The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and...
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia on medieval European maps
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was established during the High Middle Ages amid fierce religious wars by the Rubenid dynasty, an offshoot of the larger Bagratid family, which at various times had held the thrones of Armenia and Georgia. Their capital was originally at Tarsus, and later became Sis. Cilicia was a strong ally...
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...
2,000-year-old tombstone of an Armenian king recovered in Turkey
Turkish anti-smuggling police in northwestern Balıkesir province has recovered another ancient artifact. This time a tombstone belonging to an Armenian king from the kingdom of Commagene. The DailySabbah reports: Anti-smuggling police seized a 2,000-year-old tombstone belonging to an ancient Armenian king in Turkey’s northwestern Balıkesir province on Tuesday. Acting upon a tipoff, security forces...
Armenia: Land of the Horses
The Armenian Highlands are renowned for horse breeding. Some of the oldest traces of domestication of horses and the development of the chariot have been found there. Following the Biblical tradition Armenians are considered to be the descended of Torgom (Togarmah), where the Bible refers to the House of Togarmah, a land known for...
The world’s oldest rug was made in Armenia
The oldest surviving knotted carpet is the Pazyryk rug, excavated miraculously in the frozen tombs of Siberia, dated from the 5th to the 3rd century B.C., now in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. This square tufted carpet, almost perfectly intact, is considered by many experts to be of specifically Armenian, origin. The eminent...
Did the Sassanids adopt an Armenian banner?
When researching Persian dynasties I came across a curious symbol on wikipedia. It was the Sassanid banner called Derafsh-e Kaviani “the standard of Kāva”. It caught my attention because I remembered having seen this symbol in ancient Armenian art as well. Or at least something very similar. After reading up on this symbol I...
[High Res] Map of the 16 provinces of Greater Armenia
This high resolution French map dates to 1788 and depicts the 16 major administrative districts of Greater Armenia. It is part of the collection of the National Library of France
The mind-blowing secret of the Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet is a true masterpiece of its era and knows many secrets. However, there is one in particular that still blows my mind. As some people know the Armenian alphabet was (re)invented in 405 AD by the Armenian linguist and theologian Mesrop Mashtots with the help of the patriarch Sahak Partev and...
How a 5th century history book led to the discovery of a forgotten kingdom
Armenia is so old that its early history only survived in the form of legends and myths. It often reminds me of the following line: And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. ― Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien A...
