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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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Hence, the population of the cities, the bourgeois, the craftsmen and the merchants, and some groups of workers, were free men. Those who worked in the mines, and certain industries appertaining to agriculture, were regarded as crofters. 73

During the reign of the Arabs, their high taxes they extorted resulted in the emergence of a centralized system in the land ownership of the nobility. Some of the noble families which where severely affected by these high taxes were forced to turn to the richer and more powerful families, or to the families under Arab protection. Thus political power, and sometime even territories, were gathered in the hands of a limited number of the greatest families. 74

This change reduced the division of the lands and even the disintegration and the division of power, which had long been a trend in feudal Armenia. Indeed, it paved the way to a stronger and more powerful Armenia by concentrating these resources in fewer hands; leading in little time to the foundation of the Bagratouni dynasty as the new royal house of Armenia.

Cultural Aspects

The Persian and Arab rules did not hinder the cultural or artistic development in Armenia. From the 5th century onward, the political division of Armenia into eastern and western part, according to Adontz, led to differences in the cultural and artistic life of this divided Armenian people, corresponding to the differences between the two rivals, Persia and Byzantine. 75 This division was damaging to some extent, but also brought about some cultural advantages, feeding into the important role of the Armenians in their contribution to the architectural art, for instance. We will return to the flourishing of Armenian architecture during the 4th and 5th centuries.

From literature we can cite, for instance, the work by the Armenian historian Sebeos, describing the war of Emperor Heraclius and the Arab invasion, written in the 7th century. Other important compositions from this time include the work of Jean Mamikonian, and the works of the Armenian mathematician and astronomer, Anania Shirakatsi. 77

From the 8th century, a history of the Albanians, written by Movses Khorenatsi, and a history of the wars against the Arabs, written by Ghevond, stand out for distinction. The work of Catholicos Ohannes III also warrants mention. A highly educated and competent man, he left behind number of works expressing his profound thoughts and extensive knowledge. His debates on Christian thoughts, rules and religious letters contributed many axioms to the Armenian Church. Apart from his written work, Ohannes III was one of the great minds and visionaries of the church and somehow managed to establish good relations with the Arab caliphs, creating favourable conditions and privileges for the Armenian Church and Armenian people.

The most famous work of the period is perhaps that recording the heroic deeds of Sassountsi Davit, expounding the courage of the Armenian people in their struggle against the Arabs.

It is important to recognise that the relations between Armenia and the Arab Empire, during a time when the court in Baghdad and the Arab culture had reached height of glory while the western world, during the reign of the Carolingian Empire, was narrowly able to defend itself against savages, had considerable influence on the enrichment the Armenian culture. H. Focillon has written the following about the art at that time: "The neighbourhood involved more than pure hostility. The Arab rule over Armenia should not be regarded as a destructive phenomenon, but an occasion for interaction and permeation."

The influence of Arabic culture, in addition to the continuing Christian influence and the Byzantine input, resulted in a beautiful flourishing of the Armenian civilization, most evident during the reign of the Bagratouni dynasty. These combined contributions, blending over many centuries, resulted in a linking culture between the East and West, with characteristics taken from both civilisations.