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Armenian History: A Captivating Guide to the History of Armenia and the Armenian Genocide
If you want to discover the captivating history of Armenian history, then keep reading...
Two captivating manuscripts in one The tale of Armenia has its beginnings as a glorious ancient kingdom, one that commanded the respect of nations as mighty as Egypt and Babylonia. As its history takes a turn for the darker, each chapter reads like a roll call of the most famous of Antony and Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Frederick Barbarossa. Armenia saw ancient Rome rise to power; it knew Egyptian pharaohs, the Golden Horde, the Soviet Union, and saw the first invasion of the first Muslim army. For a long and ugly part of its history, Armenia struggled under the yokes of one empire after the Roman, Parthian, Persian, Byzantine, Timurid, Mongolian, and Ottoman Empires, to name just a few.
Yet through it all, Armenia, time and time again, emerged as a nation with a powerful identity, one that caused much grief over the years, but one that still remains a pillar of strength to its people in good times and in bad. There is much sorrow held within these pages; much oppression, much persecution, and even the most terrible evil of them all—genocide. The reading is made easy by one single gleaming light, a golden thread running through every word and chapter, and that light is the Armenian people themselves.
Their story is tragic, but their survival is incredible. And that is what makes their tale so inspiring.
Some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book Some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book So if you want to learn more about Armenian history, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
Two captivating manuscripts in one The tale of Armenia has its beginnings as a glorious ancient kingdom, one that commanded the respect of nations as mighty as Egypt and Babylonia. As its history takes a turn for the darker, each chapter reads like a roll call of the most famous of Antony and Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Frederick Barbarossa. Armenia saw ancient Rome rise to power; it knew Egyptian pharaohs, the Golden Horde, the Soviet Union, and saw the first invasion of the first Muslim army. For a long and ugly part of its history, Armenia struggled under the yokes of one empire after the Roman, Parthian, Persian, Byzantine, Timurid, Mongolian, and Ottoman Empires, to name just a few.
Yet through it all, Armenia, time and time again, emerged as a nation with a powerful identity, one that caused much grief over the years, but one that still remains a pillar of strength to its people in good times and in bad. There is much sorrow held within these pages; much oppression, much persecution, and even the most terrible evil of them all—genocide. The reading is made easy by one single gleaming light, a golden thread running through every word and chapter, and that light is the Armenian people themselves.
Their story is tragic, but their survival is incredible. And that is what makes their tale so inspiring.
Some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book Some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book So if you want to learn more about Armenian history, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
- GenresHistory
228 pages, Paperback
Published December 16, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 25, 2019
Overall, this is 214 pages of tragedy; it should be required reading for all thinking people. The Armenian people, in spite of the fact that they are some of the oldest tribes on earth, have yet to have their own homeland or be allowed to live in peace with their own culture and religions. It is hard to imagine in this day-and-time, that Armenians are still persecuted. They are seeking their own homeland, but the Turks have not been accepting of this idea.
HISTORY: The capital of Armenia is near Mourn Ararat, and according to the Bible, Noah's Ark was beached there after the floods. But not much of their history was known until 405 CE, when Mesrop, an early medieval Armenian linguist, created the Armenian alphabet, which was a fundamental step in strengthening the Armenian national identity.
For 3000 years, the Armenian tribes have had their own glorious kingdom and then suffered under the yoke of others, including the Romans, Parthians, Persian, Byzantine, Timurid, Mongolian and Ottoman Empires (as well as others). This is not an easy book to read because of the horrors these people have endured. They sit at the crossroads of the Middle East and the conflict between greater powers has left them decimated. Other empires used them as a buffer (between themselves and other powerful groups) and used their lands as a war zone.
This book explains why the Armenians spread out from their original homeland. The Armenian diaspora is well-explained. The story of the Armenians is tragic and the fact that they have survived is an inspiring tale.
In more recent times, the Velvet Revolution, as explained in this book, shows how the tiny republic of Armenia purged itself of corrupt ministers and presidents without firing a shot. The importance of books like these is the fact that the Turkish government avoids or denies the persecution of the Armenians. Only through unbiased reports does the world find out about atrocities that take place quietly.
GENOCIDE: The Armenians are a small group of Christians in the (largely Muslim) country of Turkey, they have been persecuted. This story is surprising because Muslims are generally tolerant of other faiths.
