I am now reading George A. Bournoutian “A Concise History of the Armenian People: From Ancient Times to the Present”（邦訳：アルメニア人の歴史，藤原書店）. If you know a bit about an elementary world history, this book can be read with deep interests.
Armenian people have resided in the district of a crossroad of Eastern, Western and the Steppe. The empires in close proximity trifled with the Armenian people for long ages but the people survived and maintains their own identity.
Armenia appeared in major incidents of the world history. In Greece, the Armenian people were believed to be descendants of Armenus of Thessalía, one of the folks of Argo. Traditionally, the Armenian people believe themselves to be descendants of Japheth, a son of Noah. The legend of Noah’s ark represents this stand point. In academia, they are supposed to be originated from Hayasa-Azzi (Հայասա) in the Armenian Highlands or Pontic region of Asia Minor from BCE1500. It was in conflict with the Hittite Empire around BCE14C, and led up to the collapse of Hatti in the bronze age around BCE1190. Armenian people seemed to be related to the rise of the iron age, originated from the Hittite.
The first Armenian kingdom was Urartu (BCE870-BCE585) that was in an iron age and was in conflict with Assyria. In the rise of Neo-Babylonian Empire, Urartu and Assyria reconciled but the Cimmerian and Scythian nomads bothered Urartu. Then Media and Neo-Babylonia reconciled and defeated Assyria. Then Media became the master of Armenian people.
After the rise of Achaemenid dynasty, Armenian people stood against Media and they were in good relation with the dynasty. The Anabasis of Alexander prompted the Armenian people to be independent. Tigranes II (Տիգրան Մեծ) (BCE140-BCE55) was the great king during the period. When Crassus of the Rome invaded Parthia, he refused the support from Armenia and be killed in the battle. Later, Antonius of the Rome blamed the king of Armenia for Antonius’s defeat and the Rome increased the influence to Armenian people. After a dilemma between Rome and Parthia, including the death of Trajanus who conquered Armenia and subsequent release of Armenia in Hadrian age, Parthia became the master of Armenia. At the rise of Sassanid, the absolutism of Sassanid forced the Armenian people to be united. They took Christianity as the national region under the influence of Rome, and invented Armenian alphabets. Jude the Apostle and Bartholomew the Apostle are said to be martyred in Armenia, and this was the beginning of Armenian Apostolic Church.
You can see a lot of keywords in the elementary world history appeared in this short historical description! Armenia was definitely in the cross road of the world history.
