Ancient Armenian Heritage
“Armenians have been in Anatolia for thousands of years and should never be forgotten.” – Zaruhy C.
The Armenian language and dialect as represented by this Indo-European Linguasphere is the only one to remain intact to its origins.
The Chitjian Foundation supports Armenian Archeology at UCLA
Zaruhy Sara Chitjian with the Chitjian Foundation and UCLA are dedicated to enlighten the world to Armenia’s glorious ancient history that goes back thousands of years…
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Major Conference on Recent Armenian Archeology
Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies
The publication of this journal is sponsored by the research program in Armenian Archeaology and Ethnography of The Cotsen Institute of Archeology at The University of California, Los Angeles and funded by the Chitjian Family Foundation (USA)
The full article can be found here: Asbarez
Ancient Armenian Winemaking
Petags were made out of clay and would range in size up to about 6 feet high. They stored grain and flour such bulger, lentils (vosb) etc and had a spout at the base for which to disperse usually cracked wheat. (Hampartzoum did not eat rice until he was in his 20’s as it was only available for the rich.
Page 19 from Hampartzoum’s memoir, “A Hair’s Breadth From Death”. Download the free digital copy of the memoir from this site to learn more.
Page 20 from Hampartzoum’s memoir, “A Hair’s Breadth From Death”. Download the free digital copy of the memoir from this site to learn more.
The variety of clay in Perri allowed for a diverse use of pottery.
The Chitjian Family name is derived from the occupation “Chichi” which is a block printer. Thus Hampartzoum’s father was a block printer in Perri. (The photos above are from an Iran trip Sara made in the 1970’s demonstrating the same craft)
Urartu Era Artifacts Discovered!
Armenians are a “Living Fossil” to Geneticists!
Full article available HERE.
Areni Cave Project
Ancient Armenian City Discovered
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Ancient Armenian City Discovered
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Ancient Armenian City Discovered
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Ancient Egyptians were closer to Armenians than to Africans!
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The Dragon Stones
The complete article: www.peopleofar.com
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 most of all, because nearly nothing is actually known about these mysterious monuments.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
The Armenian / Celtic Connection
To read the full article: CLICK HERE
Some researchers consider Armenia (northern parts of Armenia) to be the ancestral Homeland of the Celts. If this is the case Celtic tribes might supposedly have moved towards the West (today’s territories of France and Belgium) by way of the Black Sea and the Danube River.
The Celtic tribes practiced farming and cattle-breeding. Craftsmanship (the making of pottery, glass and bronze objects) and trade were also developed. The Celts worshiped the tree of life (oak tree). Celtic (also Irish) crosses witness about their nation’s cultural connection with Armenia. Their circular Sun-like discs and plaited patterns remind us of Armenian ornaments and crosses (later cross-stones) of pre-Christian and Christian times.
Some heroes in the Celtic mythology have the following names Er, Eriy (Eriu), Eremon68 which are similar to Armenian names. Irish Celts used to be called Ériu (now Éire). The name Ériu is very close to the tribe and country name of Eria(ini) that was carved in Armenian king (735–713 B.C.) Rusa I’s cuneiform inscription uncovered in the Tsovinar village, located on the banks of Lake Sevan. Eria(ini) is mentioned alongside with the tribeand settlement name Uelkuni.
Similarities between Armenian Cross Stones and Celtic / Irish Cross Stones
Similarities between Stone Hendge and Kara Hunge in Armenia.
Marco Polo Visited Armenia
Marco Polo was a prominent merchant and legendary world traveler who wrote extensively about the world he discovered. His detailed descriptions of Armenia included statements that Armenians made the best textiles in the world and had the nicest natural spring water baths of all the places he had ever visited. He described the majestic nature and significance of Mt Ararat as a symbol of the Armenian people and that it was the resting places of the biblical Noah’s Ark.
His memoirs chronicle the rural village life and details city and political infrastructure, capturing the culture, the food and the spirituality being the first nation to adopt christianity. He described the rich heart of a people for which he appreciated with great admiration as expressed in his memoirs.
4000 Year Old Armenian Shoe
Iron age Armenian antiquities found by Hungarian police in a truck
Full article found here: Click Here
Hungarian police released footage of ancient artifacts smuggled last year by a Turkish truck driver under way to Lithuania. The trove included ancient Sumerian, Persian, Assyrian and most of all Armenian antiquities of the Urartian era (Kingdom of Van). The artifacts dated to as early as 900 BC., included a helmet, small bells and horse tack, were likely from the grave of a high-raking military officer from the Kingdom of Van.
The Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age Armenian kingdom (also known as Urartu) famed for one of the finest examples of ancient art. At its zenith it had a profound cultural influence on its neighbors reaching as far as Asia and Europe. The kingdom was anciently known by various names in different cultures. In the trilingual Behistun inscription of Darius the Great (c.520 BC), the Babylonian and Assyrian toponym Urartu is called Armenia in Old Persian and Harminuia in Elamite. In the Bible this kingdom is called Ararat.
The contraband artifacts were discovered last year during a routine search of a truck driven by a Turkish citizen. The investigation is said to have been completed and the Turkish driver is charged with receiving stolen goods.
DNA from a 7 thousand year old tooth found in a Cave in Artsakh perfectly matches with modern Armenians
Article from the web site “The People of Ar”
Archeologists working at cave site located in Artsakh
Entrance to cave in Artsakh
Scholars from Britain, US, Denmark and Armenia led by Prof. Levon Yepiskoposyan have been examining prehistoric caves near the village of Azokh in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and found unique artifacts from different periods, among them a tooth from a human who lived 7000 years ago. Due to the cave’s climate DNA was preserved inside the tooth and was send to Copenhagen University’s genetics department (in Denmark) for examination. The results of this inquiry have revealed that the genetic makeup of the tooth belonging to an individual 7000 years ago perfectly matches with the genetic makeup of modern Armenians.
“This is the conclusion we’ve reached after numerous excavations carried out on the territory of Karabakh, where we examined more than a dozen caves, among them the cave of Azokh and Alexan Uzes.” – Yepiskoposyan said.
The caves near the village of Azokh are a unique site that have preserved organic traces from various periods of our history. Since the excavations at Azokh started in 2002, the team led by Dr. Tania King (Blanford Museum, UK) has uncovered hundreds, if not thousands, of bones of the giant and now extinct cave bear (Ursus speleaus). In addition to countless remains of mammals archaeologists have now found evidence for three different species of hominin – Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens. The fossil records are exceptionally rich and demonstrate that paleontological data alone from Alexan Uze cave could define the cave as a regionally important scientific discovery. You can read more about the Azokh cave complex in the book titled: Azokh Cave and the Transcaucasian Corridor (2016)
The human tooth was discovered in the Alexan Uzes cave which preserved human DNA. Referring to this cave Yepiskoposyan added that:
“Here we found a tooth of a human who lived on the territory of Karabakh, about seven thousand years ago. DNA can be preserved in teeth for very long periods of time, as we know.”
he continued:
“As a result, it was found that the genes of our distant ancestors corresponds with those of modern Armenians.”
That Armenians are no migrants but constitute an indigenous population of the Armenian Highlands has already been established by countless previous genetic studies (read for example HERE, HERE, HERE or HERE).
These findings therefore again corroborates with the previous studies and confirms that Armenians are an indigenous people who have occupied their territory for thousands of years.
7.2 Million Year Old Pre-Human Remains Found In The Balkans
This 7.175 year old lower jaw bone was found in Athens, Greece. (Full article found HERE
Scientists analyzing 7.2 million-year-old fossils uncovered in modern-day Greece and Bulgaria suggest a new hypothesis about the origins of humankind, placing it in the Eastern Mediterranean and not — as customarily assumed — in Africa, and earlier than currently accepted. The researchers conclude that Graecopithecus freybergi represents the first pre-humans to exist following the split from the last chimpanzee-human common ancestor.
Worlds Oldest Rug was made in Armenia
Complete article available at: PeopleOfAr
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.
More Archeological Articles regarding Ancient Armenia
3000 year old footprint found in Ancient Armenia.
Armenian Links to StoneHenge Explored
Oldest Homo Sapien Fossils Found.
