|
Ancient Armenia
Human beings have inhabited the Armenian Plateau and
Caucasus Region since over 100,000 years ago. Little is
known of them, however, drawings in caves and on rocks
attest to their existence. The area, situated between
some of the Old World's major water ways, is generally
considered the cradle of civilization. Archeological and
historical facts point to the development of
civilization in the region with the formation of the
Urartu kingdom around 980 BC. The first mention of
Armenians in historical writings is found in
inscriptions at Behistun, near the city of Kermanshah in
modern-day Iran, which date to 600 BC.
The legendary founder of Armenia was
Haik, a chieftain who called on his kinsmen to unite
into a single nation, thus forming Armenia. Ararat was
the mountain around which was centered Urartu and
subsequent kingdoms, and is still considered sacred by
the Armenians. The original Armenian name for the
country was Hayq, later Hayastan, translated as the
"Land of Haik", and consisting of the name Haik and the
Iranian suffix '-stan' (land). According to legend, Haik
was a great-great-grandson of Noah (son of Togarmah, who
was a son of Gomer, a son of Noah's son, Yafet), and
according to tradition, a forefather of all Armenians.
Mount Ararat, a sacred mountain for the Armenian people,
rising in the center of the Armenian Highland as its
highest peak, is traditionally considered the landing
place of Noah's Ark.
|
