renfrew has recently slightly modified his previous scheme. Now, he thinks that Proto-Indo-European unity is to be found in the Balkans, in agreement with the opinion of D'iakonov. Proto-Indo-European was however an offshoot of Pre-Proto-Indo-European which was the language of the early farmers who crossed the Aegean from Anatolia to settle in Thessaly. There, and in their subsequent northern expansion was formed the Proto-Indo-European community which subsequently gave birth to all the historical Indo-European languages, while those of Anatolia (Hittite, Luwian and Palaic) are actually an off-shoot of the Pre-Proto-Indo-European group that stayed behind.

 

According to Renfrew ["The Tarim basin, Tocharian, and Indo-European origins: a view from the west", in V.Mair (ed.), The Bronze Age & Early Iron Age Peoples of Eastern Central Asia (Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph #26, vol.1)]:

 

In harmony with the view of Dolgopolsky, and of Gamkrelidze and Ivanov, and following Sturtevant (1962), I suggest that the basic division in the early Indo-European languages is between the Anatolian languages on one hand and all the other members of the Indo-European family in the other. Such a view arises directly from the "farming dispersal" hypothesis, since farming came to Europe from Anatolia. It is suggested that all the other branches of the Indo-European languages (except possibly Armenian) were derived from the western branch of the divide (ancestral to the Indo-European languages of Europe, including those of the steppes, and thus also of the Iranian plateau, central Asia, and south Asia) [...] The secondary center, as Diakonoff realized, is the Balkans (around 5000 BCE), and from there one must envisage a division with the bulk of the early Proto-Indo-European languages of central and Western Europe (the languages of "Old Europe" in some terminologies, although emphatically not that of Gimbutas) on the one hand, and those of the steppe lands to the north of the Black Sea on the other (4th millennium BCE).

 

Source: http://www.geocities.com/dienekesp2/indoeuropean/

[Armenian Highlander]

Herr Teutonic Knight:

 

I am posting the following post here as well because the topic regardign where Armenians originated is also related to this thread.

 

The reason why we know today that there was an Indo-European language spoken within Asia Minor was because it happened to be recorded for the first time by the Hittites (who were one of the proto-Armenians incidentally). Thus, using your very logic, I ask you to show me where in Europe, or anywhere else for that matter, cand you find an earlier recording of an Indo-European language? Obviously, you can't. Thus, you just proved my very point. The earliest recoding of an Indo-European tongue was the language of the Hittites, who were 'Armenoids' (if you don't believe me, take a look at the many Hittite renderings of themselves) and aboriginals of Asia Minor, who eventually assimilated into Armenian society. Armenian was spoken within the highlands since the break up of the proto-Indo-European language family, it was just not recorded. As a matter fact, Armenian didn't get recoded until the fifth century. Thus, using your logic again, are we to conclude that Armenian did not exist prior to Mesrob Mashtots?

 

Nevertheless, how do you explain dozens of Indo-European Armenian lone words 'within' the Sumerian vocabulary if Indo-Europeans were not even supposed to have been within the region at the time Sumerians flourished?

 

How do you explain that the are Semitic and Caucasian affinities within the theorized proto-Indo European if the languages spoken by Indo-Europeans originated elsewhere?

 

How do you explain that early Armenian is related to early Iranian on the one hand and early Greek on the other hand, if Armenian had originated within Thrace"?

 

How do you explain that all of the technological implements accredited to the Indo-Europeans, such as the domestication of the horse (the horse did not even appear within Europe until prior to the onset of the classical period), wheeled transportation, iron tools and weaponry, agriculture and animal husbandry, theological and astronomical symbols such as the Swastika had their origination within the Armenian Highlands?

 

How do you explain that the Sumerians were not Semites and even insinuated that they were from the Armenian Highlands?

 

How do you explain that the Armenian, Greek, Iranian folk lore and mythology indicate that their national origins were the Armenian Highlands?

 

How do you explain various other European nations such as Croatians, Serbians, Albanians, Welsh, Germans have folklores and mythologies that directly insinuate that their predecessors were from eastern lands?

 

How do you explain that fact that many of the Greco-Roman deities and some Celtic and Germanic ones had their origination within the Urartian and Armenian pantheons?

 

All these unsolved questions in linguistic, mythology and archeology can only be explained by placing the proto-Indo-European tribes within the vicinity of the Armenian Highlands. I do not know why this is so difficult for you to accept or just consider? Just look at the evidence. For the longest time, Zionists were preaching the fairytales regarding Armenians which you believe in and most of them still do. Within western academia that "Thrace theory" was almost of a pre-requisite for Armenian historians, if they wanted to work of course. However, the evidence today is so overwhelmingly in the favor for the Asia Minor theory that even Zionists are forced to acknowledge it now. Look at the overwhelming linguistic, folkloric, archeological and anthropological evidences within allowing your psychological preconceptions, prejudices and personal intentions to get in the way. I know you want Armenians to feel western, however, by regurgitating fairytales you are not going to obtain that result.

 

Yes, there are genetic similarities between Armenians and Armenia's surrounding neighbors. It is common knowledge that Turks and Azeri's, as well as many of the Levantine Arabs, have genetic strains that is unique to Asia Minor. That is because throughout the past two thousand years invaders settled down within the region and mixed within the natives, thus, it is only natural that Turks will have common genetic similarities with Greeks and Persians and Arabs will have genetic similarities with Kurds, Persians and Turks. However, there are no genetic similarities between Armenians and Mongoloids, Armenians and Arabian Semites and Armenians and Africans. It was Asia Minor that gave its surrounding regions its genetic traits not the other way around. Regardless of how pretty or ugly, how white or dark, Armenians look the same today as they did three thousand years ago, with changes only associated with in-breeding. What's more, Armenians are probably more genetically pure than most of the European nations you seem to worship. Let's stay Armenocentric.

[ED]

Highlander, Steve, aka Bellthecat, he is not Armenian and I would sagest take a look at this thread and maybe then you'll realise yours and Vigils offencive words were uncalled for, therefore I did what I had to do, make your posts invisable till admistration and moderating team have a say at this.

 

And,

no matter if it was directed to Steve or any other member, and specially to a moderator of this board, you'll win no sympathy by bringing cheap redbrick and name calling, therefore, my fellow Armenian, as a moderator I did what I had to do, remove your and Vigils posts from public view, and till I see a courteous respectful redbrick from both you and Vigil and who ever will offend others ( regardless of there nationality) your posts containing offensive words will be censored and eventually bring termination of membership to Hyforum.

 

Thanks for your cooperation

Edited September 5, 2004 by Edward

[Armenian Highlander]

The civilizing influence of Ararat (the name for the Armenian federation state circa one thousand BC)

 

The civilizing influence of Ararat was widespread. It reached even such distant peoples (geographically and chronologically) as the Etruscans, the Greeks and the Achaemenid Persians (who were greatly influenced by the cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Ararat). The nomadic Scythians and Cimmerians and the semi-civilized Iranians states no doubt regarded the Armenian officials and army officers of Ararat as the representatives of one of the most highly civilized countries; and as prisoners of war, slaves or as soldiers serving in the armies of Ararat, they witnessed the luxurious life led by the aristocracy and the relatively high standard of living of the people in the great cities and fortresses of Ararat such as Tushpa (Biaina-Van, the capital of the kingdom), Erebuni (modern Yerevan), Argishtikhinili (Armavir), Menuakhinili, Teishebaini (Karmir Bloor, in the confined boundaries of modern Yerevan). The abundant deposits of iron, copper, tin, lead and silver in Armenia were generally employed in the service of various manufacturers. The ancient Greeks regarded Armenia as the land were iron was first smelted by the tribe of Armenians named Khaldi (the name refers to the supreme god of Ararat Khaldi and is another substitution for the Armenian name Haik, the legendary forefather of the Armenian nation, who in later centuries was also worshiped as an ancestral god).

 

Weapons of war and certain agricultural implements, especially plowshares, were made of iron. The rock-hewn fortresses were fashioned with iron tools. It was not until Sargon's reign in Assyria, (722-705B.C. that iron replaced bronze extensively in Assyria, the change most probably being due to Sargon's extent of military and economic contacts with Ararat, where he must have seen the great advantages of the use iron over bronze, both in military and as well as economic aspects. Sargon also made an inscription of a raid made on the sacred temple of Musasir-Ardini, where he and his army were amazed by the richness and abundance of finest and precious artifacts (more then 330,000 objects large and small) of gold, silver and precious stones; as well as ivories and bronzes, rare textiles and embroideries. The Assyrians, barbarously plundered looted and melted down the great statues of gold and silver, the temple, which in itself was a marvelous architectural column structure (the proto-type of Greek-Doric temples) Armenia was also the first producer of bronze (Armenian highlands are dotted with hundreds, if not thousands of, bronze-smelting foundries). This abrupt Assyrian raid (and sacrilegious pillaging of divine Musasir) resulted in the renewal of hostilities between Ararat and Assyria and by the retaliatory invasion of Ararat's army (at its height 300,000 strong) deep into the Assyrian territory. The two metals, the alloy of which produces bronze (92 per cent copper: 8 per cent tin), were found together in Armenia and Northern Syria (historically part of the Armenian kingdom of Mitanni) and not in Mesopotamia.

 

From about 2500 B.C. experiments with alloys of bronze and lead showed that the addition of 5-10 per cent lead to bronze alters its properties when molten, yet it does not impair its strength as a metal for the manufacture of tools and weapons. The advantage of adding lead to copper and tin is that the alloy becomes much less viscous at low temperatures and pours more freely into moulds of fine and intricate patterns. A splendid copper bison of superb workmanship, depicting one of the three main species in ancient Babylonia, now extinct, was found near Lake Van, dated 2300 BC. The Summerians (Suberian, from Arme-Subria) "settlers" from the Armenian highlands and Northern Mesopotamia carried the great culture of Ararat (Aratta, as they called it) to the lower Mesopotamia and there established cities such as Ur and Uruk (both of which carry and derive their name from the sacred Armenian Ar-Ur prefix). The Cretans too, were greatly affected and influenced by the rich heritage of Ararat and imported artifacts from the Kingdom of Biaina.

 

Interestingly enough most of the artifacts of the great Araratian culture and craftsmanship are to be found in foreign countries that imported Araratian artifacts and goods. At the Zenith of its power (800-743 B.C.) Ararat occupied the Mediterranean port of Poseidon, at the mouth of the River Yervand (Orontes), whence its bronze and iron articles (among other goods), dispatched from Tushpa, and elsewhere, through Carchemish, were shipped via Rhodes or Samos, Corinth and Delphi; or Cyprus and Crete to Italian peninsula; or overland, via Phrygia and the Ionian cities on the coast, to Samos and mainland Greece. The Araratian bronzes (statuettes, pottery, cauldrons, weaponry etc.) that were shipped abroad were copied extensively by the smiths of the importing countries. Those commercial relationships even helped to mould the art of Classical Greece. It is only in recent years that archaeologist have been able to study and assess the significance of Ararat finds, of which many pieces are of great artistic and historical merit in respect to their significant world contribution. An eminent British scholar, Leonard Woolley wrote, "the most original and the most fruitful contribution to art was made by the metal-workers of Ararat (Urartu)" (Mesopotamia and the Middle East, London 1961). The flowering of Araratian art coincided with the period of Ararat's military greatness in the eighth century BC when the Araratian Empire included central and eastern Anatolia, extensive provinces in Syria, and northern Mesopotamia, when Assyria had to yield the status of the super power to Ararat.

 

Source: http://www.armenianhighland.com/ararat/chronicle301.html

[bellthecat]

Highlander, Steve, aka Bellacat, he is not Armenian and I would segdest take a look at this thread and maybe then you'll realise yours and Vigils offencive words were uncalled for, therefore I did what I had to do, make your posts invisable till admistration and moderating team have a say at this.

 

And,

no matter if it was directed to Steve or any other member, and specially to a moderator of this board, you'll win no sympathy by bringing cheap redbrick and name calling, therefore, my fellow Armenian, as a moderator I did what I had to do, remove your and Vigils posts from public view, and till I see a courteous respectful redbrick from both you and Vigil and who ever will offend others ( regardless of there nationality) your post containing effective words will be censored and eventually bring termination of membership to Hyforum.

 

Thanks for your cooperation

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

Hmmmm, fortunately for our Armenian Highlander I did not see the erased posting. Perhaps that is more fortunate than he thinks, for (based on the subject matter, and the time of his posting) I have a suspicion I might know him. But, to judge from his tawdry treatment of that subject matter so far, I sincerely hope that he is NOT that person.

[bellthecat]

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.

 

Feet in the mud, head in the clouds?

[Armenian Highlander]

Perhaps that is more fortunate than he thinks, for (based on the subject matter, and the time of his posting) I have a suspicion I might know him.

 

Sorry, I do not know any low-life degenerates.

[bellthecat]

Sorry, I do not know any low-life degenerates.

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

Hmmm, well if you want to know one then know yourself. <_<

 

And just to reassure me - please confirm that you do not live in London and your initials are not H. P.

Edited September 5, 2004 by bellthecat

[Armenian Highlander]

And just to reassure me - please confirm that you do not live in London and your initials are not H. P.

 

Moron, like I said, I do not know any low-life degenerates.

 

And no, I have never even been to that shit-hole you call London.

[bellthecat]

Moron, like I said, I do not know any low-life degenerates.

 

And no, I have never even been to that shit-hole you call London.

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

Phew, that is a relief. I was worried for a while!

 

Leaves me free to tear you to shreads if I should feel like it.

 

Geographically, what hole do you shit in, then?

[nairi]

Now, can we please go back to the original topic and stop the name-calling. Thank you.

[Teutonic Knight]

AH, this guy is the author of the Virtual Ani web site, so lets agree to disagree. He's not an enemy.

[Vigil]

Moron, like I said, I do not know any low-life degenerates.

 

And no, I have never even been to that shit-hole you call London.

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London, I thought they renamed New "New Delhi"? You can only find the English in South Africa!

Edited September 6, 2004 by Vigil

[Vigil]

Yeghbyr Vigil:

 

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

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

Ah, I read it and posted a reply, but the Nazi...opps...the moderators committed genocide.

[Vigil]

AH, if you are going to open up the Armenian Legion board let me know please. I was thinking about opening up a board like this, but I did not think it would catch on. However, if you are seriously going to open it up let me know please. Edited September 6, 2004 by Vigil

[Ludwig9]

Armenian Highlander has made some excellent points !! Please keep on posting more articles.

[Azat]

AH as one of the 'natzi' modarators of this forum I gave you a warning for calling other members names. I suggest you go back and reread the code of conduct for this forum. 3 warnings and you will be banned.

 

Vigil dtumi ham@ tvir in your posts. While I agree with much of what you have to say I completely disagree with how you convey your mesage. People will stop reading your posts after a while.(if they haven't already.)

[Armenian Highlander]

Below is an excerpt from an essay titled "The Evolution of Armenian and World Alphabets" written by an Armenian Historian named Melkon Khandjian. The essay is concerning the early culture of proto-Armenians and the very early development of civilization within the Armenian Highlands.

 

"Astounding archaeological discoveries and scientific research of the post two decades in Soviet Armenia and in lesser degree in Turkish occupied western Armenia, have come to establish the Armenian Highlands as the cradle of human civilization. With a unique and indigenous culture, her contributions of universal magnitude have decisively shaped the course of history and human destiny. After two billion years of evolutionary progress from pre-human species, the modern physical man appeared about 50,000 years ago. Although the origins of civilization are complex, yet modern investigations agree that the foundations of civilization building began about 9000 BC. Through the Neolithic Revolution in the highlands of Armenia and Kurdistan. Here for the first time man cultivated wheat and barley and domesticated the goat, sheep, and cattle: species of plants and animals the wild ancestors of which were native to this region. Thus, the savage hunting and food-gathering man transformed into sedentary village-city life, and through the control of his food production and acquisition of more leisure time, mankind diverted his energy and intellect to civilization making through economic, technological, religious, social, and political developments, Following the Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Revolutions, major developments followed. First, pottery making was discovered in western Armenia about 7000 BC, making possible the storage of surplus foodstuff."

 

"Next emerged the Technological Revolution, in the vicinity of Lake Van in Armenia, when after a million and a half years of stone age subculture, the native volcanic gloss known as obsidian was used and later exported as a material from which sharp edged and superior tools were manufactured Between 6500 and 4000 before Christ, Armenian tribesmen carried on a thriving trade by supplying obsidian to Near Eastern lands. This traffic set in motion the beginnings of trade and commerce, and o communication system, which initiated the diffusion, and exchange of economic. Cultural, and urban advances among the ancients. Thereafter, in the metalliferous Armenian highlands emerged the Metallurgical Age, when natives discovered the technique of cold working with (8000 BC) and smelting of (5000 BC) copper, and later the manufacture of bronze by addition of tin. All evidences confirm Armenia was also the birthplace for silver, brass, and iron, and her riverbeds and mines source for ancient gold. Although meteoric iron had been in use since 2500 BC the true Iron Age begins about 1400 BC, when some Armenian smelters learned how to make steel from wrought iron: a secret closely guarded for centuries. In 1963, the world's oldest metallurgical factory was excavated at Metzamor, in Soviet Armenia, doted beyond 4000 years ago and containing over 200 furnaces."

 

"Although wheels and carriages had been known for some time, the invention of the first practical wheeled vehicles -- the cart and the chariot -- seem to have token place in the vicinity of Lake Sevan in Soviet Armenia circa 3000 BC. After taming of the horse around 2500 BC, probably in Eurasia, this swift animal replaced the slower moving oxen as the driving power. The development of the lightweight, horse drown chariot revolutionized long distance transport and warfare, which under the Hyksos in 1730 BC, made possible the establishment of the world's first empire. Of paramount importance to the evolution of religion and political and social order is the birth of astrology the understanding of the movements of the heavenly bodies and their relationship to earth and its life cycles. Modern research concludes that since the Zodiac signs represent animals native only to ancient Armenia and east Asia Minor, and that the arrangement of the stars in the constellation are such as if viewed from an area around the 40th parallel; therefore, the sciences of astrology, as well as alchemy and medicine, have their origins in Armenia. The recent discovery in Soviet Armenia of 5000-year-old triangular, three story astronomical observatory where the star Sirius was worshipped (just as in Egypt) adds strength to the above conclusion. Ancient peoples believed that mankind evolved in Armenia, built a high civilization, but was destroyed by a great flood, offer which the remnants spread to Oil directions Modern geology supports the view of a catastrophic local flood. Mythology and traditions of nations of antiquity confirm this belief. The Holy Bible places the Garden of Eden in Armenia and the genesis of human races around Mount Ararat upon which landed Noah’s Ark."

[Ludwig9]

Theologically its make sense. Considering the Garden of Eden was located in historical Armenia, God would return Noah to the Garden after the flood.

[Armenian Highlander]

Theologically its make sense. Considering the Garden of Eden was located in historical Armenia, God would return Noah to the Garden after the flood.

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You are correct my friend.

 

The questions regarding the emergence of mankind onto the annals of the history is only answered by first placing the Armenian Highlands within the "epicenter" of ancient civilization.

[Armenian Highlander]

THE URARTIAN (ARARATIAN) KINGDOM

http://www.tacentral.com/erebuni/images/erebuni2a.jpg

 

2,783 years young, Yerevan's (the Capital of the Armenian Republic) history as a continuously inhabited city goes back to the citadel of Erebuni, founded in 782 BC by the Urartian King Argishti I.

 

One of the greatest empires of the Iron Age, the Urartians (who called themselves and their land Biainili, and their capital Tushpa, by Lake Van) rivaled Assyria for control of strategic trade routes between Central Asia and the Mediterranean. Powerful enough to invade the fabled Kingdom of Babylon, Urartian armies amassed what some say was the first Armenian Empire, connecting the lands of the Armenian Plateau and Anatolia with the Caucasus Mountains. But ancestral Armenians and Yerevan can trace their birth thousands of years before, to the dawn of civilization itself and the rise of a culture that by 5000 BC had already learned secrets of astronomy and bronze, and developed some of the first black-varnished and geometric patterned pottery, more than 1500 years before Minoans and Mycanaeans began mass-production. Urartu was a bridge, the last crossing of Asia and the West before the great division in the Hellenistic Age.

 

Assyrian tablets from this period make the first mention of "Urartu" as a strong power. Also at this time Assyria went into 200 years of decline, allowing Urartu to develop and expand its influence. Hurrian influences continued, but the Urartu tribe began to absorb Assyrian culture, including the use of cuneiform to replace pictogram writing. By the 9th c. BC the Urartu kingdom had established its regional power far beyond its capital at Tushpa (present day Van), invading Mesopotamia, and unifying the tribes in the Armenian plateau into one centralized state. The Urartians consistently cut Assyria from the trade routes to the Mediterranean, and enjoyed a monopoly on commerce between Asia and the West. The Urartians called their country Biainili (the name "Urartu" comes from the Assyrian language).

 

Urartu was a remarkably developed culture that had extensive contacts with the major empires of the Ancient world stretching between the Mediterranean and India, and rivaled them for trade, military and cultural hegemony. Urartian timber was shipped to Egypt, its metal forges were used to produce iron weapons and tools, and its development of irrigation created vast agricultural tracts. They worshipped a pantheon of gods which closely resembled those in other empires, and their temple architecture show a similarity to that discovered in Ur (ca. 3500-2000 BC) and Babylon. It is known that when the Assyrian king Shargun II built Dur-Sharukin, he incorporated details from Urartian secular design schemes into his throne room. Frescoes found in the excavation of Erebuni in Yerevan are virtually identical to those later used by the Assyrians.

