Armenians are the descendants of a branch of Indo-Europeans.
The Armenian statehood was mentioned by historians as such about 3000 years ago. The first Armenian kingdom was established by the legendary Armenian hero Hayk who defeated the Assyrian king Belus in 2107 B.C.
The Armenian kingdom flourished in the Hellenistic period. Its capital Artashat (founded in the 166 B.C.) was situated on one of the main roads that connected the East and the West. One of the famous Silk Roads crossed Armenia. According to Plutarchos in the 53 B.C. Euripidess play Bucchae was performed in Artashat, the capital, which testifies to the fact that art and literature flourished in Armenia in the first century B.C.
Because of its geographic positions Armenia has acted for centuries as a battle place for competing powers.
In 66 A.D. after a long struggle against the Roman Empire, one of the Armenian kings Trdat I was crowned by Nero and Armenia flourished again many towns, fortresses and temples were built; art, science, literature made a notable advance. In 301 Armenia adopted Christianity as a state religion and was the first country in the world to do so. Pagan temples were ruined and new Christian churches were built on their places. One of them is the Main Cathedral in Echmiadzin. Thus, the Armenian Christianity has a 1700 years history.
In 405 an outstanding Armenian scientist and thinker Mesrop Mashtots invented the Armenian script which is being used up to the present day. The unique Armenian alphabet is distinguished by its richness and beauty and comprises 39 letters.
Later Armenia was divided between Byzantine and the Sasanid Persians and experienced a notable economic, cultural and political rise only from the mid 9th century. In the 11th c. the internal instability and wars with neighboring countries weakened the Armenian state significantly and in 1064 the Seljouk Turks invaded Armenia.
Cilicia is another Armenian kingdom established on one of the Mediterranean costs that lasted about 300 years. It left a rich cultural heritage.
After a long struggle in 1639 Armenia was divided into Western (succumbed to Turkey) and Eastern Armenia (succumbed to Persia).
In the 19th c. Armenian Russian relations helped to liberate Armenia from Turkish and Persian dominance. As a result of the Russian Persian war some Armenian districts were annexed to Russia in 1813 by the Gyulistan accord. The Turkmenchay accord united Eastern Armenia and Western Armenian district of Kars to Russia in 1828.
At the end of the 19 c. the Ottoman Government of Turkey started the extermination of its Armenian population and this culminated in 1915 by the massacre of about 1,5 million Armenians. The survivors of the genocide scattered all over the world and constitute the Armenian Diaspora.
In 1918 Armenia established its first Republic and proclaimed its Independence. The republic survived up to 1920 when Armenia became a Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union Armenia proclaimed its Second Republic as an independent democratic state.