Map Close  
Person info Close  
Information Close  
Source reference Close  
  Svenska
 
Index

Armenia

The Urartu Civilisation

Victory for Independence

Artashisian Dynasty on the Armenian Throne

Armenia caught between Rome and the Arsacids

The Acceptance of Christianity

Defending Christianity

Armenia Under the Bagratouni Dynasty

Cilicia - the New Armenia

Armenia Under Turanian Rule

The Renaissance or the Resurrection of Armenia

The Eastern Question

Russia in the Caucasus

The Armenian Question

Battle on Two Fronts

Tsarist Russia Against the Armenians

The Revolution of the Young Turks and the Armenian People on the Eve of World War I

The First World War

The Resurrection of Armenia

Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

- Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1918

Eastern Armenia

Western Armenia

"The Fateful Years" (1914-1917)

"Hopes and Emotions" (March-October, 1917)

The Bolshevik Revolution and Armenia

Transcaucasia Adrift (November, 1917

Dilemmas (March-April, 1918)

War and Independence (April-May, 1918)

The Republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia

The Suppliants (June-October, 1918)

In conclusion

Soviet Armenia

The Second Independent Republic of Armenia

Epilogue

Previous page Page 92 Next page Smaller font Larger font Print friednly version  
In his impressive work on Armenia under Arab rule, Laurent details the military aspects of Armenia as follows: "the Armenians lived under constant armed conditions and under the flag. This way of living had helped them to achieve great successes and to create an enormous kingdom, but was later not able to protect them from submitting to foreign rule. At the same time, this way of life had helped them, despite this outside rule, to prevent the foreign force from going as far as the invader wished to, by making demands and exerting pressure on them. The Arabs had given up the idea of forcing their rule upon this armed and useful nation. The reason was that the Armenians used all their assets and forces in the defence of their country and the natural landscape of the country made this task easier. Armenia is a land covered by high mountains and uneven and hard rocks with deep valleys and all these factors created an excellent defence. The Armenians never tolerated the permanent presence of the Arabs in their country, apart from in some cities in the valleys of Araxes and Euphrates and for example when their noble families had left the capital for Dvin. In other places where the Armenians retained power, people started to prepare for a harsh resistance. They lived in their strong fortresses which were situated high in the mountains and on high rocks, like eagle nests, where they protected their lives, their treasures and prepared for war with the Arabs. In some of these they had been preparing to supply of the population in the fortress and its surroundings for a long time. In other words, Armenia was one single mighty fortress with several coherent castles, and conquering those was a very difficult task for the Arabs, who stood powerless in face of them. The Armenians were warriors who commanded respect, since they otherwise would not be able to protect major parts of their national realm, even if they had the same amount of soldiers as the Arabs had. The Armenians feudal army had around 15,000 men and by mobilizing the villagers the army of the country numbered around 40,000 men. Obviously this number was never sufficient enough to defend a large area, a fact which tempted neighbours and the Arabs to send forces to conquer Armenia, forces which sometimes consisted of more than 100,000 men. Apart from the military aspect, the Armenian people had to bear out many adversities during their daily life, since the Arabs who controlled some of the cities collected high taxes and ruled by their own laws. Against these torments, the Armenians could not do anything else than to trust to their own strength and cunning. They spent their lives being prepared to seek shelter among the high mountains in case of threats or patiently wait in their eagle nests for the perfect opportunity to retake what they had been robed of." 57

Economical Aspects

Both during the time of the last Arsacids and the time when the Sasanids ruled over Armenia, the country continued to play an important economic role as the link in trade between the east and the west. According to some items in the treaty between Byzantine and Persia, regarding the division of Armenia between the two parties, the cities of Artaxata, Theodosiopolis (Erzurum) and Nisibis should become centres of trade and have rights for the trade of silk.

At that time it was only the Far East and Central Asia which produced this important product, which was transported via the infamous Silk Road running from Turkistan and Persia, through Armenia to Europe (the route Ekbatan-Ganja-Artaxata-Theodosiopolis-Caesarea-).

During the 6th century the Byzantine emperor Justinianus attempted to create a new silk road through Abydos (Abyssinie) in order to decrease the important economical role of Armenia and thereby the economic power of the Sasanids, who depended on the Armenians, but he only met with failure. Procopius mentions Dvin as one of the most important trade centres between Asia and Europe.