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...
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...
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...
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...
Documentary about the Kingdom of Ararat (Urartu)
A new documentary about the ancient Armenian kingdom of Ararat (a.k.a. Van or Urartu) has recently been published to YouTube by Artak Movsisyan. Check it out guys, it’s worth to watch. For those who want it to see it in a different language click bellow: Russian – ЦАРСТВО АРАРАТ – УРАРТУ Armenian – «ԱՐԱՐԱՏ-ՈՒՐԱՐՏՈՒ ԹԱԳԱՎՈՐՈՒԹՅՈՒՆԸ» (Ամբողջական տարբերակ)...
3,000-year-old footprint found in historic Armenia
An ancient human footprint from the Iron Age kingdom of Van (also known as Urartu / Ararat) was recently discovered at a castle in the historic Armenian city of Van (today part of Turkey). The footprint, measuring some 26 centimeters long and fitting a modern shoe size of 36, was found at Van Castle...
