Genetics of the Highland Another important tool we have at our disposal to asses population dynamics (both ancient and modern) is the study of genetics. When looking at the Armenian genetics the first and foremost evidence comes to us from the mere fact that Armenians are quite uniquely considered to be proper representatives of...
Who were the Urartians? – The language – [Part 4]
What about the language? Before we dive into the similarities between the Urartian and the Armenian languages, it is important to stress that an ethnicity is never defined by language alone. One of the most common mistakes that I often hear (and read) regarding the Urartian identity is this overemphasis on the poorly defined...
Who were the Urartians? – Hayk and Haldi – [Part 3]
Yet another possibility, and perhaps complimentary to some of the previously-mentioned theories, is that the Armenian patriarch Hayk himself represents none other than the Urartian principal deity Haldi. The relation between the two has been argued convincingly before by Kavoukjian, Hacikyan, Basmajian, Franchuk, Ouzounian, Nourhan (2000–2005) yet the most striking similarities, in my opinion,...
Who were the Urartians? – Land of the forefather – [Part 2]
What’s in a name? If we want to better understand the Urartian identity we have to consider other exonyms as well as the native names (endonyms) of the country. We have to look at how others viewed the Urartians but also how both the Urartians and the Armenians self-identified. Did they consider themselves as...
Who were the Urartians? – Introduction – [Part 1]
Dear reader, it has been a while since I’ve made a post on this blog. The long delay was partially caused by the latest situation in Artsakh, after which, like many of us, I’ve lost some emotional energy for writing, and partially because I was, as much as I possibly could, researching the kingdom...
[VIDEO] Indo-European Homeland: The Revival of the Armenian Hypothesis
Because of recent developments in linguistics and especially archeaogenetics there has been a renewed interest in the Armenian Hypothesis. More and more credible evidence emerges suggesting that the first Indo-European language was spoken on the Armenian Plateau and spread east, west and north as people migrated from this central region. In this video I...
World’s oldest sword discovered in the Armenian Monastery in Venice
In 2017, an Italian student Vittoria Dall’Armellina was visiting the Mkhitarist monastery on San Lazzaro in Venice when she spotted a familiar looking sword. The sword was mistakenly labeled as a medieval artifact and was thought to be a few hundred years old. It turns out it’s one of the oldest known weapons in...
Burial of an ancient female warrior discovered in Armenia
Archaeologists have discovered the grave of an injured woman who died during the Iron Age in Armenia. The remains belonged to a woman who seemed to live as a professional warrior and was buried as an individual of rank during the Urartu (Ararat) era in Armenia. Based on the wounds to her skeleton, she...
11,300-year-old temple found in historical Armenia
A 80-square-meter Neolithic era temple estimated to be around 11,300 years old was recently discovered in eastern Turkey (Dargeçit, Mardin district), a region that once was inhabited by Armenians. The structure is considered to be of the same age and style as the famous temple of Portasar (a.k.a. Göbekli Tepe) and probably belongs to...
Let’s talk about the Dragon Stones
One of the many fascinating mysteries about the Armenian Highlands is the existence of countless prehistoric megaliths known to the Armenians as the Vishapakar “serpent-stones” or “dragon stones”. Fascinating, not just because of their quantity (over 150 have survived. Imagine how many haven’t been found yet or didn’t survive the test of time), but...
