Candidate of Historical Sciences, professor at Yerevan State University, senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Armenologist Artak Movsisyan answers questions from the presenter and author of the project, Vadim Arutyunov. The questions were prepared based on various discussions taking place on the Internet on issues of the history of Armenia and Armenian people.

- The question is often asked regarding the origin of the Armenian people, in particular, where did the proto-Armenians come from?

This is a pretty big topic. On the Internet I have a special lecture lasting about an hour about the origin of the Armenian people for those who are interested, and now I will try to present it in a very condensed and more popular form. Speaking about the origin of the Armenians, one must very clearly understand that the Armenians are an autochthonous people. Armenian legends indicate that Armenians are an indigenous people. The 18th century Armenian historian Mikael Chamchyan and other historians, based on the Bible and Armenian sources, went even further. They argued that Armenia is the cradle of humanity, a country where life was revived after the Flood, and the Armenians are the indigenous people of this divine, paradise, biblical land, the land of Noah’s Ark.

But the 19th century came and what happened? When deciphering the cuneiforms found in Armenia, it was discovered that they were not in the Armenian language, they were cuneiforms called Urartian or Biaynili cuneiforms, and the names of the kings - Menua, Argishti, Sarduri - were not mentioned by Movses Khorenatsi. Today, of course, it is clear and understandable why they are not there, but in the 19th century this gave rise to doubt. Moreover, the question was raised - where to look for the homeland of the Indo-Europeans or Aryans, as some scientists call them, that is, it was necessary to understand where the ancestral home of the Indo-Europeans was located. In the 19th century, it was generally accepted among European scientists that the ancestral home of the Indo-Europeans was in Europe, in the southeastern part of Europe - in the Balkans. That is, it turned out, on the one hand, that the cuneiform writings found on the Armenian Highlands were not read in Armenian, the kings were not mentioned by Khorenatsi, and on the other hand, it was generally accepted that linguistics believed that the homeland of the Indo-Europeans was in the Balkans. If it is located in Europe, in the Balkans, therefore, the Armenians came from there. And a theory arose that, allegedly, the Armenians came from the Balkans, seized the territory of the Armenian Highlands, and later created their own state. And this, despite the fact that there were cuneiform writings where the oldest versions of the name Armenia are mentioned, mentioned more than 30 times even before the famous Behistun inscription. The first mentions date back to the 24th-23rd century BC. Akkadian rulers - Sargon of Akkad, Naram-Suen and others, mention the country of Armani, which is oldest form names Armenia. And since there was an idea that there were no Armenians here, they were newcomers, it was believed that the similarity of the names Armenia, Armenians, Ararat was accidental. If there were no Armenians here, then the similarity of names is accidental. Accident can be 1, 2, 3 times, but not dozens of times, there are hundreds of cuneiforms where they are mentioned in different options names armen, hai, ararat. Subsequently, this Balkan theory was not developed, since it was discovered that the homeland of the Indo-Europeans was not in the Balkans, but in the north of Western Asia, more specifically in the territory of the Armenian Highlands, in the east of Asia Minor, in the north-west of Iran and in the northern part of Mesopotamia. And this is today confirmed not only by data from linguistics, archeology, but also by genetic engineering, and research at the DNA level provides ultra-precise data. Today we can say that Armenians are an autochthonous people. Linguists trace the period of separation of the Armenian language from Proto-Indo-European to the end of the 4th millennium BC, and the data of genetic engineering even earlier, to the 6th millennium BC, that is, 8 thousand years before us. That is, we can clearly talk about the presence of a separate Armenian ethnic group over the past 8 thousand years; we can say that the Armenians created their entire history on this territory, on the Armenian Highlands, which, by the way, was not called Armenian by Armenian scientists. In written sources, the most ancient Sumerian written sources from the 28th-27th century. BC refers to the state of Aratta, which is the oldest name Ararat in Sumerian sources.

IN different times Armenians and Armenia had connections with Semitic peoples. Is it possible to say that in addition to the Indo-European origin, some percentage of Semitic blood cannot be excluded among the Armenians?

In terms of origin, no. But throughout history, when speaking Semitic, we must also mean, for example, the Assyrians. Of course, they lived in Armenia, were our southern neighbors, in the 4th century we used the Assyrian language and writing, many works of Assyrian authors were preserved only in the Armenian language, the Assyrians used the Armenian language. There were contacts, of course, and a number of Assyrians assimilated with the Armenians. Some very small number of Jews may have assimilated into the Armenians. Today, when they say Semitic, people for some reason are afraid of this term, understanding by this purely Jews. This is not so, after all, we must not forget that there was a huge Arab world, the Arameans, who were the southern neighbors of the Armenians. In terms of origin, we are pure Indo-Europeans. But in a historical context, every people communicates, everyone gives and takes blood, and this is natural. And recent DNA research has yielded amazing results. Even in Chinese genetics, 4 percent of Armenian blood was found, which at first glance is very surprising. It can be shown as a result of what historical events and during what time periods migration and emigration were observed. It is no coincidence that a share of Armenian blood is quite often found in the blood of other peoples, and not only the blood of other peoples is found among us, we did not live surrounded by a fortress wall. But in terms of origin, Armenians are not of Semitic origin. Although, it must be said that according to Jewish tradition, which was preserved by Josephus, the Armenians are the descendants of Aram, therefore, they are Semites, that is, they are related to the Jews. In the legends of many peoples of ancient and middle ages, information has been preserved that they are related to the Armenians. But this has a simple explanation, because in ancient and middle ages Armenia was a powerful state, the Armenians were a great people, and kinship with a powerful one is always desirable. Here's a very simple explanation.

