The 'Armenians' (, '''Hayer''') are a
nation and an
ethnic group originating in the
Caucasus and in the
Armenian Highlands. A large concentration of them has remained there, especially in
Armenia, but many of them are also scattered elsewhere throughout the world (see
Armenian diaspora).
The Armenians have had a significant prescence in countries such as
Russia,
Georgia and
Iran due to their proximity to Armenia. After the
Armenian Genocide, a large influx of survivors fled to
France, the
United States,
Argentina, the
Levant and other countries that welcomed the Armenians. There are an estimated 8 to 10 million Armenians around the world.
Christianized in
301, although Christianity had began to spread in Armenia soon after Christ's death, due to the efforts of two of his apostles,
St. Jude and
St. Bartholomew [2][3], thus most Armenians adhere to the
Armenian Apostolic Church. They speak two different, but mutually intelligible dialects of
their language:
Eastern Armenian, spoken mainly in Armenia, Iran and the former Soviet republics, and
Western Armenian, spoken primarily in the Armenian diaspora.
Armenians have developed unique, long-lasting, and modern culture through contact with both Europe and Asia. Traditional Armenian dance and music are among the oldest, richest and most original ones in the
Near East, and are still learnt and practiced today.
Armenian cuisine, as ancient as the people itself, is a combination of different tastes and varieties native to the
Armenian Highland. Over time, it has been spread to neighbouring nations and to the
New World by the Armenian diaspora.
Etymology
Main articles: Armenia (name)
Historically, the name ''Armenian'' has come to internationally designate this group of people. It was first used by neighboring countries of ancient
Armenia. However, Armenians call themselves ''Hay'' (Հայ, pronounced ''Hye''; plural: Հայեր, ''Hayer''). The word has traditionally been linked to the name of the legendary founder of the Armenian nation,
Haik, which is also a popular Armenian name.
[4][5]
Origins
Main articles: Origin of the Armenians
Prior to the sixth century BC, the predecessors of the
Armenian Kingdom were the
Hayasa-Azzi,
Hittite Empire,
Kingdom of Urartu, as well as other small states and tribal confederations.
Herodotus claims that Armenians were colonists of the
Phrygians. Hypotheses based on this narrative could place Armenians in their traditional homeland of eastern Asia Minor anywhere from around twelfth century BC ("colonizing" at the same time as the Phrygian influx) to around seventh century BC (pushed eastward by the invasions of the
Cimmerians who ravaged Phrygia in seventh century BC.
[6][7]
A competing view suggested by
Thomas Gamkrelidze and
Vyacheslav V. Ivanov in
1984 places the
Proto-Indo-European homeland in the
Armenian Highland.
[8] A recent study (Gray & Atkinson) that applied the statistical tools used in timing genetic evolution to the lexical evolution of Indo-European languages strongly implied that the Indo-European homeland indeed appears to be in Asia Minor, and Armenian language (hence a well-defined group speaking it) split from it (along with Greek) at around 5300 BC, and split from Greek shortly thereafter (but the "split" from Greek was statistically less obvious).
[9]
History
Main articles: History of Armenia
Moses of Choren, first Armenian historian, 5th century
The history of Armenia consists of periods of independence interrupted by conquests by other peoples, during which time Armenia continued as an autonomous kingdom subject to various empires. The first state that was called Armenia (which is not the name Armenians themselves use) by neighboring peoples (
Hecataeus of Miletus and
Behistun Inscription) was established in the early
sixth century BC. At its zenith (
95–
65 BC), the state extended from northern Caucasus all the way to what is now central
Turkey,
Lebanon, and north-western
Iran. The imperial reign of
Tigranes the Great is thus the span of time during which Armenia itself conquered areas populated by other peoples. Later it briefly became part of the
Roman Empire (AD
114–
118).
In
301 AD, Armenia became the first nation to adopt
Christianity as a state religion, ushering a new era in the history of the Armenian people (''see
Religion'').
Later on, in order to further strengthen the Armenian national identity,
Mesrop Mashtots invented the Armenian alphabet. This event ushered the
Golden Age of Armenia, during which many foreign books and manuscripts were translated to Armenian by Mesrop's pupils. Armenia lost its sovereignty in
428 to the Byzantine and Persian Empires.
In
885 the Armenians reestablished themselves as a sovereign entity under the leadership of
Ashot I of the
Bagratid Dynasty. A considerable portion of the Armenian nobility and peasantry fled the Byzantine occupation of Bagratid Armenia in
1045, and the subsequent invasion of the region by
Seljuk Turks in
1064. They settled in large numbers in
Cilicia, an Anatolian region where Armenians were already established as a minority since Roman times. In
1080, they founded an independent
Armenian Principality then Kingdom of Cilicia, which became the focus of Armenian
nationalism. The Armenians developed close social, cultural, military, and religious ties with nearby
Crusader States, but eventually succumbed to the
Mamluk invaders.
In the
16th century, Eastern Armenia was conquered by the Persian
Safavid Empire, while Western Armenia fell under Ottoman rule. In the
1820s, parts of historic Armenia under Persian control centering on
Yerevan and
Lake Sevan were incorporated into the
Russian Empire, but Western Armenia remained in the Ottoman Empire. During these tumultuous times, Armenians depended on the Church to preserve and protect their unique identity.
The
ethnic cleansing of Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire is widely considered a
genocide, an estimated 1.5 million victims, with one wave of persecution in the years
1894 to
1896 culminating in the events of the
Armenian Genocide in
1915 and
1916. With
World War I in progress, the Turks accused the (Christian) Armenians as liable to ally with
Imperial Russia, and used it as a pretext to deal with the entire Armenian population as an enemy within their empire. The exact numbers of deaths in the latter period is hard to establish. Turkish governments since that time have consistently rejected charges of genocide, typically arguing either that those Armenians who died were simply in the way of a war or that killings of Armenians were justified by their individual or collective support for the enemies of the Ottoman Empire. The recent decision by the French lower house on
October 12,
2006 to pass a bill making it illegal to deny the Armenian genocide has provoked intense reactions in the Turkish media. Note, however, that the decision has yet to be ratified by the French Senate to fully become law.
Following the breakup of the Russian Empire in the
aftermath of World War I for a brief period, from
1918 to
1920, Armenia was an independent republic. In late 1920, the
communists came to power following an invasion of Armenia by the
Red Army, and in
1922, Armenia became part of the
Transcaucasian SFSR of the
Soviet Union, later forming the
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (
1936 to
September 21,
1991). In 1991,
Armenia declared independence from the
USSR and established the second Republic of Armenia.
Geographic distribution
Armenia
Armenian girls.
Armenians have had a presence in the
Armenian Highland for over four thousand years, since the time when
Haik, the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation, led them to victory over
Bel of
Babylon. Today, with a population of 3.5 million, they not only constitute an overwhelming majority in Armenia, but also in the disputed region of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians in the diaspora informally refer to them as ''Hayastantsi''s (Հայաստանցի), meaning those that are from Armenia (that is, they or their ancestors were not forced to flee in 1915). They, as well as the Armenians of Iran and Russia speak the Eastern dialect of the Armenian language. The country itself is secular as a result of Soviet domination, but most of its citizens are Apostolic Armenian Christian.
Diaspora
Main articles: Armenian diaspora
Small Armenian trading communities have existed outside of Armenia for centuries. For example, a community has existed for over a millennium in the
Holy Land, and one of the four quarters of the walled old city of
Jerusalem has been called the
Armenian Quarter.
[10] There are also remnants of formerly populous communities in
India,
Myanmar, and
South East Asia. However, most Armenians have scattered throughout the world as a direct consequence of the genocide of 1915, constituting the
Armenian diaspora.
Within the diasporan Armenian community, there is an unofficial classification of the different ''kinds'' of Armenians. For example, Armenians who originate from Iran are referred to as
''Parskahay'' (Պարսկահայ), while Armenians from Lebanon are usually referred to as
''Lipananahay'' (Լիբանանահայ). Armenians of the Diaspora are the primary speakers of the Western dialect of the Armenian language. This dialect has considerable differences with Eastern Armenian, but speakers of either of the two variations can usually understand each other. Eastern Armenian in the diaspora is primarily spoken in Iran, Russia and former Soviet states such as
Ukraine and
Georgia (where they form a majority in the
Samtskhe-Javakheti province). In diverse communities (such as in Canada and the U.S.) where many different kinds of Armenians live together, there is a tendency for the different groups to cluster together.
Since the arrival of
Martin the Armenian to the
Jamestown Colony around 1618,
[11] Armenians have dispersed all throughout the United States.
Watertown, Massachusetts;
Fresno, California;
Detroit, Michigan;
Glendale, California; and
Los Angeles, California are centers of Armenian population in the United States; there is also a significant concentration in
New York City. In Canada, large numbers of Armenians can be found in
Toronto, Ontario, and
Montreal, Quebec. Armenians are also present in every country in Latin America, with the largest concentrations being found in
Brazil,
Argentina,
Chile,
Costa Rica,
Nicaragua,
Venezuela, and
Mexico.
Glendale, California, in particular, is famous for its high concentration of Armenians; there are approximately 78,000 Armenians, according to the 2000 U.S. census. Armenian residents of the city are active members in the municipal government and chamber of commerce. In
Hollywood, California, a small portion is known as "
Little Armenia", extending east to west from Wilton Avenue to Vermont Avenue and north and south from Hollywood Boulevard to Santa Monica Boulevard.
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Armenia,
Armenian cuisine,
List of Armenians
Language and literature
Main articles: Armenian language,
Armenian literature
Armenian is a sub-branch of the
Indo-European family, and with some 8-10 million speakers one of the smallest surviving branches, comparable to
Albanian or the somewhat more widely spoken
Greek, with which it may be connected (see
Graeco-Armenian).
Five million Eastern Armenian speakers live in the Caucasus, Russia, and Iran, and approximately two to three million people in the rest of the
Armenian diaspora speak Western Armenian. According to US Census figures, there are 300,000 Americans who speak Armenian at home. It is in fact the twentieth most commonly spoken language in the United States, having slightly fewer speakers than
Haitian Creole, and slightly more than
Navajo.
Armenian literature dates back to 400 AD, when Mesrob Mashdots first invented the
Armenian alphabet. This period of time is often viewed as the
Golden Age of Armenian literature. Early Armenian literature was written by the "father of Armenian history",
Moses of Chorene, who authored ''The History of Armenia''. The book covers the time-frame from the formation of the Armenian people to the fifth century A.D. The nineteenth century beheld a great literary movement that was to give rise to modern Armenian literature. This period of time, during which Armenian culture flourished, is known as the Revival period (Zartonki sherchan). The Revivalist authors of
Constantinople and
Tiflis, almost identical to the Romanticists of Europe, were interested in encouraging Armenian nationalism. Most of them adopted the newly created Eastern or Western variants of the Armenian language depending on the targeted audience, and preferred them over classical Armenian (grabar). This period ended after the
Hamidian massacres, when Armenians experienced turbulant times. As Armenian history of the 1920s and of the Genocide came to be more openly discussed, writers like
Paruyr Sevak,
Gevork Emin,
Silva Kaputikyan and
Hovhannes Shiraz began a new era of literature.
Religion
Main articles: Armenian Apostolic Church,
Religion in Armenia
Painting of a religious Armenian from
1779.
In
301 AD, Armenia adopted
Christianity as a state religion, becoming the first nation to do so.
It established a Church that still exists independently of both the
Catholic and the
Eastern Orthodox churches, having become so in
451 AD as a result of its
excommunication by the
Council of Chalcedon.
The
Armenian Apostolic Church is a part of the
Oriental Orthodox communion, not to be confused with the
Eastern Orthodox communion. During its later political eclipses, Armenia depended on the church to preserve and protect its unique identity. The original location of the Armenian Catholicosate is Echmiadzin. However, the continuous upheavals, which characterized the political scenes of Armenia, made the political power move to safer places. The Church center moved as well to different locations together with the political authority. Therefore, it eventually moved to
Cilicia as the
Holy See of Cilicia.
[12]
The Armenians have, at times, constituted a Christian "island" in a mostly
Muslim region. The
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia had close ties to European
Crusader States. Later on, the deteriorating situation in the region led the bishops of Armenia to elect a Catholicos in Etchmiadzin, the original seat of the Catholicosate. In
1441, a new Catholicos was elected in Etchmiadzin in the person of Kirakos Virapetsi, while Krikor Moussapegiants preserved his title as Catholicos of Cilicia. Therefore, since 1441, there have been two Catholicosates in the
Armenian Church with equal rights and privileges, and with their respective jurisdictions. The primacy of honor of the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin has always been recognized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia.
[13]
While the Armenian Apostolic Church remains the most prominent church in the Armenian community throughout the world, Armenians (especially in the diaspora) subscribe to any number of other Christian denominations. These include the
Armenian Catholic Church (which follows its own liturgy but recognizes the
Roman Catholic Pope), the
Armenian Evangelical Church, which started as a reformation in the Mother church but later broke away, and the
Armenian Brotherhood Church, which was born in the Armenian Evangelical Church, but later broke apart from it. There are other numerous Armenian churches belonging to Protestant denominations of all kinds.
Music
Main articles: Music of Armenia
Armenian Folk Musicians
Armenian music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by
Djivan Gasparyan's well-known
duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive
Christian music, due to Armenia's status as the oldest Christian nation in the world.
Instruments like the duduk, the
dhol, the
zurna and the
kanun are commonly found in Armenian folk music. Artists such as
Sayat Nova are famous due to their influence in the development of Armenian folk music. One of the oldest types of Armenian music is the
Armenian chant which is the most common kind of religious music in Armenia. Many of these chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Whilst under
Soviet rule, Armenian classical music composer
Aram Khatchaturian became internationally well known for his music, for various ballets and the
Sabre Dance from his composition for the ballet
Gayaneh.
The Armenian Genocide caused widespread emigration that led to the settlement of Armenians in various countries in the world. Armenians kept to their traditions and certain diasporans rose to fame with their music. In the post-Genocide Armenian community of the United States, the so called "kef" style Armenian dance music, using Armenian and Middle Eastern folk instruments (often electrified/amplified) and some western instruments, was popular. This style preserved the folk songs and dances of
Western Armenia, and many artists also played the contemporary popular songs of Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries from which the Armenians emigrated.
Richard Hagopian is perhaps the most famous artist of the traditional "kef" style and the
Vosbikian Band was notable in the 40s and 50s for developing their own style of "kef music" heavily influenced by the popular American
Big Band Jazz of the time. Later, stemming from the Middle Eastern Armenian diaspora and influenced by Continental European (especially French) pop music, the Armenian pop music genre grew to fame in the 60s and 70s with artists such as
Adiss Harmandian and
Harout Pamboukjian performing to the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. Other Armenian diasporans that rose to fame in classical or international music circles are world renown
French-Armenian singer and composer
Charles Aznavour,
Hasmik Papian and more recently
Isabel Bayrakdarian. Certain Armenians settled to sing non-Armenian tunes such as the heavy metal band
System of a Down (which nonetheless often incorporates traditional Armenian instrumentals and stylings into their songs) or pop star
Cher. In the Armenian diaspora,
Armenian revolutionary songs are popular with the youth. These songs encourage Armenian patriotism and are generally about Armenian history and national heroes.
Food
Main articles: Armenian cuisine
Armenians enjoy many different native and foreign foods.
Lavash is a very popular Armenian rollable bread, and Armenian
baklava is a special treat. Other famous Armenian foods include the
kabob (a skewer of marinated roasted meat and vegetables),
t'pov dolma (minced lamb meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves),
kaghambi dolma (minced meat and rice wrapped in cabbage),
amarayin dolma (cored tomatoes, eggplants and green peppers stuffed with minced mixed meats and rice), and
pilaf, a tasty rice dish. Fruits play a large part in the Armenian diet.
Apricots (also known as
Armenian Plum) originate from this area and have really unique taste,
peaches are native too and are very popular; also common are
grapes,
figs,
pomegranates, and
melons.
Sports
Main articles: Sport in Armenia
Armenian children at the UN Cup Chess Tournament in 2005.
Many types of sports are played in Armenia, among the most popular being
football,
chess,
boxing,
basketball,
hockey and
volleyball.
[14] Since independence, the Armenian government has been actively rebuilding its sports program in the country.
During Soviet rule, Armenian athletes rose to prominence winning plenty of medals and helping the
USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by
Hrant Shahinian, who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the
1952 Summer Olympics in
Helsinki. In football, their most successful team was
Yerevan's FC Ararat, which had claimed most of the Soviet championships in the 70s and had also gone to post victories against professional clubs like
FC Bayern Munich in the Euro cup.
Armenians have also been successful in chess, which is the most popular mind sport in Armenia. Some of the most prominent chess players in the world are Armenian such as
Tigran Petrosian,
Levon Aronian and
Garry Kasparov. Armenians have also been successful in weightlifting and wrestling, winning medals in each sport at the Olympics.
Institutions
The nation-state of
Armenia is the most prominent Armenian institution today. Other important institutions include:
★ The
Armenian Apostolic Church
★ The
Armenian Catholic Church
★ The
Armenian Evangelical Church The community was formally recognized in 1846 by the Ottoman Empire.
★ The
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) founded in 1906 and the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world with educational, cultural and humanitarian projects on six continents.
★ The
Armenian Revolutionary Federation was founded in
1890. It is generally referred to as the ''Dashnaktsutyun'', which means ''Federation'' in Armenian. The ARF is the strongest worldwide Armenian political organization and the only diasporan Armenian organization with a significant political presence in the
Republic of Armenia.
★ The
Armenian Relief Society, founded in
1910.
★
Hamazkayin, an Armenian cultural and educational society founded in
Cairo in
1928, and responsible for the founding of Armenian secondary schools and institutions of higher education in several countries.
★
Homenetmen, an Armenian scouting and athletic organization founded in 1910 with a worldwide membership of about 25,000.
See also
★
List of Armenians
★
Armenian diaspora
Further reading
★
FACES Project - Armenian population worldwide
Notes
1. Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States - Page 3 by James B Minahan
2. Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity, in 301; see A World History of Christianity, , Adrian, Hastings, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, ISBN 0802848753
3. Armenia first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion.
4. Haik and Hayastan
5. Armenia Provinces
6. The Armenians, , Elizabeth, Redgate, Blackwell Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0631220372
7. Herodotus - ''The Histories'', Book 7, Chapter 73
8. ''The Early History of Indo-European Languages'', Thomas V. Gamkrelidze and V. V. Ivanov Scientific American, March 1990, P.110
9. ''Language-tree divergence times support the Anatolian theory of Indo-European origin'' Russell D. Gray and Quentin D. Atkinson, Nature 426, 435-439
10. Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem
11. Armenians in the Unites States
12. A Migrating Catholicosate
13. Two Catholicosates within the Armenian Church
14. Sport in Armenia
References
★
★
★ The categorization of Armenian churches in Los Angeles used information from
Sacred Transformation: Armenian Churches in Los Angeles a project of the
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
★ Some of the information about the history of the Armenians comes from the multi-volume ''History of the Armenian People,'' Yerevan, Armenia, 1971.
Further reading
★ George A. Bournoutian, ''A History of the Armenian People'', 2 vol. (1994)
★ George A. Bournoutian, ''A Concise History of the Armenian People'' (Mazda, 2003, 2004).
★ I. M. Diakonoff, ''The Pre-History of the Armenian People'' (revised, trans. Lori Jennings), Caravan Books, New York (1984), ISBN 0-88206-039-2.
★ Russell D. Gray and Quentin D. Atkinson, "Language-tree divergence times support the Anatolian theory of Indo-European origin", Nature, 426, 435-439 (2003)
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