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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

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Because of the dexterity and ingenuity of its people, Armenia was transformed into a country which the Arab historians mention as one of the richest parts of their caliphate. 64 Apart from the export of valuable items, livestock and horses to Baghdad, Armenia sent seeds, fish and salt to this city and to Syria and Egypt.

In the lack of the mines of the Ancient period, which seemed to have petered out, the Armenians began to extract silver in order to obtain other valuable metals to trade with. 65

In industry, Armenia was transformed into a centre for production of textiles and textile dyes, and gained an excellent reputation in all of the Arabian eastern countries. In particular it was the carpets of Armenia, as well as their woollen textiles and silk, which was of very high repute. The textile centre of Armenia was the city of Dvin 66, while the centre for its chemical products, the dyes, was the city of Artaxata, which the Arabs called the Red City (Karyat al Kirmit). Besides, it is precisely the Armenian expression which has given names to some of the dyes, among others Carmine# (deep red from the Armenian "Karmir", which means red). 67

The rule of the Arabs instituted great changes, not only in Armenia, but in all the countries of Middle East. The Arabs, who were in love with money and did not know that production was the only actual source of wealth, mismanaged the water channels which were the essential arteries in the agriculture of all these countries. In contrast to the time from the Arsacids until the Sasanids, when the management of these channels was one of the most important duties of these controlling nations in the Middle East, the channels were now being destroyed. The Arab rule had an unfortunate destiny, since it was followed by the Turkic invasion. This invasion sounded the death bell for productivity and fertility in these regions, following the massacre of the populations of the regions and the sometime total destruction of the aggregation channels, all of which transformed some of the most richest regions in the world to dry, unfertile deserts.

Social Aspects

The social structure of Armenia was, during these periods, able to sustain its organization and integrity, so that it continued roughly in the same form from the time of the Arsacids throughout the rule of the Sasanids and later under the Arabs. It was also maintained during the reign of the Bagratouni dynasty, and it was only after the 11th century, when the Turks invaded, that this social structure underwent significant change.

The lands, apart from the vast lands which belonged to the church, were owned by the nobility while the villagers, without owning anything themselves, laboured on their estates as "crofters".

In such a feudal system, it is characteristic that society does not consist of persons with common interests, but groups with rights and privileges based on a hierarchical system. Laurent writes: "The rights and the privileges in the Armenian society belonged to those who were included in the feudal [in other words the nobility] army. And since the rights of everyone were based on inherited lands, their rights were in proportion to the size of the lands." 68