Considering that these same Semites: Assyrians, Jews, Arabs belong to the Armenoid subrace, it seems to me that they also have an Indo-European grain, thanks perhaps to the same Armenians.

There is such an opinion in science, and the author is not Armenian - Igor Dyakonov. He put forward a theory according to which the Arameans, in ancient cuneiforms they are called Ahlamu, who came to Armenia starting from about the 14th century BC, began to be called Ahlamu-Arameans, and then - Arameans and Dyakonov put forward the point of view that the name Aram, ethnic they took the name from the Armenians. We know that the French, for example, took the name franc from the Germans, this is a normal phenomenon. Naturally, there were such connections, but there is no need to see any super-complex phenomena behind this. I know that today there are extreme, deliberately politicized opinions, but that’s all.

There is also a lot of talk around the state of Urartu. Who were its inhabitants and what language did they speak?

Let's start with the fact that the term Urartu itself goes back to the Ashur-Babylonian version of the name Ararat. As in Sumerian sources it was Aratta, and in the Bible Armenia is always called Ararat. In Ashur-Babylonian cuneiforms there is an alternation ah sounds: Arme-Urme, Arbela-Urbil, Ararat-Urartu. And what’s interesting is that in Palestine, in the Qumran caves, where a huge number of ancient manuscripts from the 1st millennium BC were found, Urarat is mentioned there instead of Ararat. Ararat-Urarat-Urartu, that is, even an intermediate transitional link has been preserved. That is, this is one of the names of Armenia. And today to say that the Armenians are one people, and the Khays are another, or Somekhs, as the Georgians call us, a third, is simply absurd.

On what basis did they decide that Urartu is an Armenian state? Having deciphered the cuneiform, we realized that they were not in Armenian. But let’s not forget that in Urartu they used three writing systems: in Assyrian cuneiforms, Assyrian was used, in local cuneiforms, relatively speaking, Urartian or Biainian, and local hieroglyphics, deciphered, which shows that this is the oldest Armenian. Both cuneiforms were imported, brought from Mesopotamia, and the local hieroglyphics, which goes back to the Armenian rock paintings, are Armenian. And even these letters already testify in favor of Armenian origin. Many arguments can be made. For example, the Urartian hierarchy of gods is a classical Indo-European hierarchy, with three supreme deities, with a three-tier structure, that is, there is no doubt that it is connected with the Indo-European world. As for the names of kings, Menua has long been associated with Minos, Argishti with Argestes, etc., which were known in the Indo-European world. There are many criteria: in what case can a state be considered Armenian, say, Georgian, Russian or Mongolian. Is dynasty a sufficient condition? Of course not. A dynasty may be Armenian, but the state cannot be Armenian. For example, in Byzantium, the dynasty, which began in 867 when Basil the First ascended the throne, was Armenian in origin, but the state of Byzantium did not become an Armenian state from this. Or, let’s say, the Arsacid dynasty, which established itself in Armenia, was Parthian in origin, but it is clear that this did not make Armenia Parthia. And there are many such examples. So in what case is a state considered, say, Armenian? If the overwhelming majority of the population were Armenians, can we consider that the state was Armenian? Yes and no. No, because, for example, in the eastern regions Ottoman Empire, that is, in Western Armenia, the majority of the population was Armenians, but the state was not Armenian. Thus, comparing all the criteria, which of them can be considered decisive? There is only one answer. Namely: the determining factor is which ethnic group the supreme elite of the state represents. Stalin was a Georgian, but the Soviet Union was not a Georgian state. On the contrary, Stalin talked all the time about the great Russian people, and even had Great Russian views, it is clear that he ascended the throne and had to obey the interests of the Russians. Thus, returning to Urartu, the interests of which ethnic group did it express? Of course, Armenians. This was the first pan-Armenian state, which absorbed the entire territory of the Armenian Highlands and neighboring regions. And it is no coincidence that most scientists attribute the final formation of the Armenian ethnic group precisely to the time of the existence of the state of Urartu. The Armenian tribes were numerous, and naturally united as part of a single state, they merged together precisely during the Urartu period. And if there had been some other ethnic group, it would have been mentioned somewhere in the future. How can it be that in the 7th century BC. e. Urartu is mentioned, but in the 6th century - no, no Urartu, no Urartu. No, because Urartu is Armenia, the Urartians are the same Armenians. I often talk about this in my works, and I would like it to be known more that the term Urartu was used until the 360s, until the 4th century BC. e. That is, after the fall of the kingdom of Van, the kingdom of Urartu-Biainili, the term was used for another 200-300 years. And it was used as an equivalent to the concept of Armenia. As in the Behistun inscription of 520 BC, which, as you know, is written in three languages, Armenia in the Persian inscription is called Armina, in the Elamite inscription - Harminua, in the Babylonian - Urartu. In Ashuric and Babylonian texts, Urartu was last mentioned in the cuneiform writings of the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes the Second, who reigned until 360 BC. e. In Babylonian texts, Armenia is called Urartu, and the Armenians are called Urartians.