Oldest Armenian Manuscript
Ancient Timeline
World’s Oldest Sewer System
Stone Age Tools
Excavations at Dvin
Excavations at Lori Bert
Organic Evidence!
Echo of Earthquake in Archeological Finds.
Iran to register Armenian Cathedral in Isfahan as UNESCO World Heritage SIte.
Ani – Forgotten Armenian Capital
Armenian traditional dance recognized by UNESCO.
Marco Polo travels thru Armenia
Mystical Historical Armenia
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Mystical Historical Armenia
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140 year old poem
An inch from paradise
Ancient Bible discovered
Urartian artifacts stolen then recovered
A Modern Cosmetics Company is mining Armenia’s ancient manuscripts
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A Modern Cosmetics Company is mining Armenia’s ancient manuscripts
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Discovering ancient Urartian Temple
The Sad Exodus of Christians from the Birthplace of Jesus
The city built by King Tigran the Great is Unearthed
Armenia protests destruction of monuments
Mankind’s secrets revealed in ancient blood samples
Bronze age archeological site unearthed in Shirak
Polish Armenian Physicians during the 16-19th centuries
Lost Treasures Found
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Lost Treasures Found
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Lost Treasures Found
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Lost Treasures Found
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Lost Treasures Found
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A visit to the museum of Kars
Urban Planning Circa 2500 BC
How Turkey Destroyed or disposed its Historical Archives
Map of Ancient Armenia stirs Turkish officials
The Echo of The Earthquake in Archeological finds
Excavations in Karabakh
Architect lectures on ancient region
Architect lectures on ancient region
Tracing The Armenians
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Tracing The Armenians
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Tracing The Origins of Indo European Languages
3,000 year old footprint found in historic Armenia.
Mysteries give way to past centuries
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Mysteries give way to past centuries
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Mysteries give way to past centuries
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New DNA study supports Armenian Indo European origin.
Prophet Muhammad’s rarely known decree to the Armenian Patriarch
Armenian History in a nutshell
Universal language needed – Anthropologists pick Armenian
Ancient Armenian Monuments Destroyed
“Armenia” is one of the most ancient place-names on Earth
Earliest known winery found in Armenian cave
Armenian cave yields oldest human brain
Tracing the Origins of Indo European Languages to Armenia
Stone tool discovery in Armenia gives insight into Human innovation 325,000 years ago.
CNN Explores Secrets of Armenia’s Stone Henge
Portasar (Gobekli Tepe) – 12,000 Year old discovery alters theory of human development
Armenia’s The cradle of Civilization
Date of Armenia’s Birth, Given in 5th Century, Gains Credence.
Armenians, The People of Ararat
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Armenians, The People of Ararat
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Ancient text secrets revealed
World’s oldest rug was made in Armenia
Traditional Armenian Dress
Armenia by Ara Melkonian
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About Vartan The Armenian Hero
About Vartan
The Battle of Avarair
Vartan and Ghevont Yerets (451 A.D.)
St. Vartan by Thomajan
Being an Armenian by Thomajan
The Solution To The Hittite Question by Peter Jensen (1893)
Peter Jensen proposed that The Armenian language is the closest language to the Hittite language and that Armenians themselves are the descendants from Hittites. His 300 page book below explaining this was written in German. The Chitjian Foundation is looking into translating this journal into English.
[archiveorg hittiterundarmen00jens width=560 height=384 frameborder=0 webkitallowfullscreen=true mozallowfullscreen=true]
1960’s Postacrds of Sacred Armenian Sites
Postcards The Chitjian’s brought back from Armenia when they visited in the late 1960’s.
Postcard #1
Postcard #2
Postcard #3
Postcard #4
Postcard #5
Postcard #6
Postcard #7
Postcard #8
Sevanavank Monastery
Postcard #9
Tatev Monastery
Garni Temple
Armenian chapel before and after bombing
Dert Zor, Syria
Armenian Genocide Monuments
Postcards The Chitjian’s brought back from Armenia when they visited in the late 1960’s.
