What is the Armenian Future as Learned from the Past?
A recent visit to Armenia suggests that although Armenians may be better off as expats, the Mother country is home to rich Archeological treasures that nurtured Western Civilization, and deserves our protections for many reasons
My fiancé is Armenian. Growing up, I remember the Armenian Americans in the California Central Valley as hard-working, intelligent, and fun-loving people, which perhaps helped lead to this pairing after my wife’s passing. I have learned that the Armenians have a rich history, which is tragically dominated by the Turkish atrocities of the past 100 years. Though not Armenian, I wish to paint a picture of the entirety of Armenian history, plus perhaps put the Armenians forth as an potential example for the rest of humanity.
On a recent trip to Yerevan and Armenia, we were excited to see Mt. Ararat (the supposed landing site of Noah’s Ark) and Mt. Masis (that being my fiance’s father’s first name) from our hotel breakfast location. Day trips from Yerevan revealed a 6,000 year old wine cave and archeology site (Areni-1 Cave), ancient ruins (Carahunge, Arteshat, Shenvgavit Settlement, Metsamor Site, Amberd Fortress, and Dvin) and several picturesque monasteries (Khor Virap and Noravank). To learn Armenian history is to more or less learn the history of modern civilization, as this region was perhaps home to the invention of animal husbandry, the chariot, wine, and the cultivation of several modern fruit trees such as the apricot, persimmon, and fig. We get a laugh out of watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” as in addition to the similarities in cultures, the Greeks and Armenians compete as to who invented what first. The Armenian version goes something like “Yes, the Greeks invented many things, but remember that the Armenians invented the Greeks!”
Ancient Armenia
Technically, I guess you’d say that what’s known as “Armenian” dates back to around 2000 BC, with the conquests of legendary founder Hayk. Genetics show that modern Armenians are likely the remnants of a Neolithic migration from the Steppes, which subjugated nearby people, most likely “Persians” and “Mesopotamians” (although these are broad or vague terms, given the unknowns) and the subjugated perhaps returned the favor later. The Armenians lived in a high plateau, so they were relatively protected, and perhaps they had the benefit of animal grazing (sheep, goat, horse, cattle) in high meadows while the nearby lowlanders (the grain dependent people of the fertile crescent) were perhaps less diverse and safe. The era prior to the Armenians is of course rather murky, as there are few relics to establish certainty.
The Armenian language is considered to be an early offshoot of proto Indo- European (the root of most European languages). Due to this and certain genetic and archeological evidence, Armenia is considered to be a part of the Yamnaya Culture in the Kurgan Hypothesis of early settlement, emanating from what is now the Ukraine. There is also an Armenian Hypothesis that considers Armenia itself as the source of proto Indo-Europeans. The 6,000 year old Areni-1 caves, showing the earliest known examples of wine making and leather working, may be considered early evidence of a proto Indo- European, Yamnaya settlement. Note here that the 12,000 year old Gobekli Tepe (an ancient hunter-gatherer stone temple) is a part of the ancient Armenian region, so that the Armenian plateau may have had the distinction of being the cradle of civilization, or at least share this with the nearby fertile crescent. (Jacobson, 2018)(Aslanian, 2011)
The Shengavit Settlement in Yerevan is considered to be an example of the Kura-Araxes Culture, which inhabited the Caucasus from 3200 to 2400 BC. They were known to farm animals and make unique pottery. After the founding by Hayk, the Armenian empire perhaps reached its peak under Arame of Urartu in 850 BC, before being diminished by the nearby Assyrian and Persian empires. The ancient capital of Arteshat, and the nearby Monastery of Khor Virap, just south of Yerevan, are associated with the Armenian conversion to Christianity in the first century AD. Nearby Dvin is the ruin of an important, Persian influenced city, vital to Rome and later the Eastern Orthodox Empire, from 400 to 1300 AD. Noravank Monastery is from the Middle Age era, prior to the invasion of the Ottomans in the 1400s. (Simonyan, 2015)
The position of Armenia in the Middle Ages is somewhat unclear as they were on the front lines of protecting the Byzantine Empire, but also second class citizens not allowed to build their churches in Constantinople. The Battle of Manzikert in 1071 allowed the Seljuk Turks to conquer Armenia, and effectively forced its Christianity underground for the next 1000 years. During the period of the Crusades (1096 to 1291), the Armenians were ready allies to the Christian troops, sharing a kind of mutual distrust of the Byzantines. Leadership elements interacted with European troops in the Levant, obtaining military commands and sharing the spoils of victory. The irony here is that the invading Christians often didn’t realize that perhaps 60% of the Middle East was already Christian (Assyrians, Coptic Christians, Armenians and the like) so perhaps they needed the Armenians to help them understand the nature of their enemies. Armenian autonomy ended in 1375 when the Mamluks of Egypt destroyed most of their cities. Thereafter, Armenia was under the control of Persia, until being subjugated by the Ottomans in the 1600s. (Kurkijian & Kurdoghlian, n.d.)