 

The Urartians had a centralized government, led by a king successfully binding a federation of tribes into a large empire. Often at odds with the Assyrians, their history parallels the rise and fall of the Babylonian and Assyrian empires, but at their height in the 8th c BC, they capture entire Assyrian provinces, invaded Babylon, going as far as the river Diala, and usurped Assyria's trade routes. exacting tremendous tribute to allow passage. One the earliest of the Urartu kings was Ishpuinis (Ispuinis), who was so successful in his campaigns against the Assyrians he began to assume titles of ever-increasing pomposity and glory. From "Ruler of Tushpa", he soon added the titles, "King of the Land of Nairi", "Great King", Powerful King" and King of the Universe". Ishpuinis succeeded in stretching the empire close to the edge of present day Armenia, along the Arax River, but was repelled by local tribes. Contemporary accounts show a series of attacks and counter-attacks between the Urartians and local kingdoms. At the same time, they were repelling repeated Assyrian attacks, and had so grown in wealth and military importance, that other tribes in the now "Nairi-Urartu" federation began to organize their own attacks against the new empire.

 

The first wave of outright war between the two great powers occurred during the reign of the Assyrian king Shalmanaser III (860-825 BC), who had reformed the Assyrian empire and brought it out of decline. Shalmanaser III achieved success in the first three years of his reign, profusely recorded on bronze gates uncovered at the Assyrian city of Imgur-Emil southeast of Ninevah. The bronze gates record Shalmanaser III’s continual wars with the Urartians, glorifying in detail his control over an "unruly tribe". The bronze gates can be considered an early form

 

Campaigns against the Urartu king Aramu destroyed several Urartian cities, but the Assyrians never succeeded in reaching the heart of the kingdom, and successive campaigns focussed more and more on peripheral areas of the country. By the end of Shalmanaser III’s reign, the bronze gates record no victories and hint at defeat at the hands of a new Urartu king, Siduri (Sarduri). Sarduri was so confident in his power he had a erected massive wall at Tushpa, where inscriptions were carved in Assyrian and Urartian giving himself the titles "the magnificent king, the mighty king, king of the universe, king of the land of Nairi, a king having none equal to him, a shepherd to be wondered at, fearing no battle, a king who humbled those who would not submit to his authority." No problem with self-esteem there.

 

http://www.armenianhighland.com/images/illustration819.gif

Reconstruction Model of Erebuni Fortress 8th cen. BC

 

The real rise of the empire of Urartu is centered around three kings: Menuas, Argishti and Sardur I. Menuas in particular established the outlines of the empire, and organized the centralized administrative structure that enabled his son Argishti and grandson Sardur II to extend the empire to its furthest reaches. During his reign Menuas reached the northern spurs of Mount Ararat and reached the banks of the Arax River. He established a stronghold named Menuakhnili (starting an Urartian tradition of naming cities after kings) in the environs of the present day village Tashburun. Menuas spent much of his efforts in internal organization of the empire, and most likely because of this Assyrian cuneiform do mention him. Urartian cuneiform shows that Menuas fortified the citadel of Tushpa and established cities and strongholds throughout the empire. The fortified cities he had built were placed so that communications between even the farthest reaches of the empire and Tushpa could raise an invasion force within a matter of hours. Of particular note, Menuas developed extensive irrigation within the Urartian Empire, some of which are still operating. Of these, the mistakenly called Shamiram (or Semiramis) canal was built during the reign of Menuas, and still supplies water to the region of Van...

 

http://www.cilicia.com/pics/maps/plan_erebuni.gif

1) southern portico

2) main entranceway

3) main bailey

4) apadana in place of Haldi temple

5) peristyle

6) Susi temple

7) auxiliary yard & storehouses

8) presence chamber

9) fire worshippers temple (small)

 

Source: www.tacentral.com/erebuni/index.asp & www.cilicia.com

[Armenian Highlander]

http://www.parev.am/PICTURES/5Sevan/4IndexKarni.jpg

 

Armenian Religion During the Pre-Christian Era

 

Similar to all the pre-historic nations, Armenians, during their Pre-Christian era worshiped the nature, the elements, spirits, eponymous and other legendary heroes and a number of gods. We can divide the Armenian pre-Christian era into three periods.

 

Period of nature worship:

 

During this time, Armenians had nature gods and worshiped the elements. Consequently they worshiped.- The mountains. Armenia being mountainous, Armenians worshiped the mountains in a special way and particularly the volcanoes. Massis, Arakatz, Krkour, Gortuk, Nebad, Varak, Sipan and Nemrout are some of them. It is noteworthy that Armenians had devoted particular days of the months to the above mentioned "mountain-gods". The trees and the flowers. Special place among Armenians' nature gods had the poplar and the plane-tree. The worship of the plane-tree had a special significance for Armenians.

 

In the valley of Mount Ararat (near Armavir city) a wood of plane-trees was planted, which unfortunately has not been preserved till nowadays. Armenians believed, that their priests (Kourms) could foretell the future or that they could communicate with the spirits of their ancestors by listening to the rustling of leaves. The offer of royal family boys to the plane-tree, called "sosanver", is also mentioned The water. Armenia also being full of water Armenians worshiped the very essential element for life, water.

 

They worshiped the rain, the flood, the water spring, the river, the lake and the sea. The lakes Sevan and Van and the rivers Arax, Yeprad, Dikris, Tzorokh and Gour were some of the worshiped "nature gods". The animals. Some of the animals worshiped by Armenians are the sheep, the pig, the cow, the horse, the dog, the cat, the mouse, the frog, the eagle, the crane, the stork, the swallow, the chicken, the cock, the lion, the bear, the wolf, the bull and the snake or dragon. The sun and the moon. Armenians had so deep faith to the sun that even after their conversion to Christianity they continued worshipping the sun, for some time. The planets and the stars. Together with the sun and the moon, Armenians worshiped the rest of the planets of the solar system, naming the days of the week after them. Armenians worshiped also our galaxy -the Milky Way-, and the rainbow. During this period the Armenians paid their respects mostly in the forest.

 

Period of spirits' and heroes' worship:

 

In the following centuries the Armenians started worshipping invisible and imaginary spirits and heroes. According to the Armenians these spirits belonged to their ancestors and to various nature elements and they were distinguished to "good" and "evil". They lived in water or on land having human, animal or both human and animal appearance. "The Braves", were good spirits. The most famous of them were those who inhabited at the foot of Massis (an other name for Mt. Ararat) and were vengeful spirits against bad people. The Haralez (Arlez or Aralez), were good spirits, having dog-form appearance who, by licking the wounds of dead brave soldiers, brought them back to life.

 

The Armenians continued worshipping the "Haralez"s for some time even after their conversion to Christianity. The Vishap (Dragon), was an evil and harmful spirit having various appearances.(Big snake, big fish) The Haverzahars, the nymphs, were good spirits protecting the women. They lived in beautiful places. Beside the mentioned spirits, the Armenians also worshiped others such as the.- Barig, Bai, Hamparou, Nhunk and Shahabed. In time, after the conversion to Christianity at 301AD, the spirits turned to either angels or demons.

 

The Pagan period:

 

During the 5th century BC Armenians adopted the Iranian form of these divinities and domesticated them. The principal gods Armenians worshiped were.- Aramazd, the father of the gods, the creator of the sky and the earth. Anahid, daughter of Aramazd, goddess of fertility and maternity, mother of all prudence and virtues. She was the favorite goddess of the Armenians. Her statue in Yeriza was golden. Vahakn, the god of fire, power and bravery. These three divinities constituted the "trinity". Mihr (of iranian origin), the son of Aramazd, god of light and sun. Dir, the god of rain.

 

He was also the scribe of Aramazd and the messenger of the gods. He was mosthe messenger of the gods. He was most likely the god of literature, science and the recorder of man's deeds of good and evil. One of his duties was to record the dead and take them near Aramazd. Astghik, the goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility. She was the mistress of Vahakn. Armenians used to celebrate, in order to honor Astghik, they offered her roses (vart in Armenian - therefore the celebration was called "Vartavar"), they let doves fly and sprinkled water on each other. Armenians still celebrate "Vartavar", having adopted it to a christian custom.

 

Nanne, daughter of Aramazd and the goddess of the sky, she Aramazd and the goddess of the sky, she represented the mind and the bravery. Parshamin (of syrian origin), the god of the sky and Vanadour, the god of germination and fruit bearing. During this period, Armenians built temples the "mehian"s. In these temples there were statues of the god or goddess for whom the temple was built, and in front of the statues there was the altar, called Pakin, where offerings were made to the god or goddess. There was also a special place called kantsaran (something more or less like a safe), where the gifts from the people were kept.

 

The priests were called kourm. In Armenia there were a lot of temples. However, only seven of them were the most famous. Armenians gathered there every year to worship. Those are The Temple of Aramazd, in Ani and Pakavan, the Temple of Anahid, in Yeriza and Ardashad, the Temple of Mihr, in Pakaraidz, the Temple of Dir, in Yerazamuin, the Temple of Astghik, in Ashdishad, where there were also the Temples of Vahakn and Anahid, the Temple of Nane, in Til and the statue of Parshamin in Tortan. All these temples were ruined during the 4th century by St. Gregory the Illuminator.

 

Source: http://www.ercole.net/hayaser/religion.asp

[Armenian Highlander]

It is said that a picture coud be worth a thousand words. In this case, I agree.

 

http://www.parev.am/PICTURES/7South/SouthMountain6.jpg

[Armenian Highlander]

http://www.iatp.am/resource/artcult/rockart/geghama/table/t64.gif http://www.iatp.am/resource/artcult/rockart/ughtasar/080.gif

 

The Rock Arts of the Armenian Elevation are the Primary Source of

the Armenian, Egyptian, Indian and Hettitian Ideograms (Hieroglyphs)

 

Professor G. Vahanyan, Head of the Computer Graphic Arts Department,

Yerevan Academy of Fine Arts, V. Bleyan, post-graduate,

L. Kocharian, post-graduate, V. Vahanyan, student

 

It is known, that with the appearance and the development of language the man is becoming a unique “symbolic animal”, passing a way from a biological being to a thinking one. But the reason is that the language, as an informatics object is a developing, open, huge library of interactive symbols, elements. Each of the elements is modeling, projecting and means one appearance of the world, out of the edges of the human race particularly and entirely. Taking in set that symbols and elements are summarized in one image of the space, environment, where live and create the users of that language. As the natural conditions, in which our forefathers lived, and the situation, which is expressed by the representatives of that culture, in many cases are changed from one ethnos to another, in the result we observe differences in the languages of various ethnic groups, and, in some cases, the differences are not essential in one ethnic group.

 

As the authors think, these differences obviously appeared in the stages of the development of rock art, rock images and pictures. Sometimes the graphical languages (executive manners, typical forms, etc.) of various ethnic groups are non-similar. It is supposed, that the complexes of the rock images, which were discovered on the historical territory of Armenia, are differed from each other in a measure of mental characteristics and dialect differences of the representatives of Armenian people from various parts and regions of Armenia.

 

The graphical language, symbols and signs are available. They are invariant and never depend on time, geographical and natural coordinates. Many nations had successfully learned and developed this language. Language symbols are general and understandable basically in the limits of one ethnic group, in determined geographical space and time. The authors think that just the moment of the investigation of the graphical archetypes is supposed to be the start of the civilization. The graphical image, picture, symbol or sign, which is fixed on the stone, exists singly, never depends on its creator - «is alienated from him». All this systems possess by the feature of autonomy and independence. Linguist V.V. Martinov call the language – “Actuality – 2'', in diversity of “Actuality – 1”, which is the world environment.

 

The graphical language, the language of petrography and rock pictures allowed a floating, harmonic and efficient (less actions) passing from ''Actuality – 1'' to ''Actuality – 2''. The construction of ''Actuality – 2'' relative to the objective, real or imaginable process, weighing of negative and positive features, hesitation in sincerity of thoughts, projection and development of the structure of logical constructions, choice of more acceptable decisions and their spreading – for all mentioned the man and the human language are obliged to the features of graphical language, as well as to simultaneity, invariance, reflectiveness, regularity, totality, etc.

 

The hieroglyphs or the symbols (the word “ideogram” comes from the Greek words “idea” and “I’m writing”) have a significant place in the history of letter writing. Hieroglyphs usually considered to be the first step in the development of letter writing and were on the lowest development degree, as if they do not express sounds or syllables. They express whole words or parts of them and, naturally, do not submit any grammatical rule and cause serious difficulties in reading. Egyptians, Shummers and Chinese implemented this kind of letter writing. The ancient nations, such as Armenian, also had hieroglyphs in their letter writing...

 

http://www.iatp.am/ara/sites/articles/rockhierogl/images/image182.jpg

 

Source: http://www.iatp.am/ara/sites/articl...roglyhsengl.htm

[gamavor]

Wow Highlander!!! Next year I'm gonna ski in Tzakhgadzor!

 

Really nice pictures! Thanks!