Armenian Genocide Monument
Southfield, Michigan 1987
Armenian Genocide Monument
Las Vegas Nevada 2015
Armenian Genocide Monument
Phoenix Arizona 1978
Armenian Genocide Monument
Boston Mass. 2012
Armenian Genocide Monument
Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1980
Armenian Genocide Monument
Providence Rhode Island 1999
Mount Davidson Cross dedicated to Armenian Genocide Martyrs
San Francisco, CA. 1997
Armenian Genocide Monument
Montebello CA. 1968
Armenian Genocide Monument
Fresno, CA. 2015
Armenian Genocide Monument
Pasadena, CA. 2015
Armenian Genocide Monument
Bikfaya, Lebanon
Armenian Genocide Monument
Tehran, iran
Armenian Genocide Monument
Etchmiadzin, Armenia
Armenian Genocide Monument
Istanbul Armenian 1919
Chapel in memory of The Armenian Genocide
Syrian Desert
Histories of Armenian Towns around the World
This collection of information was assembled by Gaghjayan
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Vintage Armenian Post Cards Printed with Metallic Foil
Vardan Mamikonian
National Armenian Hero
St. Mesrob Mashtots
Inventor of The Armenian Alphabet
Ashken, Queen of Armenia
The first Christian Queen in The World
Ashken, Queen of Armenia
The first Christian Queen in The World
Outline of Armenian History
Outline of Armenian History
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Outline of Armenian History
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Outline of Armenian History
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Outline of Armenian History
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Outline of Armenian History
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Outline of Armenian History
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Outline of Armenian History
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More on Armenian History
More Armenian History
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More Armenian History
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More Armenian History
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More Armenian History
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Highlights of Armenian History
Immortal figures in Armenian history
Ancient Armenia
Memorial Monuments
The Armenian Alphabet
The Armenian Church
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Armenian Language
Ten Epochs of Armenian History
Old Map of Armenia
Old Map of the Anatolia region
More About Armenian Heritage
The Armenians
Preface
Armenians In America
Armenian Contributions
More Armenian Contributions
Background of The Armenians
Armenians and Christianity
The Armenian Genocide
Modern Armenian Republic
Soviet Armenia
An Inch from Paradise
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Historic Videos about Armenia
The City of 1001 Churches
Lords of The Mountains
The Battle of Avarayr 451 AD
The world’s oldest melody was composed by an Armenian ancestor
To read a great article about this discovery: https://www.peopleofar.com/2018/08/24/worlds-oldest-surviving-melody-was-composed-by-armenian-ancestors-3400-years-ago/
Documentary about the Kingdom of Ararat (Urartu)
The Capital Older Than Rome
(Documentary about Ancient Armenia)
Medieval Armenia & The City of 1001 Churches
The New Tears Of Araxes
A five-minute film, tells the tragic story of thousands of ancient Armenian headstones flattened to the ground by the Azerbaijani authorities in Djulfa
Armenian Journey Chronicles
During three years of filming, director Ruben Giney’s crew has visited 72 cities in 11 countries to provide completely new view on the Armenian history worldwide.
Komitas
ARTUR SHAHNZARYAN KOMITAS
Artur Shahnazarian
Musicologist and Composer Soghomon Soghomonyan 1869-1935
Komitas was born in Anatolia, in the city of Kutina or Kütahya, in 1869. His ancestors were from the Goghtan region, which is known from Khorenatsi as the birthplace of gusans, bards. It had been forbidden to speak Armenian where Komitas was born and because of this, his ancestors, his father and mother spoke Turkish. They didn’t know Armenian.
Komitas wasn’t even a year old when his mother, Taguhi, died. She gave birth to him at seventeen and died within a year, leaving him a maternal orphan. His father was a cobbler and it was he who raised him. His father and mother were vocally gifted and liked to sing. The melodies that they sang may have had Armenian roots, but they sang them in Turkish, because as I mentioned, they didn’t know Armenian. His paternal uncle also liked to sing. In short, he came from a family of singers. He was also exposed to Classical Armenian at the Armenian church which he attended. Though he couldn’t understand the language, he listened to the music and even learnt to sing the songs, because his father and uncle participated in the church liturgy and sang in it. He was subsequently sent to Bursa, his mother’s birthplace, to attend school. While at school, he received news of his father’s death. Orphaned, he was left in the care of his grandmother, Mariam, and his uncle’s wife.