History of Armenia After the Ottoman Invasion
The History of Armenia after the Ottoman invasion is complex and ultimately tragic. At first, the Turks gave Armenians “Dhimmi” status (a kind of 2nd tier classification, referred to in Sharia Law, allowing the subjugated to own property, have religious freedom, and own businesses in return for taxes and loyalties). Similar status was given to Jews, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and other Christians under Islamic rule, and was not unlike subjugation under the Romans. Since Jews and Christians were originally considered “of the faith” (remember that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all share the Old Testament, and all considered “the children of Abraham”), they perhaps enjoyed a higher Dhimmi status. The Dhimmi system gradually gave way under pressure from the expansion of European Christian imperialism and ideas. The Armenians went from being the Sultan’s favorites in the early 1800s, to a perceived threat due to their interaction with Europeans seeking to solve the “Armenian Question” (Armenian protections by Germans, Russians, British, and French, resulting from their wars).
At this point, it may be helpful to profile the Armenian people (at at the risk of stereotyping), to explain their loyalties and subsequent geographical movements. They are an industrious and independent people, who seem to embrace the culture of education, business, and perhaps as a result, truth and humor in the Socratic tradition. They are perceived not unlike Jews, but are perhaps less threatening in business and more broad minded in dealing with others. They seem to have an affinity for Anglo people, for which they seem to have much in common (they also have some genetic similarities). This perhaps cemented their position as a perceived threat to the Turks, and somewhat at odds with the Jews (note here that perhaps 25% of Jerusalem is Armenian and that the Armenians have perhaps been in a similar position with, and in competition with the Jews for many years). Note also that through the 1800s, Armenian churches proliferated within many Turkish cities, notably Sivas and Erzurum.
In any case, the waning Ottoman Empire perceived the increasing Armenian call for freedoms as a threat from European nations, resulting in the Hamidian Massacres in 1896, which cost the lives of 80,000 to 300,000 Armenians, and launched the first wave of emigration, mostly to Europe and Anglo nations such as the US and Australia. Unfortunately, events for those staying in the Ottoman Empire worsened considerably during World War I, when the Three Pashas (the triumvirate that ruled over the last days of the Ottoman Empire) feared Armenian collaboration with their German allies’ enemies Britain, France, and Russia, using this as a pretext to commit genocide on the Armenians, and to a lesser degree expat Greeks and Assyrians under their rule. The result was a historic and extremely tragic slaughter and displacement of women and children, and men (who were forced into labor camps, starved or murdered if not agreeing to Islamic conversion). Estimates are that 1,500,000 Armenians were killed during the “Armenian Genocide” of 1914–1918, but sadly this was not the end of the Turkish atrocities. (Britannica, n.d.)
Interestingly, after the Treaty of Versailles, the victorious nations (chiefly England, France, and the US) managed to restore historic Armenia, from Lake Sevan to beyond Lake Van, as a reparation according to the Treaty of Sevres in 1920. A Kurdish zone south of Armenia was also created. In hindsight, this was a kind of “Israel before there was Israel” and if the victorious nations had protected this region (the way they later protected Israel) there may have been a much brighter future for the Armenians today.
