The history of Ancient Armenia is not one thousand years old, but the Armenians themselves lived long before the emergence of nations of modern Europe. They existed before the appearance of ancient peoples - the Romans and Hellenes.
In the cuneiforms of the Persian rulersthe name "Arminia". Herodotus also mentions "Armen" in his works. According to one version, it was an Indo-European people who moved from Europe in the 12th century. BC. e.
Another hypothesis states that the pre-Armeniantribal alliances arose for the first time in the Armenian Highlands by the 4th-3rd millennium BC. They are, as some scholars say, found in the poem "Iliad" by Homer under the name "arima".
One of the names of Ancient Armenia is the High, according tooffers scientists, comes from the name of the people "hayasy." This name is mentioned on clay Hittite tables in the II millennium BC. e., Discovered during the archaeological excavations of Hattushasa - the ancient capital of the Hittites.
There is evidence that the Assyrians called this territory a country of rivers - Nairi. According to one of the hypotheses, it included 60 different peoples.
At the beginning of IX c. BC. e.emerged a powerful kingdom of Urartu with Van capital. It is believed that this is the most ancient state on the territory of the Soviet Union. The civilization of Urartu, the successors of which were Armenians, was quite developed. There was a written language based on Babylonian-Assyrian cuneiform, agriculture, cattle breeding, metallurgy.
Urartu was famous for the technology of erectionimpregnable fortresses. On the territory of modern Yerevan there were two of them. The first, Erebuni, was built by one of the first kings of Argishti. It was she who gave the name of the modern capital of Armenia. The second, Teishebaini, was founded by Tsar Rus II (685-645 BC). This was the last ruler of Urartu. The state could not resist the powerful Assyria and perished forever from its weapons.
It was replaced by a new state.The first kings of Ancient Armenia - Yeruand and Tigran. Do not confuse the latter with the famous ruler Tigran the Great, who later will terrify the Roman Empire and create a great empire in the East. A new nation emerged, formed as a result of the assimilation of Indo-Europeans with the local ancient tribes of hayam and urartu. From here came a new state - Armenia Ancient with its culture, language.
At one time, Persia was a powerful state.All the peoples living in Asia Minor obeyed them. This fate befell the Armenian kingdom. Domination of Persians over them lasted more than two centuries (550-330 BC).
Armenia is an ancient civilization.This is confirmed by many historians of antiquity, for example, Xenophon in the V in BC. e. As a participant in the events, the author of Anabasis described the retreat of 10,000 Greeks to the Black Sea through a country called Armenia Ancient. The Greeks saw the developed economic activity, as well as the life of Armenians. They everywhere found wheat, barley, fragrant wines, lard, various oils - pistachio, sesame, almond. The ancient Hellenes also saw here raisins, pome fruits. In addition to crop products, Armenians bred domestic animals: goats, cows, pigs, chickens, horses. Xenophon's data tell the descendants that the people living in this place were economically developed. The abundance of various products is striking. Armenians not only produced food themselves, but also actively engaged in trade with neighboring lands. Of course, Xenophon did not say anything about it, but he listed some products that do not grow in the area.
Strabo in the I century. n. e.reports that Armenia ancient had very good pastures for horses. The country was not inferior to Media in this regard and supplied horses annually for the Persians. He mentions Strabo about the duties of the Armenian satraps, the administrative governors of the Persian rule, the obligation to supply about two thousand young foals in honor of the famous Mitra festival.
The historian Herodotus (V century BC.) described the Armenian soldiers of that era, their armament. Soldiers wore small shields, had short spears, swords, darts. On their heads - wicker helmets, they were shod in high shoes.
The era of Alexander of Macedon perekroila entire map of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. All the lands of the great Persian empire became part of the new political association under the rule of Macedonia.
After the death of Alexander the Great, the statebreaks up. In the east, the Seleucid state is formed. Once the single territory of the united people was divided into three separate regions within the new country: Great Armenia, located on the Ararat plain, Sophena - between the Euphrates and the upper reaches of the Tigris and Lesser Armenia - between the Euphrates and the upper reaches of Lycos.
The history of ancient Armenia, though speaking aboutconstant dependence on other states, but it shows that it concerned only foreign policy issues, which had a beneficial effect on the development of the future state. It was a kind of prototype autonomous republic in the successive empires.
Armenian rulers were often called Basileus,those. kings. They retained only formal dependence, sending to the center tribute and the army in wartime. No attempts to penetrate into the internal structure of the Armenians were made either by the Persians or the Hellenistic state of the Seleucids. If the former managed almost all of their remote territories, then the successors of the Greeks always changed the internal structure of conquered peoples, imposing "democratic values" and a special order on them.
После поражение Селевкидов от Рима армяне received a temporary independence. Rome was not yet ready after the war with the Greeks to embark on new conquests of the peoples. This was used by the once united people. Efforts to restore the united state began, which was called "Armenia Ancient".
The ruler of Great Armenia Artashes declared himselfindependent king Artashes I. It united all the lands that spoke the same language, including Little Armenia. The last area of Sophena became part of the new state later, in 70 years, with the famous ruler Tigran the Great.
It is believed that during the new dynasty of Artashesid andthere was a great historical event - the formation of the nationality of the Armenians with their own language and culture. Great influence on them had a neighborhood with developed Hellenistic peoples. Chasing their own coins with Greek inscriptions spoke about the strong influence of neighbors on culture and trade.
In the era of the reign of the Artashesid dynasty appearfirst major cities. Among them is the city of Artashat, which became the first capital of the new state. Translated from the Greek, it means "the joy of Artaxia."
New capital had a favorable geographicalposition in that era. It was located on the main route to the ports of the Black Sea. The time of the appearance of the city coincided with the establishment of land trade relations of Asia with India and China. Artashat began to acquire the status of a major trade and political center. Plutarch praised the role of this city. He gave him the status of "Carthage of Armenia", which translated into modern language meant a city that unites all the nearby lands. All the Mediterranean powers knew about beauty and luxury of Artashat.
История Армении с древнейших времен содержит bright moments of the power of this state. The Golden Age falls on the reign of Tigran the Great (95-55) - the grandson of the founder of the famous dynasty Artashes I. Tigranakert became the capital of the state. This city has become one of the leading centers of science, literature and art throughout the ancient world. The best Greek actors performed in the local theater, famous scholars and historians were frequent guests of Tigran the Great. One of them is the philosopher Metrodor, who was an ardent opponent of the expanding Roman Empire.
Armenia became part of the Hellenistic world. The Greek language penetrated the aristocratic elite.
Armenia in I in BC. er- developed advanced state of the world. She took all the best that was in the world - culture, science, art. Tigran the Great developed theaters and schools. Armenia was not only the cultural center of Hellenism, but also a economically strong state. Grew trade, industry, crafts. A distinctive feature of the state was that it did not take the system of slavery, which was used by the Greeks and Romans. All lands were cultivated by peasant communities whose members were free.
Armenia Tigran the Great is spread over vastterritory. This was an empire that encompassed a large part of Fore-Asia from the Caspian to the Mediterranean. Many nations and states became its vassals: in the north - Tsibania, Iberia, in the south-east - Parthia and Arab tribes.
The rise of Armenia coincided with the flourishing of anothereastern state on the territory of the former USSR - Ponta, headed by Mithridates. After long wars with Rome, Pont also lost his independence. Armenia was in good neighborly relations with Mithridates. After his defeat, she was left alone with the mighty Rome.
После продолжительных войн единая Армянская Empire in 69-66 BC er broke up. Under the rule of Tigran, only Great Armenia remained, which was declared the “friend and ally” of Rome. So called all the conquered states. In fact, the country has become a regular province.
After entering the Roman Empire, the antique 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.
In ancient times, Armenians usedwritten in the Babylonian-Assyrian cuneiform. In the heyday of Armenia, at the time of Tigran the Great, the country completely switches to Greek in business practice. On the coins, archaeologists find Greek writing.
The Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots relatively late - in 405. Originally it consisted of 36 letters: 7 vowels and 29 consonants.
The main 4 graphic forms of the Armenian letter - Yerkatagir, Bolorgir, Shkhagir and Notrgir - develop only in the Middle Ages.
