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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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This academia not only had a tremendous impact on the interest in the western world towards Armenia, but on the Armenians themselves, by reminding them of the glory and breadth of their past civilisation. As with the Christian people in the Balkans, the philosophers and historians of the western world played a major role in presenting the identity of the Armenians to the Armenians themselves and reawakening patriotism and power of thought.

In addition to the combined activity of the scientists and historians, one should also bear in mind the many travellers and explorers who during the 19th century travelled through Armenia. Their travel books have been instrumental in the presentation of Armenia and its people to the outside world. While there were no more than 20 books written about this region during the 17th and the 18th centuries, the number of volumes written during the 19th centuries numbers several hundred. 71

Amongst these travellers we must mention the famous Lamartine, who named the Armenians the "Swiss of the Orient". 72 This despite the fact that Lamartine, like many of the other travellers of that time who described Armenians, had only seen the Armenian refugees in Constantinople and the Orient and never Armenia itself.

It was not until the second half of the 19th century that explorers first documented the people they had met on the Armenian highland itself, and introduced the Armenians, their character, culture, customs and manners, works and activities, to the people of the western world.

These travellers and documents included: Baron August von Haxthausen 73, Bryce 74, who later became Lord Bryce, H. Abich 75, A. and D. Chantre 76, H. Lynch 77, Paul Rohrbach 78, and N. and H. Buxton 79

Armenia and the Printing

The invention of printing played a vital role in human history. The Armenians mastered this powerful tool early on as a means of disseminating knowledge. It is arguably their pioneer work within printing that advanced the Armenians ahead of the majority of other people in the region in regards to education and the development and expansion of their culture.

The first Armenian work was printed in 1512, in Venice, in an Italian printing house. 80 (The Bible of Gutenberg was itself only printed in 1453.) Until 1512, only works in Latin, Greek, a few western languages, Arabic and Hebrew had been printed. The scripts of most of the East-European languages were first printed after Armenian publications. The first works in Turkish and Persian were printed much later and are dated to the 18th century.


71) A list of these workds have been presented in H. Lynch, Armenia, London, 1901, vol. II, p. 472 and fram.

72) Lamartine, Voyage en Orient, Paris, 1845, vol. II, p. 232

73) Haxthausen, Transkaukasia, Leipzig, 1856, two volumes

74) J. Bryce, Transcaucasia and Ararat, London, 1877

75) H. Abich, Aus Kaukasischen Ländern, Wein, 1896, two volumes

76) E. Chantre, Les Arméniens, Lyon, 1897; B. Chantre, A travers l'Arménie russe, Paris, 1893

77) H. Lynch, Armenia, London, 1901, two volumes

78) Paul Rohrbach, In Turan und Armenien, Berlin, 1898; and also his book Vom Kaukasus zum Mittelmeer, Leipzig, 1903

79) N. and H. Buxton, Travels and Politics in Armenia, London, 1914

80) Totomianz, Die Armenier und die Buchdrückerei, Mitteilungsblatt, June 1944