Armenia & The Armenians
ORIGIN OF THE ARMENIANS
The Armenians are one of the oldest races of history. They are
the contemporaries of the Babylonians, the Hittite, and a
host of ancient races, all of which have become extinct, with the
exception of the Armenians.
The Armenians call themselves "Hai" and claim descent from
Haik--the great grandson of Japeth son of Noah.
Historic Armenia (Hayastan) has always centered around Biblical
Mount Ararat--southern Caucasus.
Haik, the legendary father of the Armenians, challenged the
authority of Belus, the Despot of Babylon, slew him in combat, and
gathering his family, settled on what later was to be known as the home
of the Armenians. This was the beginning of the Armenian state (c. 1200
B.C.).
Historical documents show that the Armenian advance from
Capadocia -- the region of Europe known as Thrace -- to the plateau of
Erzerum, in the neighborhood of Mt. Ararat -- present day Eastern Turkey
and formerly known as Asia Minor -- took place between the 7th and 8th
centuries B.C.
Some of the nations and tribes living in these districts were
absorbed by the Armenians, others withdrew before them into the north of
the Caucasus.
The name "Armenia" first appears in recorded history in Assyrian
inscriptions of the 9th century B.C. A diverse school of thought
propounded, is that it makes its first appearance in an inscription of
Darius Hystaspes, a Persian king, dated 510 B.C.
For over 3,000 years Armenia has been battered by war and
occupation. Being on the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Armenia has
become a battlefield for invaders and conquerors, and has been decimated
and tortured a great deal.
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