The Probert Encyclopaedia of Places of the World

ARMENIA

Armenia is a republic in east Europe. Armenia is a mountainous country of great historical interest, as the original seat of one of the oldest civilized peoples in the world. Armenia is intersected by the Euphrates, which divides it into the ancient divisions, Armenia Major and Armenia Minor. The country is an elevated plateau, enclosed on several sides by the ranges of Taurus and Anti-Taurus, and partly occupied by other mountains, the loftiest of which is Ararat. Several important rivers take their rise in Armenia, namely, the Kur or Cyrus, and its tributary the Aras or Araxes, flowing east to the Caspian Sea; the Halys or Kizil-Irmak, flowing north to the Black Sea; and the Tigris and Euphrates, which flow into the Persian Gulf. The chief lakes are Van and Urumiyah. The climate is rather severe. The soil is on the whole productive, though in many places it would be quite barren were it not for the great care taken to irrigate it.

Little is known of the early history of Armenia, but it was a separate state as early as the eighth century BC, when it became subject to Assyria, as it also did subsequently to the Medes and the Persians. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 325 BC, but regained its independence about 190 BC. Its king Tigranes, son-in-law of the celebrated Mithridates, was defeated by the Romans under Lucullus and Pompey about 69-66 BC, but was left on the throne. Since then its fortunes have been various under the Romans, Parthians, Byzantine emperors, Persians, Saracens, Turks, etc.

Armenia was the first country to proclaim Christianity as its official religion, in 300. During the Monophysitic disputes they held with those who rejected the twofold nature of Christ, and being dissatisfied with the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon (451) they separated from the Greek Church in 536. The popes have at different times attempted to gain them over to the Roman Catholic faith, but have not been able to unite them permanently and generally with the Roman Church. There are, however, small numbers here and there of United Armenians, who acknowledge the spiritual supremacy of the pope, agree in their doctrines with the Catholics, but retain their peculiar cere monies and discipline. But the far greater part are yet Monophysites, and have remained faithful to their old religion and worship. Their doctrine differs from the orthodox chiefly in their admitting only one nature in Christ, and believing the Holy Spirit to proceed from the Father alone. Their sacraments are seven in number. They adore saints and their images, but do not believe in purgatory. Their hierarchy differs little from that of the Greeks. The Catholicus, or head of the church, has his seat at Etchmiadzin, a monastery near Erivan, the capital of Russian Armenia, on Mount Ararat.

The inhabitants are chiefly of the genuine Armenian stock, a branch of the Aryan or Indo-European race; but besides them, in consequence of the repeated subjugation of the country, various other races have obtained a footing. Many thousands of Armenians in Armenia were massacred by the Turks during the 19th century.

The Armenian language belongs to the Indo-European family of languages, and is most closely connected with the Iranic group. The Old Armenian or Haikan language, which is still the literary and ecclesiastical language, is distinguished from the new Armenian, the ordinary spoken language, which contains a large intermixture of Persian and Turkish elements. The most flourishing period of Armenian literature extended from the fourth to the fourteenth century. It then declined, but a revival began in the seventeenth century, and at the present day wherever any extensive community of Armenians have settled they have set up a printing-press. The Armenian Bible, translated from the Septua-gint by Isaac or Sahak, the patriarch, early in the fifth century, is a model of the classic style.

In 1828 a large part of Armenia was acquired by Russia, and following the Russian revolution Armenia was briefly independent again from 1918 to 1922 when it became part of the Transcaucasian Soviet Republic and in 1936 a separate union republic. In 1990 Armenia declared itself independent, and in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union its independence was recognised and in 1992 Armenia joined the United Nations.

Armenia is a township in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, USA.
Armenia is a town in Juneau County, Wisconsin, USA.
Research Armenia
More information about Armenia