- Then where did the thesis come from that the Caucasian tribes came from the Urartians?

Here we are dealing with politics, and in pure form. I'll tell you why. Back in the 1890s, the very famous Russian orientalist Nikolsky published the collection “Cuneiform Inscriptions of Transcaucasia.” And already in the preface he writes: “Why are we Russians interested in these cuneiform inscriptions, the culture of cuneiform? Because Urartu was the first state on the territory of the Russian Empire.” The same thing happened in Soviet period: Urartu was considered the first state, a slave state on the territory of the USSR. That is why quite a lot of work has been done big job, excavations were carried out, quite large funds were allocated, all this was not done for the sake of the beautiful eyes of the Armenians. Look what happened in the end: remember what was written in Soviet history textbooks? That Armenians, Georgians, and Azerbaijanis are considered descendants of the Urartians. Azerbaijanis... Turks, whose ancestors, the Seljuk Turks, appeared in these parts in best case scenario only in the 11th century AD, and Urartu existed in the 9th century BC, that is, 2000 years before that. But the Soviet state promoted internationalism, and the Transcaucasian peoples were proclaimed descendants of the Urartians, while neither the Georgians nor the Azerbaijanis were in any way related to Urartu. And a theory arose that it was necessary to tear Urartu away from Indo-Europeanism. And there were even confessions - Boris Piotrovsky himself admitted that the corresponding directive of the Central Committee was issued. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, Urartu was considered an Indo-European state, while Soviet Urartian studies received a directive to cut off Urartu from the Indo-European world. Naturally, Urartu, being cut off from the Indo-European world, is separated from us, but this is our territory, Urartian words are preserved in Armenian. When already in the 1960-70s a new thesis was put forward about deepening ties with the Russian state, because if this was an Indo-European state, then it was only an Armenian one, and the Armenians began to deal with Russian Empire only after 1801, it was necessary to deepen connections with the north. And then the North Caucasian, East North Caucasian and proto-Dagestan theory of language kinship entered the arena, which was sharply criticized already in the 60s. And Dzhaukyan, our famous linguist, and the German scientist, the representative of the German linguistic school, simply left no stone unturned from this theory. But an order was sent down from above. Unfortunately, studying the history of the exploration of Urartu, we see that mainly a political order was carried out, and not pure science. We are currently working on documentary film about Urartu. I hope it will be ready by the end of the year and will be released in three languages: Armenian, Russian, English. I hope that our TV viewers, also on YouTube, will have the opportunity to watch it and get answers to all their questions. This will be a big film of 2 parts, each lasting 40-50 minutes.

It is known that there are Chechen historians who study the grabar, since they are looking for their roots in the Armenian Highlands.

I myself have seen maps where they consider Nakhijevan their city, since their self-name is Nokhchi, and Avan is a settlement in Armenian. And it seems that Chechen authors also interpret the self-name Nokhchi as the son of Noah, Nokhchi, Nokhchavan and consider it their city.

The cult of the goddess Anahit is often discussed. Some associate her name almost with prostitution. What was the cult of this goddess?

In Armenian sources, among Armenian authors, Anahit was considered the mother of all virtues. The name Anahit itself is translated as immaculate, virtuous. Some Greek authors, in particular Strabo, mention that the cult of the goddess Anahit was widespread among almost all the peoples of the East, but the Armenians especially loved her. This goes back to hetaerism - the scientific name for sacred priestly prostitution. There was one day a year when everyone could copulate with whomever they wanted. It should be noted that Greek authors, often turning to the East, presented everything in an exaggerated form, wanting to stir up interest in their stories.

As for the cult of the goddess Anahit among the Armenians, there was a day of the year, it was the day of the cult of the goddess, when barren women, only barren ones, were allowed to have a relationship with another man. And this act of the ancient priests is worthy of respect and has no connection with prostitution. We live in the 21st century and the problem of infertility is still relevant today - chromosome mismatch, etc. What is done today through medical intervention was then done this way. Moreover, this was often done confidentially, the woman did not see the face of the person with whom she was having a relationship, and this had nothing to do with prostitution. And if a child was born from this relationship, he was often called Anakhtatur or Astvatsatur (God-given), he was considered a gift from the mother goddess and no one had the right to accuse this woman, or call her immoral or a prostitute. I consider this a manifestation of philanthropy. And today in the 21st century they love and get married, but often, when there is no opportunity to have children, the marriage falls apart and the couple gets divorced. And it is only worthy of respect that the priests in ancient times were concerned about this problem: even on the day of the cult of the goddess of motherhood, a barren woman was given such an opportunity, and whoever wants to stick labels, let it be on his conscience.

Interviewed by Vadim Arutyunov

Armenians are truly amazing people. Their history goes back over 2500 years, and taking into account the period of formation, even longer. National traditions, the cuisine and charisma of Armenians are well known in Russia. And this is not without reason.

Story

The history of the Armenian people is divided into several eras. There are several periods of tribal formation, which lasted until the 13th century BC. An important stage in the formation of the Armenians was the emergence of the states of Hayas and Urartu. The latter lasted until about the 6th century BC. Then the era of ancient Armenia began. Many historians believe that Urartu was preserved at that time, just that in ancient sources the name changed to the modern one.

Xenophon described the country as quite rich and extensive. From about 500 B.C. Persian rule began, which marked the rapid development of the country. The Achaemenid dynasty brought peace and prosperity to Armenia, which contributed to the development of trade and Agriculture.
From the 4th century BC to the 5th century AD, Armenia was in the Hellenistic era. A very significant event at this time was the coming of Alexander the Great, who captured the territories belonging to the Achaemenids. It should be noted that his army failed to enter the territory of Armenia, so most of the population did not recognize the king. Macedonia belonged to the so-called Lesser Armenia, and soon after the death of Alexander it became an independent state.
During the Hellenistic era, the Armenian states were divided into several kingdoms, including Ararat and Sophene. Historians divide Armenia at that time into Lesser and Greater Armenia, as well as the Ptolemaic Commagene, founded in 163 BC. Commagene belonged to the Ervandid dynasty and existed until 72 AD. It then became part of the Roman Empire. The period from the 6th to the 15th centuries AD is usually called the medieval period. It begins with the Armenians receiving partially independent status with the ability to choose any religion and complete religious freedom. The ninth century marked a period of prosperity and military expansion. This played a significant role in the invasion of the Turks and subsequently influenced the periods called “wars of empires.” Battles and battles brought both victories and defeats. One of the most difficult moments in history was the struggle for Armenian rule in Karabakh. Armenia began to move closer to the Russian Empire, regularly requesting its help.
In their history, the Armenian people faced genocide, which reached its peak at the end of the 19th century. During the First World War, over a million Armenians died as a result of genocide, although today Turkey denies this phenomenon and attributes it to the civil war.
The period of Soviet Armenia lasted from 1922. It marked collectivization and repatriation in the USSR. The positive aspects of the influence of the Soviet Union were manifested in support of statehood, protection from the Turks and direct benefits from the development of the economy, which was greatly damaged due to regular and centuries-old battles, as well as the influence of foreign domination.
From 1991 to the present day, Armenia has been a republic.

Traditions

National self-awareness is great in Armenia. Compliance with traditions is so important not only in families, but also in society as a whole. Armenian culture is characterized by hospitality, good neighborly relations, the desire to preserve family ties, great respect for elders and a reverent attitude towards marriage.
A wedding in Armenian society is perceived as extremely important holiday. Previously, during it it was customary to walk for a whole week, and entire villages celebrated weddings. Now they are celebrated more modestly, but still on a grand scale. The Armenian wedding tradition includes choosing godfamily, which is selected based on character. Godparents should be like their godchildren, they become practically relatives for married couple. I wonder what exactly Godfather gives the most expensive gift, but all other guests must also bring gifts, which are presented in a special way. It is customary for Armenians to give jewelry, money, expensive fabrics and household items for a wedding celebration.
The tradition of rocking a child is quite remarkable. The bride must hold the boy in her arms, because the man in the Armenian family is considered the support and head. When the morning comes after the wedding, women on the husband's side must bring a red apple to the bride's house, symbolizing her innocence.
Large families are not uncommon in Armenia. This is especially true for rural residents, most of whom have many children. It is customary among the Armenian people not to show the baby for 40 days from the moment of birth. Only close people can see him. It is interesting that, both at the birth of a child and in any other joyful event, it is customary for Armenians to put their hand on a friend’s head and say: “I pass it on to you.”

Armenians put something more into the concept of hospitality than we are used to seeing. In the event of a joyful event, it is customary to set the table not only at home, but also at work, treating friends, relatives and colleagues. In this way, people share happiness with others, while simultaneously increasing it.

Winemaking occupies a special place in the life of Armenians. It is believed in the country that the traditions of this complex activity were known back in ancient era. According to legend, the first winemaker was Noah, who planted a grapevine, finding himself on the territory of the modern Armenian state. Modern winemaking has ancient roots and dates back hundreds of years. The recipes have been preserved from the times of Urartu. A special “hanzan” press is used to make wines. This design includes a vat made of stone. A huge jug was connected to this vat, which was dug into the ground. The grapes were crushed with bare feet, thereby squeezing the juice directly into the jug in which it fermented for some time. Then the wort was poured from the jug into another and then poured into small clay jugs. They were kept in the ground. Armenian grape varieties have one important feature - they contain a lot of sugar, which contributes to the production of alcohol. In this regard, sweet and semi-sweet wines are more common in Armenia.

Cognac is revered in Armenia in the same way as wine. Moreover, making this drink is much more difficult. It was possible to establish cognac production in Armenia only in the 19th century. Popular varieties are still Mskhali, Chilar and Voskehat. Due to traditions in this craft great importance have barrels. The wood material is incredibly important; it will greatly affect the taste of cognac. The alcohol must be aged for at least 3 years and only then spring water is used. Water is considered an extremely important ingredient, because without it the bouquet of cognac will not be rich enough.
Before bottling cognac, it must be kept in an old wooden barrel for about a year, and if we are talking about vintage ones, then for 3 years. Such a scrupulous attitude towards wines and cognacs has already been appreciated all over the world. Winston Churchill himself bought 400 bottles of Armenian cognac annually.

Holidays

Holidays in Armenia are directly related to the seasons of the year. For example, in winter, Trndez is celebrated and symbolizes the worship of flames. The holiday is pagan, but it is usually celebrated in church. The rite of celebration is familiar to every resident of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. During trndez, a large fire is lit, over which everyone can jump, although it is primarily intended for newlyweds.
With the arrival of spring, the celebration of Tsarzardar begins. During its celebration, people come to the church with willow branches and weave wreaths from it for children.
With the onset of summer comes Vardavar. This holiday symbolizes victory over drought. In the Armenian tradition, it is customary to douse yourself with water, which is again associated with pagan rituals. Girls pour 3 days before the holiday clean water into a bowl and throw wheat and oats into it. After seed germination, you need to douse yourself with this water.
Armenians also have an analogue of Valentine's Day. It is celebrated on February 13th. On this holiday, a girl definitely needs to eat salty cookies and always before going to bed. It is believed that a man should appear to her in a dream and bring water. It is he who should become the betrothed.

Housing

Armenian houses are quite specific. Of course, modern buildings have little in common with traditional ones, except that they have retained the style of the exterior. The same houses that were built in ancient times by Armenians have a square shape and are built exclusively from stone. The roof is earthen with supports made of wooden posts. Light entered such a house only through a window or chimney. The stove was made of clay. Shelves were made from it. The Armenians did not have chairs or armchairs; they used mats to sit on the floor. The table was usually low. Wealthy people could afford mattresses, carpets and a lot of utensils.

Cloth

The traditional national costume of Armenia consists of a silk shirt and wide trousers, which are sewn from cotton or wool. An arkhaluk was usually worn over the shirt, which could reach to the knees. This element of outerwear was fastened with hooks or buttons and had a stand-up collar. A chukha made of wool was worn over it. It had to be belted so that the clothes would fit more closely to the body. In the western part of the country, Armenians used a jacket that reached to the waist. There were no fasteners, and instead of a belt they used a scarf, which was wrapped several times.
The women's costume remained unchanged with the change of regions. The arkhaluk was used as outerwear, but with a modified style - there was a slit below the hips, and there was also a cutout on the chest. Distinctive feature female national costume there was a beautifully decorated apron.
Hats were used as headdresses. Eastern Armenians used knitted ones, while Western ones used woven ones. Women wore headbands and large headdresses, tied with scarves that partially hid their faces.

Dancing

Armenian dances are a true art and are popular all over the world. For various events Armenians have different dances. The performance can be performed exclusively by men or women. For example, berd and tragag are military compositions, so only men take part in them.
Bird is considered a rather complex dance that requires serious physical training, since during the performance the men must quickly climb onto each other’s shoulders and form a wall of 2 floors. Such a complex composition symbolizes the need for protection and strong defense.
Fucking involves even more complex preparation, since dance involves the use various types weapons. In fact, the dance imitates a real battle, which is why it was always performed by warriors.
Brides dance uzundara - a solo composition that originated in Karabakh. The dance symbolizes gratitude to parents, as well as leaving home and beginning family life. The dynamics are invariably smooth and require considerable flexibility from the girl.
Shalaho is very popular among Caucasian Armenians. Now it is common among the Caucasian peoples. The peculiarity of the dance lies in the performers, who must certainly be two men and one girl. The dance symbolizes the fight for a woman's heart.

Language

The Proto-Armenian language is called Mushka. It was spoken by the ancient Armenians, and it appeared even before the formation of the state of Urartu. The formation of the language was quite complex and was always characterized by the emergence of new dialectisms. Writing appeared later, so office work was often conducted in Persian and Greek. Now the Armenian language is part of the Indo-European family and is classified as a special branch.
The modern version is usually called New Armenian. Its history dates back several centuries, although it began to be used in literature around the beginning of the 19th century. The language is divided into Western and Eastern. They are characterized by significant differences in comparison with ancient Armenian. There are many new formations, simplifications and originalities of syntax. In the Republic of Armenia, the most common is Ashkharabar, which is the eastern version.

Character

Armenians are characterized by pride in their own history and people. The main features of Armenians, in their own opinion, are hard work and passion for life. This is due to the need to establish agriculture and long centuries of tireless struggle. One of the hobbies of almost every Armenian is crafts in one form or another. Pottery or woodworking. Modern residents of Armenia show interest in sciences, especially medicine and construction. Another trait is a love of reading. The Armenian people often had to deal with a shortage of books when the Turkic and Mongol conquerors burned entire libraries. Therefore, if you take a book from an Armenian, be sure to return it on time. Otherwise he will say that you took her prisoner. This expression has been around for a long time historical roots. Under Tamerlane, it was necessary to pay a large ransom for books.
Sincerity is one of the main features. In Armenia it is not customary to be hypocritical, but it is also unacceptable to be rude to people. Despite respect for existing status, no one will fawn or overly flatter. This is acceptable for older people.
Mass migrations made Armenians quite adaptable to new conditions. At the same time, they practically do not assimilate, but preserve spiritual and cultural traditions.
Armenian humor is also well known in the CIS countries. It so happens that Armenians love to joke and find a reason for jokes at any convenient moment. At the table, in business conversation, in everyday conversations. Every adult Armenian knows a whole bunch of jokes that he will certainly want to tell during a stormy feast.
In traditional Armenian families, the father is the head, and his word is equivalent to law. Armenians living in Moscow or other cities of Russia have a more loyal attitude to life, but their brothers who remained in their homeland, on the contrary, have rather strict morals.
We have already talked about hospitality. It is important to note that Armenians love it when people announce their intention to visit in advance. This way they can prepare as many dishes as possible to create a sumptuous lunch or dinner.
The attitude towards the holidays has a literal cult meaning. Even if an Armenian does not have enough funds, he will borrow or borrow money. But weddings must certainly be luxurious, and celebrating the birth of children is even more beautiful.

Food

Armenian food deserves the highest praise. Armenians use a wide variety of ingredients in their dishes. Lavash and cheeses occupy a special place in their cuisine.

• If you are a lover of soups, be sure to try khash. The main ingredient in it is beef meat. The dish takes a whole day to prepare and is served with herbs and salt;
• Another option - saved. Excellent soup with wheat cereal. You can eat it cold or hot. Armenians often order two options at once. This dietary dish, which does not contain a, so vegetarians will definitely like it;
• For lovers of unusual combinations, bozbash was invented. This soup includes meat, peppers, onions, eggplant and tomato paste;
• The Armenians call kebab khorovats. In many ways, it is he who is associated with Armenian cuisine. In total, 20 types of kebab have been invented. It is cooked over coals, in a pan, tandoor and in many other ways;
• Kofta meat balls are made from minced meat with the addition of onions and eggs;
• Arisa porridge is popular in Armenia; it is prepared with butter and wheat. Chicken meat must be added to the dish;
• The main snacks in Armenia are dolma and zhengyalov hats. The latter is a flatbread made from pita bread with the addition of herbs;
• Sweets should be noted separately. Gata is divided into several types. The pie can be baked from different test, including puff pastry, yeast or unleavened. Gata is baked with the addition of butter and powdered sugar. This dessert can easily pass for an independent dish, as it is filling;
• Try sujukh, which is walnuts dipped in grape syrup;
• Rolls from walnut with puff pastry- nazuk;
• Fruit lavash is also popular in Armenia, to which dogwood, cherries, plums and apricots are added.

Religion

1. Now the dominant religion in Armenia is Christianity. Islam is not as widespread as it was during Ottoman rule. Muslims can be found in Yerevan, but in other cities Christians are more common.
2. The Armenian Church adheres to special rules that affect the life of the believer. So, during baptism, the baby is sprayed with water three times and dipped into it three times.
3. Communion requires the consumption of exclusively pure wine and leavened bread.
4. Religious Armenians do not believe in purgatory.
5. The fasts are strictly observed, and the “Our Father” prayer, known in Orthodoxy, is read in ancient Armenian.
6. It is believed that Armenian Church founded by the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew. It is known that it was Armenia that adopted Christianity as state religion first in the whole world. The date of official adoption is 301.

Armenians, without exaggeration, great people. They managed to survive despite hard times when their unity and culture were threatened with destruction. Having begun their formation in the Armenian Highlands, these people managed to settle throughout the planet. Nowadays many Armenians live in Russia, the USA, Turkey and other countries. They are distinguished not only by their love of life and hard work, but also by their desire to bring beauty into the world. Among the Armenians there are many artists who gave us amazing musical instruments, including the duduk, which became part of the World cultural heritage UNESCO.

With the advent of Christianity in the country, unique works art - khachkars. Monuments made by stone cutters are found exclusively in Armenia. They were placed near monasteries on the occasion of victory over enemies or in honor of the completion of the construction of a new temple. The use of “cross stones” also has ritual significance.

The Armenian people are one of the oldest peoples in the world. They have come a long way through the centuries and their history goes back thousands of years. IN different periods of their lives, the Armenian people received various character traits. You will learn about them later in this article.

It is important to note that along with the Armenian people, the Babylonians and the Hittites existed. Today, however, they are only part of world history; there is no future, but the Armenian people continue to exist and develop.

Origins of the Armenian people

The origins of the Armenians have always been a subject of historians, linguists and archaeologists. Linguists began to pay attention to the many similarities that the Indo-European and Semitic languages ​​had. The only explanation for the linguistic similarities between them would be the movement of the cradle of Indo-European language groups geographically further to the east, that is, in the Armenian Highlands.

Humans have inhabited the Armenian Highlands since approximately 2,000,000 BC. People have settled in the mountains since the Stone Age, the Paleolithic era. The Armenians call the sons Haya, who was the regional god then. The source of this is the Armenic Sumerian record from 2700 BC, which is most likely the earliest record ever of the Armenian nation.

Many underground to historical sites have revealed the existence of civilizations in Armenia with advanced agricultural knowledge, metallurgy, and industrial production.

Based on another record (Akkadian inscriptions) from 2300 BC, Armani is located together with Ib, as the territory of the conquered Nar-Sin.

Thutmose III of Egypt also mentions the people Ermenen in 1446 BC. He says that in his land “the sky lies on its four pillars.” Until now, Turks and Kurds call them Armenians Ermen I.

The Kingdom of Ararat was the first large state. It appeared around Lake Van in the 13th century. BC

The first pre-Armenian tribes had references in the chronicles of the 4th – third millennium BC. Throughout history, the Armenian people have inherited the physical characteristics of certain tribes.

Especially the Khurrito - Urartian tribes played a large role as the most widespread ethnic element of the highlands. In this regard, the physical basis of the Armenians was drawn up.

The Armenian Highlands and its people faced many invasions. One example is Alexander the Great's expeditions to the east. The Armenian people fought the Roman legions and the Sassanid Persians. They also stopped Arab expansion.

For about two centuries, the war between the Iranian and Ottoman Empires literally destroyed Armenia.

In the 20th century, Armenia was divided between the Russian and Ottoman (Turkish) empires. Since the 1890s, Turkish authorities organized massacres of the Armenian people, which culminated in the genocide of 1915-1923. The leadership of the Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire willingly took advantage of the First World War to physically remove the Armenian population .

The Armenians who lived under Turkish rule had to go through cruelty and were eventually completely wiped out. The survivors, however, fled to various places around the world. This later became known as the first documented genocide of the 20th century. During the genocide, more than 1.5 million Armenians died.

The Armenian people are ethnos and the descendants of the Indo-Europeans branch.

There are about 10 million Armenians around the world. However, only 3 million people live in Armenia. Armenian diasporas live in Russia, France, Iran, the USA, Canada, Ukraine and Georgia. Many Armenians also live in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Most Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Armenians have their own language, which is an independent branch of the Indo-European language family.

Armenians call themselves “Ay” and the country “Hayastan”. They love their country, a lot, and they express their love through art, literature, and sometimes even daily work.

Armenia constantly suffered from being a battlefield between numerous peoples and tribes. It was also under foreign control. Due to the past full of difficulties, the Armenian people have formed various characteristics national character, such as expressive national pride, deep love for one's land, perseverance, high interest in sciences and crafts, hospitality, the ability to self-irony and a great sense of humor.

Fortunately, today every Armenian lives happily in , and they have all put their efforts into the development of their country.

Characteristics of the Armenian people

Most countries have their own unique character that describes them. Their way of speaking, their reaction to things, and how they treat foreigners says a lot about them.

The Armenian people adapt well. They are able to easily adapt to new conditions, such as changing countries (traveling abroad), learning new languages ​​is relatively easy, and also that they have a pronunciation very similar to native speakers. This is one of the most important features of the Armenian mentality. The reason for this may be the constant forced migration of Armenians to foreign countries throughout history.

Armenians are very proud people and honest as well. They value family a lot and try their best to maintain unity. They also have great respect for older people and always learn from their experiences. In this way, they pass on their knowledge from one generation to another.

Armenian people are polite, hard working and very hospitable.

They love to gather with family and close friends during special occasions and not only. During these occasions, be it weddings, birthdays or christenings, Armenians are always happy to spend their time and money generously.

They love to gather with family and close friends during special occasions and more. During these occasions, be it weddings, birthdays or christenings, Armenians are always happy to spend their time and money generously.

Just like everyone else, Armenians have both positive and negative sides. To talk about the negative, the first thing that could be jealousy. Armenians tend to have a dominant "jealousy" gene in their characters. This may be bad, but it also has its advantages, as this is the reason why Armenians are generally hard working people.

Most of the times, they do not accept the fact that some other person is better or more endowed than them, hence, they work very hard and eventually surpass them.

Another negative side could be that most Armenians can be selfish. Besides, sometimes nothing can satisfy them all. The fact is that they are self-centered, causing them to think and care only about themselves and constantly ask for free help from other people. The Armenian proverb, “You stretch your hand to help, they want your whole hand” describes this symbol very well.

physical characteristics

IN clean An Armenian is called Aryan especially with blond colored hair and blue eyes. Today, however, a very small percentage of Armenians have these pure traits. Armenians, as a rule, have expressive characteristics faces. Color ranges from olive to dark, and most have black or brown hair. Eye color varies from black and hazel to light gray and sometimes of blue color. Generally, Armenians are brown/dark Brown color eye.

Eyes

Everyone knows that eyes are the mirror of the soul. The eyes of the Armenian people symbolize their true nature along with their character. They are very deep and they show all the difficulties they have gone through.

Armenians are very good at knowing that their eyes are unique and different, hence there are many songs and poems associated with them.

Today, however, Armenians have different eye shapes and colors. Mostly the color is dark, brown or black, sometimes blue, green or honey-colored.

Armenians own big eyes and, as a rule, their eyes hold some sadness. No matter how joyful and young people are, they still have that universal sadness in their eyes.

brows

Armenian Eyebrows

Eyebrow shapes are also very different. Armenian men typically have thick, long eyebrows that curve downwards towards the eyes.

Armenian women typically have arched eyebrows.

Hair

Armenian hair

Like the Armenian states of mythology, the ancestor of the Armenians Hayk had curly/wavy golden hair that reached his shoulders. Today, however, most Armenians have either black or brown hair. Some have light colored hair too, but dark is the most common.

In former times, Armenian men were long hair. Nowadays, however, short hair is generally preferred.

Women, nowadays, as in ancient times, generally have long and beautiful hair.

Nose

Armenians usually have a hook-shaped (eagle) nose. Tall, proud and honest; this is how Armenians describe their noses. They are actually proud of their big noses and are often humorous about them.

Armenian diaspora

The Armenian people are communities outside the Republic of Armenia, which is called the Armenian Diaspora. There are about 10 million Armenians around the world, 3 of them live. Thus, about 7 million Armenians represent the diaspora.

The diaspora mainly formed after 1915, as a direct result of the genocide of the Armenian people.

Currently, the largest diasporas exist in Russia, Ukraine, USA, France, Brazil, Georgia, Lebanon, Iran and Syria.

YEREVAN, Oct 22 – Sputnik. Armenians are ancient people, who predominantly speaks Armenian. The formation of the Armenian people on the territory of the Armenian Highlands began from the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. and ended by the 6th century BC. e.

Despite the fact that Armenians are united by one history, one blood and many common features, both externally and internally, representatives of this nation are radically different from each other. The Sputnik Armenia portal tried to understand what an Armenian really is like.

One heartbeat

Mostly in all large countries representatives of Armenian communities live around the world. Most Armenians live in Russia, France and the USA. In particular, Armenians moved to many countries after the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The most interesting thing is that Armenians have about 50 dialects, while there are Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian languages, which are spoken by the vast majority of representatives of this nation. As for Eastern Armenian, this is one of the modern options the Armenian language spoken in modern Armenia.

The second variety of the Armenian language is common among the Armenian diaspora, which appeared after the Genocide. This group of Armenians primarily resides in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East. Despite the fact that the dialects are very different, Armenians can easily communicate with each other, speaking in their own dialect. The most difficult to understand Armenian dialects are among residents of the Syunik region and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh). It is for this reason that many Armenians do not speak native language, but have an excellent command of the language of the country in which they live.

If you communicate with Armenians, then, undoubtedly, you have noticed that these people have an inherent bright feeling humor. They can cheer you up in a few minutes, tell you a huge number of funny stories, anecdotes, and make you walk around in high spirits for the next few days.

It is impossible not to note the fact that there are a lot of famous Armenian comedians in the world. In particular, everyone knows Evgeny Petrosyan, Garik Martirosyan and Mikhail Galustyan. In fact, despite their cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, Armenians are very serious people, especially when it comes to people of the older generation, who have faced many difficulties.

There are also eternally dissatisfied Armenians. Usually, these are those people who cannot find their place in life. In my opinion, the most dissatisfied are Armenian taxi drivers and public transport drivers. It is clear - the driving style in Yerevan and other cities of Armenia is distinguished by a special temperament.

© Sputnik/Asatur Yesayants

If you are a person close to an Armenian, then, most likely, he is ready for a lot, and maybe even everything, for your sake. Probably only Armenians know how to give to a loved one everything without reserve, surround him with care, attention and affection.

Armenians love and value family very much. In an Armenian family, the parent is the king. And in fact, this is all mutual, since many Armenian parents raise their children with great love and do everything for them, even the impossible. The attitude towards children in our country is special, and this can be called a cult of children. Also, an Armenian man idolizes his beloved women (mother, sister, wife).

Hospitality

Another national trait is hospitality. If you are visiting a “correct” Armenian, he will definitely treat you to something. But if you have agreed in advance to visit an Armenian or an Armenian family, then a whole festive treat awaits you! And especially, delicious Armenian cognac.

One can talk about Armenian dishes forever and write for a long time, but the most favorite dishes of Armenians are dolma (stuffed cabbage rolls made from grape leaves), khash - a spicy soup made from beef legs with garlic, spas - healthy soup based on matsoni, Armenian tabbouleh salad made from bulgur grains and finely chopped parsley.

Armenian habits

Most Armenians are hard-working. If an Armenian finds a job he likes, then he works tirelessly.

Armenia's sunny weather allows residents of the country to hang out their laundry on the streets. This habit is traditional, for example, for residents of Italy, when a huge amount of clothing is hung from building to building.

© Sputnik / Asatur Yesayants

The “classic” Armenian is distinguished by the fact that he loves to consume large quantities of bread and coffee, organizes luxurious weddings, birthdays, engagements, christenings and other holidays. And in fact, the Armenian may not have money... He will take it on credit and will repay the debt for months. But if the soul wants a holiday, then he will not be able to deny himself and his loved ones this.

Armenians love expensive cars, clothes and accessories. This trait is probably characteristic of all nationalities.

And many Armenians open all the windows in the car when their favorite song is playing, regardless of whether you like this music or not. But a music lover will drive around the city after listening to his favorite track several times, even in winter.

If you decide to use public transport in Armenia, and there is no longer a place where you can sit, then they will definitely give it to you.

Armenians also love to greet each other. "Barev" and "Bari luys" ("hello" and " Good morning") is something that can lift a person’s spirits or become a reason for further communication. It’s not for nothing that they say in Armenia that “greeting belongs to God.”

Very often, instead of the traditional “thank you,” Armenians say “merci.” Maybe I'm just too lazy to say it every time beautiful word"shnorakalutsyun".

By the way, only an Armenian will buy himself an expensive gadget - a phone, laptop, tablet or netbook, and will be too lazy to study it in order to use it correctly. He will definitely start asking people around him how to set everything up and make it work.

In fact, Armenians have a lot of habits, both positive and negative, and their character traits are very diverse. The temperament and mentality of Armenians is a very complex thing. However, this article contains everything that can distinguish an Armenian from representatives of other nationalities.

We are glad if Armenian habits are also characteristic of you.