The Turkification of Turkey created a deep distrust of the minorities within the country. This book gives the reasons for the beginning of World War I in great detail. We always hear that the reason for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. However, this book goes into greater detail on the tensions and the alliances that were in place. Essentially, Turkey joined Germany in the war and at the same time, waged war on its own Armenian population. In 1914, there were 2 million Armenians in Turkey. According to Google, today there are between 50,000 and 70,000 Armenians remaining.
HISTORY: The capital of Armenia is near Mourn Ararat, and according to the Bible, Noah's Ark was beached there after the floods. But not much of their history was known until 405 CE, when Mesrop, an early medieval Armenian linguist, created the Armenian alphabet, which was a fundamental step in strengthening the Armenian national identity.
For 3000 years, the Armenian tribes have had their own glorious kingdom and then suffered under the yoke of others, including the Romans, Parthians, Persian, Byzantine, Timurid, Mongolian and Ottoman Empires (as well as others). This is not an easy book to read because of the horrors these people have endured. They sit at the crossroads of the Middle East and the conflict between greater powers has left them decimated. Other empires used them as a buffer (between themselves and other powerful groups) and used their lands as a war zone.
This book explains why the Armenians spread out from their original homeland. The Armenian diaspora is well-explained. The story of the Armenians is tragic and the fact that they have survived is an inspiring tale.
In more recent times, the Velvet Revolution, as explained in this book, shows how the tiny republic of Armenia purged itself of corrupt ministers and presidents without firing a shot. The importance of books like these is the fact that the Turkish government avoids or denies the persecution of the Armenians. Only through unbiased reports does the world find out about atrocities that take place quietly.
GENOCIDE: The Armenians are a small group of Christians in the (largely Muslim) country of Turkey, they have been persecuted. This story is surprising because Muslims are generally tolerant of other faiths.
The Turkification of Turkey created a deep distrust of the minorities within the country. This book gives the reasons for the beginning of World War I in great detail. We always hear that the reason for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. However, this book goes into greater detail on the tensions and the alliances that were in place. Essentially, Turkey joined Germany in the war and at the same time, waged war on its own Armenian population. In 1914, there were 2 million Armenians in Turkey. According to Google, today there are between 50,000 and 70,000 Armenians remaining.
September 29, 2022
I felt like I was listening to a foreign correspondent on BBC for 7 hours. Not a terrible job, but nothing great, if not tedious at times.
The entire book seemed less historically neutral and more to be telling the listener how to think & feel about what happened, and the first book in particular seemed very sparsely academic in the coverage of world history in regards to Armenia. The second book is more compelling, as the intent is clear from the beginning that it is about experiencing the narrative story of the genocide and winning hearts and minds. It was better at illustrating events and evoking emotional connection, and, hence, has a fitting tone to that intent.
All this being said, I knew virtually nothing of Armenian history beforehand, and this book was a good introduction for me. Glad I could learn what I did.
Now, that actually history of the country is fascinating! I dont know if there are any other readily accessible sources on the subject, so I would recommend it. If you aren't a very serious history buff, then just pick up midway through the audiobook at the start of the second book (it covers two).
The entire book seemed less historically neutral and more to be telling the listener how to think & feel about what happened, and the first book in particular seemed very sparsely academic in the coverage of world history in regards to Armenia. The second book is more compelling, as the intent is clear from the beginning that it is about experiencing the narrative story of the genocide and winning hearts and minds. It was better at illustrating events and evoking emotional connection, and, hence, has a fitting tone to that intent.
All this being said, I knew virtually nothing of Armenian history beforehand, and this book was a good introduction for me. Glad I could learn what I did.
Now, that actually history of the country is fascinating! I dont know if there are any other readily accessible sources on the subject, so I would recommend it. If you aren't a very serious history buff, then just pick up midway through the audiobook at the start of the second book (it covers two).
June 12, 2021
The writing in this book was a little bit odd, but I give the writers credit for it not being a dry, boring read. The history is tragic, important, and fascinating. I am dating an Armenian-American and I'm so glad to have this resource to learn about his heritage and the resilience of the people he comes from.
January 14, 2021
Very concise and straight to the point. Not sure of the overall historical accuracy, almost no sources.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews