Armenian Highlands: the birth place of civilization

[Armenian]

If we are talking about the roots of European civilization, then perhaps Armenia is. But, there has been earlier civilizations such as China. Around what year was this? There was probably no OFFICIAL Armenian back then, just our many tribes.

My friend: this thread is concerning the birth of advanced civilization that spread worldwide from the Armenian Highlands. During the time in question only proto-Armenians were around (tribes that eventually became the Armenian nation). These proto-Armenian tribes were loosely organized groups of people who spoke a language that eventually became know as Armenian during the classical period. We Armenian are essentially a conglomeration of these various tribes that lived in Asia Minor, Caucasus and Europe in pre-history.

Please read some of the information I have posted within this thread, it will answer some of your questions. Nevertheless, based on archeological, linguistic, folkloric and anthropological evidences available today, the Armenian Highlands and the Caucasus are the epicenter of world civilization - especially of European civilization.

Although most Armenians today are only familiar with the modern or classical history of our nation, Armenian folklore, nevertheless, goes back many thousands of years. Moreover, certain archeological sites revealing organized and advanced settlements within the Republic of Armenia, such as Metsamor, Shenkavit, Zorats Karer (and various other ones found throughout Asia Minor and the Caucasus) predate anything yet unearthed anywhere within the world as to date - including China and Egypt.

In your reference to China, you were most probably referring to the finding of primitive settlements and/or manmade tools there that may predate a site like Metsamor for instance. In that case, there are such "primitive" sites within Yerevan alone that are dated to be around a hundred thousand years old. Again, the point of this thread is to reveal that the first civilized settlements, where there was technological advancement such as building construction, astronomy/theology, metallurgy, animal husbandry and agriculture, are found within our ancestral lands. By stating this, however, I am not in any way giving "Armenians," as per say, credit for starting civilization - our lands yes, our people no.

Incidentally, there is no such thing as the "official founding" of the Armenian nation in 550 BC (sorry Virgil) - that particular date, in essence, signified the later stages of the development of the Armenian nation. Nevertheless, prior to that time period, the proto-nations of Hayasa, Nairi, Armani, Mushki, Mittani and Urartu were names under which Armenians were known for centuries.

[Virgil]

Incidentally, there is no such thing as the "official founding" of the Armenian nation in 550 BC (sorry Virgil) - that particular date, in essence, signified the later stages of the development of the Armenian nation. Nevertheless, prior to that time period, the proto-nations of Hayasa, Nairi, Armani, Mushki, Mittani and Urartu were names under which Armenians were known for centuries.

Armenian I agree with you, but my point was that if you look at "western" history books they usually state that "around 600 BC the Proto-Armenians migrated into what is now known as Eastern Turkey and mingled with the indigenous population" and say something like "the first recorded account of the Armenian people is when Darious placed them under the list nations he conquered". My point is that if you use "technicalities" then Armenians are "officially" older then the Chinese by about 300 years. Yes, the Chinese existed prior to that date, but not as unified group of people.

[Hayq]

A civilization is usually considered to be large cities, a government, a written code of law, etc...if we can not find these documents, then we do not have nothing but theories.

Egypt and Babylon were civilizations. I always believed that Armenians lived more like the Nords, in scattered clans...at least that is what i have read.

[Armenian]

A civilization is usually considered to be large cities, a government, a written code of law, etc...if we can not find these documents, then we do not have nothing but theories. Egypt and Babylon were civilizations. I always believed that Armenians lived more like the Nords, in scattered clans...at least that is what i have read.

Generally speaking, Armenians, due to the topography of the Armenian Highlands, did live in scattered clans. However, just because something is not yet discovered does not mean that it does not exist. Just because something was lost or destroyed does not mean it did not exist. Nevertheless, you need to read the "documents" of Urartians, Hittites and Sumerians - all of whom were essentially proto-Armenians. Besides which, the city states of Metsmor and Shenkavit, along with various other ones found throughout Anatolia and the Caucasus, are, as of this date, considered to be the oldest centers of organized civil society.

I suggest you do some reading. There are various Armenian works by scholars such as Ghapantsian, Adonts, Djahukian, Kavukjian, Khanzadian, Tormanian and Adjarian and non-Armenian sources such as Sayce, Powell, Toynbee, Kramer, Ivanov, Diakonoff, Gamkrelidze and Conway that cover the regional (Asia Minor, Caucasus, Mesopotamia) folklore, archeology, linguistics and anthropology. Based on the works of the aforementioned international scholars (and others I cannot recall at his time), it is clear that civilization first took root within our ancestral lands. This thread has nothing to do with my Armenian Nationalism - because the during time in question, the Armenian nation, as we know it, did not exist.

Listen, if you here just to argue with me - please don’t. I want to discuss this with people who are genuinely interested in this topic. However, if you are interested, please carefully read the articles I have posted along with the web-sites I have provided, there is a mountain of information regarding the Armenian Highlands that are only now beginning to reach western academia.

Incidentally, what do you think about Moses? Yes, the Eyptian Jew that saved his people from bondage. I will tell you why I am asking this after you answer my question.

[Virgil]

Armenian from what I know about Moses is that he never existed, but ten bucks says if he did exist, he was Armenian.

[Armenian]

Armenian from what I know about Moses is that he never existed, but ten bucks says if he did exist, he was Armenian.

Baron Virgil:

Why did you have to ruin it for me!!! My question was mean to be a rhetorical trap.

The Moses story being a mere fable was my exact point. Armenians tend to swear by other peoples histories, but when it comes to our own - it get put under an electron microscope.

It all just pathetic. There is so much self-hate and ignorance within our communities.

It was good to hear from you.

[Virgil]

Baron Virgil:

Why did you have to ruin it for me!!! My question was mean to be a rhetorical trap.

The Moses story being a mere fable was my exact point. Armenians tend to swear by other peoples histories, but when it comes to our own - it get put under an electron microscope.

It all just pathetic. There is so much self-hate and ignorance within our communities.

It was good to hear from you.

Armenian I know what you mean. The history of the Hebrews (Hebrews not Jews) will survive through Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Mostly, Christians and Muslims, but in general ALL of us are somewhat colonized Hebrews. We learn about, record, and ultimilty pass down their history. Thousands of years from now, when the world has again fallen into the "dark ages", mankind will remember the Hebrews.

Now, In no way am I implying that the ideas present in the Christian religion is "Jewish" and what I mean by that is that the entire "one god" concept originated from civilizations that are MUCH older then the Hebrews. The entire bible is just a recycling of ancient beleifs. However, that does not mean it is not a part of history and because most of the information in that book is the "Hebrew" account of things, the Hebrews (Jews for arguments sake) take the credit. It is the equivalent of me taking the homework of my dead classmate and putting my name on it.

Anyways, yes, I know what you mean. Armenians have a "rich" history, but yet nobody really pays attention to it and when they do you have other Armenians trying to discredit him or her. It is a really pathetic cycle, I mean, here you have this group of people that have a city "older then Rome", but because they are devoid of any sort of nationalism don't really care or try to put up a fake facade of "were better then that".

What I don't get is why is it ok for the Chinese to make a movie entitled "Hero", which basically is about the unification of China, but yet Armenians canabalize other Armenians for their opinions on our history? Armenian I know that you understand what I am talking about seeing as to how it happend to you on the "other forum". Did you notice how quickly Armenians got on your case? It is like they hate being known for somthing outside the "genocide", hell, you have Armenians that refer to the Jewish holocaust as the "Shoah". Now if you are wondering why this is ridiculous, let me explain, by refering to the holocaust as the "Shoah" you make it out to be some "special" tragedy that only Jews experienced, thus, your basically promoting the very idea that downplays the significance of the Armenian Genocide.

In short, through out time Armenians have been shoting themselves in the foot. From the day that our ancient temples were destroyed till now, we as Armenians, have brought everything upon ourselves.

[Armenian]

The civilizing influence of Ararat (the name for the Armenian state 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

http://www.armenianhighland.com/ararat/chronicle302.html

[Armenian]

Ethereal origins of the Swastika

The Swastika was recognized a few years back as the most recognizable symbol of the twentieth century. Needless to say, the Swastika’s recognition was due to the symbols unfortunate association with atrocities committed during the Second World War. Nevertheless, the symbol has a much deeper history that has fascinated people throughout the ages, a history that goes back to the genesis of human cultural evolution. The name Swastika itself, is an ancient Indian Sanskrit term, suggested by linguists to mean either “illumines being” or “good being.” This eight pointed geometric symbol suggesting a celestial body, has traveled great distances world-wide with Indo-European (Aryan) tribes to whom it seemed to have played a sacred role.

It is imperative for the reader to consider that the superficial term “Swastika” and what it specifically meant to the Sanskrit Indians should not be understood as exclusive reality. The Swastika, before and after it entered ancient Sanskrit culture, had numerous other connotations and renderings that have been revered by various ancient cultures worldwide. Thus, the term Swastika should not exclusively be connected with Sanskrit, and more importantly, it should not be exclusively connected with the traditional form made infamous during the Second World War. However, for the lack of a better term, I shall continue referring to the symbol as Swastika.

Throughout, the cultural evolution of humankind, the Swastika has been prominently depicted within innumerable forms. From the Celtic isles to the Aztec jungles; from the eastern Asian steppes to the Egyptian desert; the Swastika has been one of mankind’s most resilient and versatile symbols. The Armenian highland (also known as historic Armenia and/or Asia Minor comprising the territories of eastern Turkey, northern Mesopotamia, north-western Iran and southern Caucasus) are home to a vast amount of petroglyphs (rock carvings) dating back to the early Neolithic era. Amongst these primitive depictions by early man, the Swastika, within its various forms, is prominent. However, where did this popular symbol originate? How did this symbol come to appear within various cultures as divers as Celtic and Aztec? And, what did this most mysterious of symbols represent?

The key to understanding these questions lie in determining where Aryan tribes originated and what was their association to the symbol. The answers to aforementioned questions lie primarily within the realms of archeology and linguistics. Many prominent Armenian academicians such as Adontz, Adjarian, Kavookjian and Jahoukian as well as international ones such as Gamkrelidze, Ivanov and Renfrew agree that the general territories of the Armenian highlands might very well have been the original homeland of the “proto” Indo-European tribes prior to their yet unexplained mass migration east and west.

Furthermore, classical Armenian, which is still used today within liturgical services of the Armenian Church, is considered by Armenian and International linguists alike, as a language that most closely resembles the theorized reconstruction of the proto Indo-European language spoken by Aryan tribes prior to their migrations. Moreover, the Armenian highlands, situated immediately north of Mesopotamia, were home to revolutionary inventions such as iron smelting, animal husbandry, agriculture and horse drawn carriages among many others. These aforementioned developments have been most commonly associated with Aryan tribes by archeologists. As an additional case in point, Mesopotamian tales regarding the origins of humanity implicate the Armenian highlands as its genesis. Various Mesopotamian tales regarding the emergence and subsequent spread of civilization such as the stories regarding the Garden of Eden, the Great Flood and the Tower of Babel, adopted, refined and passed on to us by Judaism, contain telltale signs of the actual birth of civilization within the region and the subsequent spread of it worldwide, now known as the Indo-European diffusion.

Moreover, extensive archeological research conducted within the region is revealing that the first progeny of Mesopotamian culture, the Sumerians, were at least partially of Indo-European and who had migrated into the Fertile Crescent from their mountainous homeland to the north. Moreover, Sumerians believed their gods dwelt within the Armenian highlands, which incidentally, explains why they constructed enormous “manmade mountains” known as Ziggurats as their holy temples. The aforementioned theories, long held by Armenian linguists and archeologists, are gradually gaining international validity as more and more specialists within the field are realizing the intellectual futility of placing the original homeland of the Proto Indo-Europeans within Central Europe and/or southern Ukraine.

Hence, considering the extensive research conducted by Armenian scholars coupled with contemporary developments within linguistics and archeology, it would be a logical conclusion that the vicinity of the Armenian highlands, home to the earliest civilization, was also the original home of the Indo-European and, thus, it’s most sacred symbol, the Swastika. Armenian highlands are also home to some of the most beautifully evolved medieval and modern forms of the Swastika.

It has been established that the origins of the Swastika lies within veneration of a sun deity. Veneration of the sun as a symbol of the universal supreme deity was very probably the most prominent form of worship practiced by early man. The rituals and iconography of sun worship has proven to be one of humanities most resilient. This sun deity was especially revered by Armenians throughout history and was considered the physical manifestation of the all-powerful and eternal God. Sun worship has been the most resilient of all faiths on earth and certain aspects of which still survives today within Christianity. It is quite easy to see why this great solar body, humankinds only source of light, and thus, life, must have generated great awe and reverence within the psychology of early man.

Throughout the three to four thousand years of Armenian cultural evolution, the Swastika has been widely depicted, by ever changing forms within the secular and sacred arts, even to this day. It is interesting to note that according to the suggestions of some Armenian scholars, the Armenian alphabet, a unique alphabet founded in 406 A.D. by a group of scholars lead by the monk Mesrob Mashtots, is believed to have more than a few characters derived from various forms of Armenian petroglyphs including the Swastika. However, there is no way to confirm whether this was a deliberate effort on the part of the monks or whether it came about subconsciously, perhaps through their environmental exposure to such types of symbols that were ever popular within the ancient world.

Due to the mass migrations of the Indo-European tribes out of their homeland within the Armenian highlands, the sacred symbol of the Swastika was taken across the Iranian plateau into the Indian sub-continent where it became a prominent part of Sanskrit culture and was later entered into Tibetan iconography. Thereafter, depictions of the symbol began to appear within various cultures of the Orient, Near-East and the European continent. It is fascinating that some forms the Swastika have even surfaced within the folk-art of Mesoamericans. It is theorized that the Aztec symbol was either a coincidental result stemming from common human creative expressions or, more probably, adopted by tribes somewhere within the Asian continent from where it was taken into the American continent.

The ethereal significance of the Swastika was most regrettably corrupted by the Nazi party during the Second World War, probably for eternity. Armenia is probably the only nation today where the symbol of eternity, the direct descendent of the Swastika, is a prominent and integral part of artistic expression and spiritual symbolism. It would not be a stretch of the imagination to claim that the Swastika is the oldest sacred symbol on earth and, moreover, a symbol that represents the very genesis of human cultural development. Accordingly, the Swastika belongs to all the nations, not just to those of Indo-European heritage. It is a symbol profound in its antiquity, beauty and allegorical significance. It transports us into the psyche early man and takes us to the beginnings of human existence. It is a sacred symbol our primordial ancestors used to convey their awe and admiration of God’s creation.

[Armenian]

Armenia’s Cradle of Civilization

Armenia’s ‘Fertile Crescent’ was located in two places: at the headwaters of the Euphrates and Tigris, and along the Arax River, its tributaries a series of liquid ribs along a central Ararat spine. Within the Ararat Valley lies a smaller crescent of land, still bearing the marks of vast marshlands and forests that once covered the entire valley floor. As you wander through this area, you can spot sudden eruptions of the terrain, hills that seem to appear from nowhere. They do not ‘fit’ the contour of the land. These are the remains of the first urban civilization to leave its imprint on the ancient Armenian world: they are the sentinels of the Metsamor Kingdom, the ‘Cradle of Armenian Civilization’.

The oldest settlement found in Armenia is a 90,000 BC Stone Age settlement in suburban Yerevan. From then through the Paleolithic period, proof of human settlement is scattered between cave dwellings and stone inscriptions on the Geghama Lehr. Suddenly, at the end of the Mesolithic period, a complex web of cities and fortified settlements appeared throughout the Ararat valley, only handfuls of which have been excavated. But enough have been uncovered to show a startlingly developed culture that rivaled the Mesopotamian urban cities, and in the area of astronomy, led the way. Between 7000 and 4000 BC, this series of cities appeared at evenly placed spots in this crescent, all of them built around the metal industry.

The inhabitants were the first known to forge copper and bronze; and are the first recorded to successfully smelt iron. The metal ore mined in this area was among of the purest in the world, and the natives shaped their culture around it. They believed the technique for forging metal was given to them from the heavens, and their temples combined metal idols with sophisticated stone observatories that charted the night sky. The first recorded astronomers, they were the earliest to create a calendar that divided the year into 12 segments of time, among the first to devise the compass, and to envision the shape of the world as round.

The successful smelting of bronze (along with gold, silver and magnesium) and the mining of precious gems transformed an agrarian civilization into to an urban one. The first signs of fortified cities are traced to this era, beginning with the excavation at Metsamor (a thriving trade culture by 5,000 BC, and with many more strata to be uncovered, conjectured to be as old as 10,000 BC in its first incarnation). Other 5th millennium cities include Dari Blur (Armavir), Aratashen Blur, AdaBlur and Teghut. In the 4th millennium BC the cyclopic walls of Lechashen had been erected by Lake Sevan, while in the Ararat valley cities at Shengavit, Aigevan and Aigeshat were established. By 3000 BC a large kingdom was established around Metsamor with additional cities at MokhraBlur Jerahovit, Lejapi Blur, Kosh and Voski Blur (Voski means “golden” in Armenian).

Shengavit is distinct among the cities in Armenia for its use of round shaped dwellings made from river stones and mud brick. The artifacts found at Shengavit (ca. 5000-3000 BC) include black-varnished, red and gray pottery, in geometric patterns similar to those used in the Minoan culture. The culture had distinctive religious beliefs revolving around the sun and planets, reflected in burial artifacts found at the sites.

Ancestral Armenians developed a trading culture at a very early time. To do that, they needed to understand and create a system of navigation. Longitude, latitude, distance and direction had to be calculated for any trip farther than across a few mountains. Artifacts uncovered at Metsamor come from as far-flung cultures as those in Central Asia, Mesopotamia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Others include navigational tools, inscribed in stone and accurately mapping the night sky. In Sissian, an astral observatory built from stone shows an incredibly sophisticated knowledge of the universe way before the Babylonians—which used to be thought the first astronomers—had built their first city...

Source: http://www.tacentral.com/history.asp#