And here something auspicious took place that would prove fateful for the Armenian people. At the behest of Catholicos Gevorg IV of Etchmiadzin, an orphan from the region was to be brought to study at the Seminary. The Catholicos had established a seminary that took in orphans from various places, so that they could get education and have a chance, as Tumanian had said, ‘’to become somebody’’.
Gevorgian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Etchmiadzin
And so, out of twenty children, Komitas was chosen. I am certain that he was chosen for his voice because there was a need for vocally gifted children in Etchmiadzin. And so, they took him to Etchmiadzin. At the Seminary he learnt Armenian. Not only did he learn Classical, Eastern, and Western Armenian, but he also began to learn dialects: the dialects of Sassoun, Van, Lori, Shirak. As
his musical abilities became more evident, he began to transcribe folk songs. By the time of his graduation from the Seminary, this young man had transcribed such a large number of songs that this collection alone would become an exceptional treasure for the Armenian people. During his years at the Seminary, Komitas kept a notebook of his musical modes, church modes based on the Armenian scales, that even decades later would not be surpassed by other musicologists. So Komitas began to transcribe Armenian folk songs and pledged that through this work it would be his mission to revive, recover and deliver to the people the Armenian soul, its essence, its centuries-old culture, and I say culture because music encompasses all of it.
There was a movement at the time called ‘’To Know the Armenian People’’, originated and greatly influenced by a contemporary of Komitas, Garegin Srvandztiants. It is important to understand this movement in order to be able to understand Komitas. In the 1870s Garegin Srvandztyants recovered and transcribed the Armenian epic ‘’Daredevils of Sasooun’’, returning this treasure to the people. He traveled through the highlands, provinces and villages of Armenia, met the people who lived there, and wrote down their stories in a way that no one had done before. He informed the Armenian people about this treasure and declared that hidden in their mountains and valleys lived a nation of obscurity. He said that there was a need for individuals who could record and preserve this cultural heritage passed down through the millennia.
And so Komitas became the epitome of this movement, because Armenian culture had been preserved at its fullest in music. In other words, our old folklore had mostly disappeared, our ancient architecture from the pre-Christian era had been largely destroyed, wiped out. And we had preserved our culture in the language of music. And it is in this language of music, because of Komitas, that we retained millennia of our cultural heritage. As Komitas said, the roots of these songs are so old that they date back to the origins of the Armenian people and from there reach all the way to our own times.
Now, Komitas was able to save this heritage from oblivion by collecting these songs as a young man. His next task was to establish a discipline. He wrote scientific works and established a new tonal system that was entirely different from the European system. It was a system unique only to Armenian music. And he developed into a great musician, composer, and scholar.
It is said that Komitas saved our traditional folk music. What does that mean? In one word, it means our homeland. Our mountains, our highlands, our valleys, our fields, our sun are an extension of our bodies – this is homeland across time. And that nature, I am not saying the Armenian people, but that environment gave us those songs. There was an entire homeland expressed in those songs. They were work songs about how the peasant tills the land, songs about bread, about rocking the baby, milking the cow. They were ceremonial songs about the seven-day wedding, songs about our holy days,
children’s songs, songs of lamentation, grieving songs, the old songs of our epic David of Sassoun. And, of course, love songs because when we say homeland, love is at its very core. These are sacred songs, each one a piece of our homeland. Komitas collected and transcribed all of these genres, classifying them in the hundreds. And our essence, our soul, our language, our whole culture can be seen reflected in his work.
If we ask the question, what it is after all that Komitas represents for the Armenian people, the answer would be that Komitas is the Armenian people. Paruyr Sevak said that the three fundamental elements of Armenia were the homeland, Ararat, and Komitas. And by Komitas he meant not the man but the Armenian people – Komitas encompasses all.
Produced by AGBU
Armenian General Benevolent Union
SPECIAL THANKS
Music and images courtesy of AGBU
Komitas Museum-Institute
Landscape paintings by Martiros Saryan
Copyright © 2019 AGBU WebTalks
The Empire of Tigranes
This Map of Armenia represents the nation during its largest time of expansion
– source: 10 Outstanding Armenian Kings (2012) by Artak Movsisyan