The Aftermath of World War I for Armenians
It was not until the end of the World War I that the West began to fully understand the extent of atrocities, thanks to US Ambassador Henry Morgenthau and others. Though churches and charities in the West began to assist with orphanages and relief efforts after the war, the allied governments themselves were slow to comprehend and react to the insidiousness of the defeated Ottoman Empire, now called Turkey. Armenia, weak from fighting border wars with Georgia and Azerbaijan, was invaded by Turkey shortly after the Treaty was signed, without help from the war-weary West. President Woodrow Wilson in particular has been criticized for not protecting Armenia, as he was given explicit authority by the Treaty to create its borders. Russia soon invaded Armenia, defeating Turkey and creating a communist satellite state. The Treaty of Kars in 1921 more or less established the borders of modern Armenia, much smaller than the territory established just one year prior. During this conflict, many more Armenians lost their lives (close to 250,000). Mark Bristol, the American High Commissioner in Turkey from 1919–1927 (in lieu of an ambassador, as the US did not recognize Turkey at that time) was tragically pro-Turk, anti-Armenian, as a businessman seeking to profit from Turkish trade. He was quoted as saying “I hate the Greeks, I hate the Armenians, I hate the Jews, the Turks are fine fellows”. Western missionaries were appalled at his lack of interest in the protection of Christian minorities. One can surmise that Bristol, more than Wilson, had a greater hand in the American betrayal of the Armenians and others. Among other things, the Treaty of Sevres would have given Armenians access to the Black Sea and thus worldwide shipping capability. (USHM, no date)
Modern Armenia
A quick look at modern Armenia leaves one with a mixed impression. On one hand, Yerevan boasts many sparkling hotels, restaurants, and boulevards, mostly financed by Armenian expats living in Anglo nations. A trip to the countryside reveals Armenia’s distressing dependence on Russia, in terms of food, energy, and defense. Dependence on Russian natural gas has caused the placement of several ugly above ground pipelines, each an accident waiting to happen. The nuclear power plant at Metsamor (yes, right next to the aforementioned archeological site), is an apparent Chernobyl waiting to happen (it was shut down until newly independent Armenia became hungry for its own power). Many apartment buildings are leftovers from the sad dingy Soviet era, once you get beyond downtown Yerevan. Armenia seems to constantly be at war with its neighbors, Azerbaijan and Turkey, while Russia stands by and yawns, although without Russia (Armenia’s greatest patron), the nation may not exist.
It’s almost getting comical the way Armenian expats outnumber native Armenians, about 10 million to 3 million at last count. Armenians in Anglo countries seem to thrive, as they are a great fit in Western mercantilist countries with religious freedoms, a tilt to Christianity, higher education, and a ready wit. One’s gut instinct is to roll down the windows and yell “Get out of Armenia! Head to the US, Canada, or Australia where it’s safe!” and on the face of it, that would be very true, except for the obligation to antiquity and historic Armenia, its place in Christianity and the world. As Turkish zealots to this day try to deny the Genocide, tear down Armenian churches, or erase Armenian genealogy records (if not rebrand Armenian ruins as their own) there seems to be a call to Western nations to preserve and protect Armenia the way they protect Israel, at great cost and perhaps with some counter-injustice (like the West Bank), but a noble cause nevertheless. Perhaps the Kurds and Assyrians could also be protected, with some sort of reversion to the Treaty of Sevres borders. Of course these are fighting words to the Turks, but they’re about to kick us out of our air force bases there anyway, and perhaps bases in the newfound Armenian lands would allow us to continue our role as a hedge against genocide (against the Kurds, Yazidis, and Assyrians most recently). Not fun, maybe not always perfect, but much better than what the Turks or Iranians might offer.
Many civilizations of antiquity have been on both ends of being conquerors, and the conquered. No one people’s suffering is unique, and it may be the duty of genocide survivors to broaden the issue, to call attention to all genocides. At this point in time, the Armenians could also make a case that they are the “chosen”, as they are well represented in our history, industrious, fun, and independent-minded. As American immigrants, I’ve never known the Armenians to complain, only to make the best of themselves in the great American tradition. One hopes that the Armenians, properly honored and protected, become spokespeople for the origins of Western Civilization, along with an explanation for the suffering in all genocides of history, as the Armenians know better than any of us the origins, highs and lows of civilization.
Enjoy these other Vern Scott articles about the Caucasus Region:
