Armenians - wikipedia Armenians Armenians Հայեր Hayer The Armenian Tricolour Total population c. 6 -- 8 million Regions with significant populations Armenia 2,961,514 Russia 1,182,388 -- 2,900,000 United States 1,000,366 -- 1,500,000 France 250,000 -- 750,000 Georgia Abkhazia 168,191 41,864 Artsakh 146,573 Lebanon 150,000 Iran 120,000 Germany 90,000 -- 110,000 Syria 100,000 Ukraine 100,000 Brazil 100,000 Greece 80,000 Argentina 70,000 Turkey 60,000 Canada 55,740 Poland 50,000 Languages Armenian Religion Christianity Armenian Apostolic Church Catholic Protestant Armenian Native Faith Related ethnic groups Hemshin, Cherkesogai Armenians ( Armenian : հայեր, hayer ( hɑˈjɛɾ ) ) are an Indo - European ethnic group native to the Armenian Highlands. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the de facto independent Artsakh. There is a wide - ranging diaspora of around 5 million people of full or partial Armenian ancestry living outside modern Armenia. The largest Armenian populations today exist in Russia, the United States, France, Georgia, Iran, Germany, Ukraine, Lebanon, Brazil and Syria. With the exceptions of Iran and the former Soviet states, the present - day Armenian diaspora was formed mainly as a result of the Armenian Genocide. Most Armenians adhere to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a non-Chalcedonian church, which is also the world 's oldest national church. Christianity began to spread in Armenia soon after Jesus ' death, due to the efforts of two of his apostles, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew. In the early 4th century, the Kingdom of Armenia became the first state to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Armenian is an Indo - European language. It has two mutually intelligible and written forms : Eastern Armenian, today spoken mainly in Armenia, Artsakh, Iran, and the former Soviet republics ; and Western Armenian, used in the historical Western Armenia and, after the Armenian Genocide, primarily in the Armenian diasporan communities. The unique Armenian alphabet was invented in 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots. Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Origin 2.2 Antiquity 2.3 Middle Ages 2.4 Early modern history 2.5 Modern history 3 Geographic distribution 3.1 Armenia 3.2 Diaspora 4 Culture 4.1 Religion 4.2 Language and literature 4.3 Architecture 4.4 Sports 4.5 Music and dance 4.6 Carpet weaving 4.7 Cuisine 5 Institutions 6 Notable people 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading Etymology Main article : Name of Armenia Hayk, the legendary founder of the Armenian nation. Painting by Mkrtum Hovnatanian ( 1779 -- 1846 ) Historically, the name Armenian has come to internationally designate this group of people. It was first used by neighbouring countries of ancient Armenia. The earliest attestations of the exonym Armenia date around the 6th century BC. In his trilingual Behistun Inscription dated to 517 BC, Darius I the Great of Persia refers to Urashtu ( in Babylonian ) as Armina ( in Old Persian ; Armina ( ) and Harminuya ( in Elamite ). In Greek, Αρμένιοι `` Armenians '' is attested from about the same time, perhaps the earliest reference being a fragment attributed to Hecataeus of Miletus ( 476 BC ). Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions, describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC. He relates that the people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians. Armenians call themselves Hay ( Հայ, pronounced ( ˈhaj ) ; plural : Հայեր, ( haˈjɛɾ ) ). The name has traditionally been derived from Hayk ( Հայկ ), the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great - great - grandson of Noah, who, according to Moses of Chorene, defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2492 BC and established his nation in the Ararat region. It is also further postulated that the name Hay comes from one of the two confederated, Hittite vassal states -- the Ḫayaša - Azzi ( 1600 -- 1200 BC ). Movses Khorenatsi, the important early medieval Armenian historian, wrote that the word Armenian originated from the name Armenak or Aram ( the descendant of Hayk ). History Main article : History of Armenia Part of a series on Indo - European topics Languages List of Indo - European languages Historical Albanian Armenian Balto - Slavic Baltic Slavic Celtic Germanic Hellenic Greek Indo - Iranian Indo - Aryan Iranian Italic Romance Extinct Anatolian Tocharian Paleo - Balkan Dacian Illyrian Liburnian Messapian Mysian Paeonian Phrygian Thracian Reconstructed Proto - Indo - European language Phonology : Sound laws, Accent, Ablaut Hypothetical Daco - Thracian Graeco - Armenian Graeco - Aryan Graeco - Phrygian Indo - Hittite Italo - Celtic Thraco - Illyrian Grammar Vocabulary Root Verbs Nouns Pronouns Numerals Particles Other Proto - Anatolian Proto - Armenian Proto - Germanic ( Proto - Norse ) Proto - Celtic Proto - Italic Proto - Greek Proto - Balto - Slavic ( Proto - Slavic ) Proto - Indo - Iranian ( Proto - Iranian ) Philology Hittite texts Hieroglyphic Luwian Linear B Rigveda Avesta Homer Behistun Gaulish epigraphy Latin epigraphy Runic epigraphy Ogam Gothic Bible Armenian Bible Slanting Brahmi Old Irish glosses Origins Homeland Proto - Indo - Europeans Society Religion Mainstream Kurgan hypothesis Indo - European migrations Eurasian nomads Alternative and fringe Anatolian hypothesis Armenian hypothesis Indigenous Aryans Baltic homeland Paleolithic Continuity Theory Archaeology Chalcolithic ( Copper Age ) Pontic Steppe Domestication of the horse Kurgan Kurgan culture Steppe cultures Bug -- Dniester Sredny Stog Dnieper -- Donets Samara Khvalynsk Yamna Mikhaylovka culture Novotitorovka culture Caucasus Maykop East Asia Afanasievo Eastern Europe Usatovo Cernavodă Cucuteni Northern Europe Corded ware Baden Middle Dnieper Bronze Age Pontic Steppe Chariot Yamna Catacomb Multi-cordoned ware Poltavka Srubna Northern / Eastern Steppe Abashevo culture Andronovo Sintashta Europe Globular Amphora Corded ware Beaker Unetice Trzciniec Nordic Bronze Age Terramare Tumulus Urnfield Lusatian South Asia BMAC Yaz Gandhara grave Iron Age Steppe Chernoles Europe Thraco - Cimmerian Hallstatt Jastorf Caucasus Colchian India Painted Grey Ware Northern Black Polished Ware Peoples and societies Bronze Age Anatolian peoples ( Hittites ) Armenians Mycenaean Greeks Indo - Iranians Iron Age Indo - Aryans Indo - Aryans Iranians Iranians Scythians Persians Medes Europe Celts Gauls Celtiberians Insular Celts Hellenic peoples Italic peoples Germanic peoples Paleo - Balkans / Anatolia Thracians Dacians Illyrians Phrygians Middle Ages East Asia Tocharians Europe Balts Slavs Albanians Medieval Europe Indo - Aryan Medieval India Iranian Greater Persia Religion and mythology Reconstructed Proto - Indo - European religion Proto - Indo - Iranian religion Ancient Iranian religion Historical Hittite Indian Vedic Hinduism Buddhism Jainism Iranian Persian Zoroastrianism Kurdish Yazidism Yarsanism Scythian Ossetian Others Armenian Europe Paleo - Balkans Greek Roman Celtic Irish Scottish Breton Welsh Cornish Germanic Anglo - Saxon Continental Norse Baltic Latvian Lithuanian Slavic Albanian Practices Fire sacrifice Horse sacrifice Sati Winter solstice / Yule Indo - European studies Scholars Marija Gimbutas J.P. Mallory Institutes Copenhagen Studies in Indo - European Publications Encyclopedia of Indo - European Culture The Horse, the Wheel and Language Journal of Indo - European Studies Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch Indo - European Etymological Dictionary Origin The Armenian Highland is the area surrounding Mount Ararat, the highest peak of the region. A controversial hypothesis put forward by some scholars, such as T. Gamkrelidze and V. Ivanov, has proposed that the Indo - European homeland was around the Armenian Highland. The modern Armenian language is often grouped with Greek and Ancient Macedonian ( `` Helleno - Macedonian '' ) in the Pontic Indo - European ( also called Helleno - Armenian ) subgroup of Indo - European languages by Eric P. Hamp in his 2012 Indo - European family tree, groups. There are two possible explanations, not mutually exclusive, for a common origin of the Armenian and Greek languages. Ancient Greek scholars, such as Herodotus ( writing circa 440 BC ), suggest that the Phrygians of western Anatolia, who spoke an Indo - European language, had also made a contribution to the ethnogenesis of the Armenians : `` the Armenians were equipped like Phrygians, being Phrygian colonists '' ( 7.73 ) ( Ἀρμένιοι δὲ κατά περ Φρύγες ἐσεσάχατο, ἐόντες Φρυγῶν ἄποικοι. ). This appears to imply that some Phrygians migrated eastward to Armenia following the destruction of Phrygia by a Cimmerian invasion in the late 7th century BC. Greek scholars also believed that the Phrygians had originated in the Balkans, in an area adjoining Macedonia, from where they had emigrated to Anatolia many centuries earlier. In Hamp 's view the homeland of the proposed Greco - Armenian subgroup is the northeast coast of the Black Sea and its hinterlands. He assumes that they migrated from there southeast through the Caucasus with the Armenians remaining after Batumi while the pre-Greeks proceeded westwards along the southern coast of the Black Sea. Some genetics studies explain Armenian diversity by several mixtures of Eurasian populations that occurred between ~ 3,000 and ~ 2,000 BC. But genetic signals of population mixture cease after ~ 1,200 BC when Bronze Age civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean world suddenly and violently collapsed. Armenians have since remained isolated and genetic structure within the population developed ~ 500 years ago when Armenia was divided between the Ottomans and the Safavid Empire in Iran. In the Bronze Age, several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire ( at the height of its power ), Mitanni ( South - Western historical Armenia ), and Hayasa - Azzi ( 1600 -- 1200 BC ). Soon after Hayasa - Azzi came Arme - Shupria ( 1300s -- 1190 BC ), the Nairi ( 1400 -- 1000 BC ) and the Kingdom of Urartu ( 860 -- 590 BC ), who successively established their sovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of the aforementioned nations and tribes participated in the ethnogenesis of the Armenian people. Under Ashurbanipal ( 669 -- 627 BC ), the Assyrian empire reached the Caucasus Mountains ( modern Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan ). Yerevan, the modern capital of Armenia, was founded in 782 BC by king Argishti I. The Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent under Tigranes the Great ( 95 -- 55 BC ) Antiquity Persis, Parthia, Armenia. Rest Fenner, published in 1835. Armenia, Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Assyria with Adjacent Regions, Karl von Spruner, published in 1865. The first geographical entity that was called Armenia by neighboring peoples ( such as by Hecataeus of Miletus and on the Achaemenid Behistun Inscription ) was established in the late 6th century BC under the Orontid dynasty within the Achaemenid Persian Empire as part of the latters ' territories, and which later became a kingdom. At its zenith ( 95 -- 65 BC ), the state extended from the Caucasus all the way to what is now central Turkey, Lebanon, and northern Iran. The imperial reign of Tigranes the Great is thus the span of time during which Armenia itself conquered areas populated by other peoples. The Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia, itself a branch of the Arsacid dynasty of Parthia, was the first state to adopt Christianity as its religion ( it had formerly been adherent to Armenian paganism, which was influenced by Zoroastrianism, while later on adopting a few elements regarding identification of its pantheon with Greco - Roman deities ). in the early years of the 4th century, likely AD 301, partly in defiance of the Sassanids it seems. In the late Parthian period, Armenia was a predominantly Zoroastrian - adhering land, but by the Christianisation, previously predominant Zoroastrianism and paganism in Armenia gradually declined. Later on, in order to further strengthen Armenian national identity, Mesrop Mashtots invented the Armenian alphabet, in 405 AD. This event ushered the Golden Age of Armenia, during which many foreign books and manuscripts were translated to Armenian by Mesrop 's pupils. Armenia lost its sovereignty again in 428 AD to the rivalling Byzantine and Sassanid Persian empires, until the Muslim conquest of Persia overran also the regions in which Armenians lived. The Cathedral of Ani, completed in 1001 Middle ages In 885 AD the Armenians reestablished themselves as a sovereign kingdom under the leadership of Ashot I of the Bagratid Dynasty. A considerable portion of the Armenian nobility and peasantry fled the Byzantine occupation of Bagratid Armenia in 1045, and the subsequent invasion of the region by Seljuk Turks in 1064. They settled in large numbers in Cilicia, an Anatolian region where Armenians were already established as a minority since Roman times. In 1080, they founded an independent Armenian Principality then Kingdom of Cilicia, which became the focus of Armenian nationalism. The Armenians developed close social, cultural, military, and religious ties with nearby Crusader States, but eventually succumbed to Mamluk invasions. In the next few centuries, Djenghis Khan, Timurids, and the tribal Turkic federations of the Ak Koyunlu and the Kara Koyunlu ruled over the Armenians. Early modern History From the early 16th century, both Western Armenia and Eastern Armenia fell under Iranian Safavid rule. Owing to the century long Turco - Iranian geo - political rivalry that would last in Western Asia, significant parts of the region were frequently fought over between the two rivalling empires. From the mid 16th century with the Peace of Amasya, and decisively from the first half of the 17th century with the Treaty of Zuhab until the first half of the 19th century, Eastern Armenia was ruled by the successive Iranian Safavid, Afsharid and Qajar empires, while Western Armenia remained under Ottoman rule. In the late 1820s, the parts of historic Armenia under Iranian control centering on Yerevan and Lake Sevan ( all of Eastern Armenia ) were incorporated into the Russian Empire following Iran 's forced ceding of the territories after its loss in the Russo - Persian War ( 1826 - 1828 ) and the outcoming Treaty of Turkmenchay. Western Armenia however, remained in Ottoman hands. Modern History About 1.5 million Armenians were killed during the Armenian Genocide in 1915 -- 1918. The ethnic cleansing of Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire is widely considered a genocide, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million victims. The first wave of persecution was in the years 1894 to 1896, the second one culminating in the events of the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and 1916. With World War I in progress, the Ottoman Empire accused the ( Christian ) Armenians as liable to ally with Imperial Russia, and used it as a pretext to deal with the entire Armenian population as an enemy within their empire. Governments of the Republic of Turkey since that time have consistently rejected charges of genocide, typically arguing either that those Armenians who died were simply in the way of a war, or that killings of Armenians were justified by their individual or collective support for the enemies of the Ottoman Empire. Passage of legislation in various foreign countries, condemning the persecution of the Armenians as genocide, has often provoked diplomatic conflict. ( See Recognition of the Armenian Genocide ) Following the breakup of the Russian Empire in the aftermath of World War I for a brief period, from 1918 to 1920, Armenia was an independent republic. In late 1920, the communists came to power in Russia following an invasion of Armenia by the Red Army ; in 1922, Armenia became part of the Transcaucasian SFSR of the Soviet Union, later on forming the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic ( 1936 to 21 September 1991 ). In 1991, Armenia declared independence from the USSR and established the second Republic of Armenia. Geographic distribution Armenian presence in the early 20 century : > 50 % 25 -- 50 % < 25 % Armenian settlement area today. Armenia Armenians have had a presence in the Armenian Highland for over 4,000 years, since the time when Hayk, the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation, led them to victory over Bel of Babylon. Today, with a population of 3.5 million, they not only constitute an overwhelming majority in Armenia, but also in the disputed region of Artsakh. Armenians in the diaspora informally refer to them as Hayastantsis ( Հայաստանցի ), meaning those that are from Armenia ( that is, those born and raised in Armenia ). They, as well as the Armenians of Iran and Russia speak the Eastern dialect of the Armenian language. The country itself is secular as a result of Soviet domination, but most of its citizens identify themselves as Apostolic Armenian Christian. Armenian population by country ( in thousands ) : > 2,000 1,000 -- 2,000 500 -- 1,000 200 -- 500 100 -- 200 75 -- 100 10 -- 75 1 -- 10 0.1 -- 1 < 0.1 Diaspora Main article : Armenian diaspora Small Armenian trading and religious communities have existed outside Armenia for centuries. For example, a community survived for over a millennium in the Holy Land, and one of the four - quarters of the walled Old City of Jerusalem has been called the Armenian Quarter. An Armenian Catholic monastic community of 35 founded in 1717 exists on an island near Venice, Italy. There are also remnants of formerly populous communities in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Israel, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. Regardless, most of the modern days diaspora consists of Armenians scattered throughout the world as a direct consequence of the genocide of 1915, constituting the main portion of the Armenian diaspora. However, Armenian communities in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi, in Syria and in Iran existed since antiquity. Within the diasporan Armenian community, there is an unofficial classification of the different kinds of Armenians. For example, Armenians who originate from Iran are referred to as Parskahay ( Պարսկահայ ), while Armenians from Lebanon are usually referred to as Lipananahay ( Լիբանանահայ ). Armenians of the Diaspora are the primary speakers of the Western dialect of the Armenian language. This dialect has considerable differences with Eastern Armenian, but speakers of either of the two variations can usually understand each other. Eastern Armenian in the diaspora is primarily spoken in Iran and European countries such as Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia ( where they form a majority in the Samtskhe - Javakheti province ). In diverse communities ( such as in Canada and the U.S. ) where many different kinds of Armenians live together, there is a tendency for the different groups to cluster together. Culture Main article : Culture of Armenia Religion Church service, Yerevan. The Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was established in 301 AD. Ancient Tatev Monastery. Main articles : Armenian Apostolic Church, Religion in Armenia, and Armenian mythology Before Christianity, Armenians adhered to Armenian paganism : a type of indigenous polytheism that stemmed from the Urartu period but which adopted several Greco - Roman and Iranian religious characteristics. In 301 AD, Armenia adopted Christianity as a state religion, becoming the first state to do so. The claim is primarily based on the fifth - century work of Agathangelos titled `` The History of the Armenians. '' Agathangelos witnessed at first hand the baptism of the Armenian King Trdat III ( c. 301 / 314 A.D. ) by St. Gregory the Illuminator. Trdat III decreed Christianity was the state religion. Armenia established a Church that still exists independently of both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches, having become so in 451 AD as a result of its stance regarding the Council of Chalcedon. Today this church is known as the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is a part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox communion. During its later political eclipses, Armenia depended on the church to preserve and protect its unique identity. The original location of the Armenian Catholicosate is Echmiadzin. However, the continuous upheavals, which characterized the political scenes of Armenia, made the political power move to safer places. The Church center moved as well to different locations together with the political authority. Therefore, it eventually moved to Cilicia as the Holy See of Cilicia. The Armenians collective has, at times, constituted a Christian `` island '' in a mostly Muslim region. There is, however, a minority of ethnic Armenian Muslims, known as Hamshenis but many Armenians view them as a separate race, while the history of the Jews in Armenia dates back 2,000 years. The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia had close ties to European Crusader States. Later on, the deteriorating situation in the region led the bishops of Armenia to elect a Catholicos in Etchmiadzin, the original seat of the Catholicosate. In 1441, a new Catholicos was elected in Etchmiadzin in the person of Kirakos Virapetsi, while Krikor Moussapegiants preserved his title as Catholicos of Cilicia. Therefore, since 1441, there have been two Catholicosates in the Armenian Church with equal rights and privileges, and with their respective jurisdictions. The primacy of honor of the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin has always been recognized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia. While the Armenian Apostolic Church remains the most prominent church in the Armenian community throughout the world, Armenians ( especially in the diaspora ) subscribe to any number of other Christian denominations. These include the Armenian Catholic Church ( which follows its own liturgy but recognizes the Roman Catholic Pope ), the Armenian Evangelical Church, which started as a reformation in the Mother church but later broke away, and the Armenian Brotherhood Church, which was born in the Armenian Evangelical Church, but later broke apart from it. There are other numerous Armenian churches belonging to Protestant denominations of all kinds. Through the ages many Armenians have collectively belonged to other faiths or Christian movements, including the Paulicians which is a form of Gnostic and Manichaean Christianity. Paulicians sought to restore the pure Christianity of Paul and in c. 660 founded the first congregation in Kibossa, Armenia. Another example is the Tondrakians, who flourished in medieval Armenia between the early 9th century and 11th century. Tondrakians advocated the abolishment of the church, denied the immortality of the soul, did not believe in an afterlife, supported property rights for peasants, and equality between men and women. The Orthodox Armenians or the Chalcedonian Armenians in the Byzantine Empire were called Iberians ( `` Georgians '' ) or `` Greeks ''. See Gregory Pakourianos -- the great Byzantine general. Their descendants are the Hayhurum and Catholic Armenians in Georgia. Language and literature A 14th - century Armenian illuminated manuscript Main articles : Armenian language and Armenian literature Armenian is a sub-branch of the Indo - European family, and with some 8 million speakers one of the smallest surviving branches, comparable to Albanian or the somewhat more widely spoken Greek, with which it may be connected ( see Graeco - Armenian ). Today, that branch has just one language -- Armenian. Five million Eastern Armenian speakers live in the Caucasus, Russia, and Iran, and approximately two to three million people in the rest of the Armenian diaspora speak Western Armenian. According to US Census figures, there are 300,000 Americans who speak Armenian at home. It is in fact the twentieth most commonly spoken language in the United States, having slightly fewer speakers than Haitian Creole, and slightly more than Navajo. Armenian literature dates back to 400 AD, when Mesrop Mashtots first invented the Armenian alphabet. This period of time is often viewed as the Golden Age of Armenian literature. Early Armenian literature was written by the `` father of Armenian history '', Moses of Chorene, who authored The History of Armenia. The book covers the time - frame from the formation of the Armenian people to the fifth century AD. The nineteenth century beheld a great literary movement that was to give rise to modern Armenian literature. This period of time, during which Armenian culture flourished, is known as the Revival period ( Zartonki sherchan ). The Revivalist authors of Constantinople and Tiflis, almost identical to the Romanticists of Europe, were interested in encouraging Armenian nationalism. Most of them adopted the newly created Eastern or Western variants of the Armenian language depending on the targeted audience, and preferred them over classical Armenian ( grabar ). This period ended after the Hamidian massacres, when Armenians experienced turbulent times. As Armenian history of the 1920s and of the Genocide came to be more openly discussed, writers like Paruyr Sevak, Gevork Emin, Silva Kaputikyan and Hovhannes Shiraz began a new era of literature. Architecture Main article : Armenian architecture The famous Khachkar at Goshavank, carved in 1291 by the artist Poghos. The first Armenian churches were built on the orders of St. Gregory the Illuminator, and were often built on top of pagan temples, and imitated some aspects of Armenian pre-Christian architecture. Classical and Medieval Armenian Architecture is divided into four separate periods. The first Armenian churches were built between the 4th and 7th century, beginning when Armenia converted to Christianity, and ending with the Arab invasion of Armenia. The early churches were mostly simple basilicas, but some with side apses. By the fifth century the typical cupola cone in the center had become widely used. By the seventh century, centrally planned churches had been built and a more complicated niched buttress and radiating Hrip'simé style had formed. By the time of the Arab invasion, most of what we now know as classical Armenian architecture had formed. From the 9th to 11th century, Armenian architecture underwent a revival under the patronage of the Bagratid Dynasty with a great deal of building done in the area of Lake Van, this included both traditional styles and new innovations. Ornately carved Armenian Khachkars were developed during this time. Many new cities and churches were built during this time, including a new capital at Lake Van and a new Cathedral on Akdamar Island to match. The Cathedral of Ani was also completed during this dynasty. It was during this time that the first major monasteries, such as Haghpat and Haritchavank were built. This period was ended by the Seljuk invasion. Sports Main article : Sport in Armenia Armenian children at the UN Cup Chess Tournament in 2005. Many types of sports are played in Armenia, among the most popular being football, chess, boxing, basketball, hockey, sambo, wrestling, weightlifting and volleyball. Since independence, the Armenian government has been actively rebuilding its sports program in the country. During Soviet rule, Armenian athletes rose to prominence winning plenty of medals and helping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinyan, who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. In football, their most successful team was Yerevan 's FC Ararat, which had claimed most of the Soviet championships in the 70s and had also gone to post victories against professional clubs like FC Bayern Munich in the Euro cup. Armenians have also been successful in chess, which is the most popular mind sport in Armenia. Some of the most prominent chess players in the world are Armenian such as Tigran Petrosian, Levon Aronian and Garry Kasparov. Armenians have also been successful in weightlifting and wrestling ( Armen Nazaryan ), winning medals in each sport at the Olympics. There are also successful Armenians in football -- Henrikh Mkhitaryan, boxing -- Arthur Abraham and Vic Darchinyan. Music and dance Main articles : Music of Armenia and Armenian Dance Armenian folk musicians and traditional Armenian dance. Armenian music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best - represented by Djivan Gasparyan 's well - known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music. Instruments like the duduk, the dhol, the zurna and the kanun are commonly found in Armenian folk music. Artists such as Sayat Nova are famous due to their influence in the development of Armenian folk music. One of the oldest types of Armenian music is the Armenian chant which is the most common kind of religious music in Armenia. Many of these chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Whilst under Soviet rule, Armenian classical music composer Aram Khatchaturian became internationally well known for his music, for various ballets and the Sabre Dance from his composition for the ballet Gayane. The Armenian Genocide caused widespread emigration that led to the settlement of Armenians in various countries in the world. Armenians kept to their traditions and certain diasporans rose to fame with their music. In the post-Genocide Armenian community of the United States, the so - called `` kef '' style Armenian dance music, using Armenian and Middle Eastern folk instruments ( often electrified / amplified ) and some western instruments, was popular. This style preserved the folk songs and dances of Western Armenia, and many artists also played the contemporary popular songs of Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries from which the Armenians emigrated. Richard Hagopian is perhaps the most famous artist of the traditional `` kef '' style and the Vosbikian Band was notable in the 40s and 50s for developing their own style of `` kef music '' heavily influenced by the popular American Big Band Jazz of the time. Later, stemming from the Middle Eastern Armenian diaspora and influenced by Continental European ( especially French ) pop music, the Armenian pop music genre grew to fame in the 60s and 70s with artists such as Adiss Harmandian and Harout Pamboukjian performing to the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. Also with artists such as Sirusho, performing pop music combined with Armenian folk music in today 's entertainment industry. Other Armenian diasporans that rose to fame in classical or international music circles are world - renowned French - Armenian singer and composer Charles Aznavour, pianist Sahan Arzruni, prominent opera sopranos such as Hasmik Papian and more recently Isabel Bayrakdarian and Anna Kasyan. Certain Armenians settled to sing non-Armenian tunes such as the heavy metal band System of a Down ( which nonetheless often incorporates traditional Armenian instrumentals and styling into their songs ) or pop star Cher. Ruben Hakobyan ( Ruben Sasuntsi ) is a well recognized Armenian ethnographic and patriotic folk singer who has achieved widespread national recognition due to his devotion to Armenian folk music and exceptional talent. In the Armenian diaspora, Armenian Revolutionary Songs are popular with the youth. These songs encourage Armenian patriotism and are generally about Armenian history and national heroes. Carpet weaving See also : Armenian carpet Armenian girls, weaving carpets in Van, 1907, Ottoman Empire Carpet - weaving is historically a major traditional profession for the majority of Armenian women, including many Armenian families. Prominent Karabakh carpet weavers there were men too. The oldest extant Armenian carpet from the region, referred to as Artsakh ( see also Karabakh carpet ) during the medieval era, is from the village of Banants ( near Gandzak ) and dates to the early 13th century. The first time that the Armenian word for carpet, gorg, was used in historical sources was in a 1242 -- 1243 Armenian inscription on the wall of the Kaptavan Church in Artsakh. Common themes and patterns found on Armenian carpets were the depiction of dragons and eagles. They were diverse in style, rich in color and ornamental motifs, and were even separated in categories depending on what sort of animals were depicted on them, such as artsvagorgs ( eagle - carpets ), vishapagorgs ( dragon - carpets ) and otsagorgs ( serpent - carpets ). The rug mentioned in the Kaptavan inscriptions is composed of three arches, `` covered with vegatative ornaments '', and bears an artistic resemblance to the illuminated manuscripts produced in Artsakh. The art of carpet weaving was in addition intimately connected to the making of curtains as evidenced in a passage by Kirakos Gandzaketsi, a 13th - century Armenian historian from Artsakh, who praised Arzu - Khatun, the wife of regional prince Vakhtang Khachenatsi, and her daughters for their expertise and skill in weaving. Armenian carpets were also renowned by foreigners who traveled to Artsakh ; the Arab geographer and historian Al - Masudi noted that, among other works of art, he had never seen such carpets elsewhere in his life. Cuisine Main article : Armenian cuisine Khorovats is a favorite Armenian dish Khorovats, an Armenian - styled barbecue, is arguably the favorite Armenian dish. Lavash is a very popular Armenian flat bread, and Armenian paklava is a popular dessert made from filo dough. Other famous Armenian foods include the kabob ( a skewer of marinated roasted meat and vegetables ), various dolmas ( minced lamb, or beef meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves, cabbage leaves, or stuffed into hollowed vegetables ), and pilaf, a rice dish. Also, ghapama, a rice - stuffed pumpkin dish, and many different salads are popular in Armenian culture. Fruits play a large part in the Armenian diet. Apricots ( Prunus armeniaca, also known as Armenian Plum ) have been grown in Armenia for centuries and have a reputation for having an especially good flavor. Peaches are popular as well, as are grapes, figs, pomegranates, and melons. Preserves are made from many fruits, including cornelian cherries, young walnuts, sea buckthorn, mulberries, sour cherries, and many others. Institutions The Armenian Apostolic Church, the world 's oldest national church The Armenian General Benevolent Union ( AGBU ) founded in 1906 and the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world, with educational, cultural and humanitarian projects on all continents The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, founded in 1890. It is generally referred to as the Dashnaktsutyun, which means Federation in Armenian. The ARF is the strongest worldwide Armenian political organization and the only diasporan Armenian organization with a significant political presence in Armenia. Hamazkayin, an Armenian cultural and educational society founded in Cairo in 1928, and responsible for the founding of Armenian secondary schools and institutions of higher education in several countries The Armenian Catholic Church, representing small communities of Armeno - Catholics in different countries around the world, as well as important monastic and cultural institutions in Venice and Vienna Homenetmen, an Armenian Scouting and athletic organization founded in 1910 with a worldwide membership of about 25,000 The Armenian Relief Society, founded in 1910 Notable people For a more comprehensive list, see Lists of Armenians. See also Armenia portal Peoples of the Caucasus Hemshin peoples Hayk Hidden Armenians References Notes Jump up ^ Abkhazia is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of Georgia. The Republic of Abkhazia unilaterally declared independence on 23 July 1992, but Georgia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Abkhazia has received formal recognition as an independent state from 5 out of 193 United Nations member states. Jump up ^ The Republic of Artsakh is de facto independent and mainly integrated into Armenia, however, it is internationally recognized as de jure part of Azerbaijan Jump up ^ The number of Syrian Armenians is estimated to be far lower due to the Syrian Civil War, as these are pre war figures. Many fled to Lebanon, Armenia, and the west respectively. Inline Jump up ^ different sources : Dennis J.D. Sandole ( 24 January 2007 ). Peace and Security in the Postmodern World : The OSCE and Conflict Resolution. Routledge. p. 182. ISBN 9781134145713. The nearly 3 million Armenians in Armenia ( and 3 -- 4 million in the Armenian Diaspora worldwide ) `` perceive '' the nearly 8 million Azerbaijanis in Azerbaijan as `` Turks. '' McGoldrick, Monica ; Giordano, Joe ; Garcia - Preto, Nydia, eds. ( 18 August 2005 ). Ethnicity and Family Therapy, Third Edition ( 3 ed. ). Guilford Press. p. 439. ISBN 9781606237946. The impact of such a horror on a group who presently number approximately 6 million, worldwide, is incalculable. Gevorg Sargsyan ; Ani Balabanyan ; Denzel Hankinson ( 1 January 2006 ). From Crisis to Stability in the Armenian Power Sector : Lessons Learned from Armenia 's Energy Reform Experience ( illustrated ed. ). World Bank Publications. p. 18. ISBN 9780821365908. The country 's estimated 3 -- 6 million Diaspora represent a major source of foreign direct investment in the country. Arthur G. Sharp ( 15 September 2011 ). The Everything Guide to the Middle East : Understand the people, the politics, and the culture of this conflicted region. Adams Media. p. 137. ISBN 9781440529122. Since the newly independent Republic of Armenia was declared in 1991, nearly 4 million of the world 's 6 million Armenians have been living on the eastern edge of their Middle Eastern homeland. Jump up ^ different sources : Von Voss, Huberta ( 2007 ). Portraits of Hope : Armenians in the Contemporary World. New York : Berghahn Books. p. xxv. ISBN 9781845452575... there are some 8 million Armenians in the world... Freedman, Jeri ( 2008 ). The Armenian genocide. New York : Rosen Publishing Group. p. 52. ISBN 9781404218253. In contrast to its population of 3.2 million, approximately 8 million Armenians live in other countries of the world, including large communities in the America and Russia. Guntram H. Herb, David H. Kaplan ( 2008 ). Nations and Nationalism : A Global Historical Overview : A Global Historical Overview. Santa Barbara, California : ABC - CLIO. p. 1705. ISBN 9781851099085. A nation of some 8 million people, about 3 million of whom live in the newly independent post-Soviet state, Armenians are constantly battling not to lose their distinct culture, identity and the newly established statehood. Robert A. Saunders, Vlad Struko ( 2010 ). Historical dictionary of the Russian Federation. Lanham, Maryland : Scarecrow Press. p. 50. ISBN 9780810854758. Philander, S. George ( 2008 ). Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change. Los Angeles : SAGE. p. 77. ISBN 9781412958783. An estimated 60 percent of the total 8 million Armenians worldwide live outside the country... Robert A. Saunders, Vlad Strukov ( 2010 ). Historical dictionary of the Russian Federation. Lanham, Maryland : Scarecrow Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780810874602. Worldwide, there are more than 8 million Armenians ; 3.2 million reside in the Republic of Armenia. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) հոկտեմբերի 12 - 21 - ը Հայաստանի Հանրապետությունում անցկացված մարդահամարի արդյունքները ( The results of the census conducted in October 2011 in the Republic of Armenia ). pp 6 - 7. ( in Armenian ) Jump up ^ Ministry of Culture of Armenia `` The ethnic minorities in Armenia. Brief information ''. As per the most recent census in 2011. `` National minority ''. Jump up ^ `` National makeup of the population of the Russian Federation ( Национальный состав населения Российской Федерации ) '' ( in Russian ). Russian Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved 5 January 2013. Jump up ^ Robert A. Saunders, Vlad Struko ( 2010 ). Historical dictionary of the Russian Federation. Lanham, Maryland : Scarecrow Press. p. 50. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8108 - 5475 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2011 American Community Survey 1 - Year Estimates ''. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` Barack Obama on the Importance of US - Armenia Relations ''. Armenian National Committee of America. 19 January 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2012. `` Kim Kardashian Urges Support for Telethon ''. The Armenian Weekly. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012. Milliken, Mary ( 12 October 2007 ). `` Armenian - American clout buys genocide breakthrough ''. Reuters. Retrieved 5 December 2012. Jump up ^ Thon, Caroline ( 2012 ). Armenians in Hamburg : an ethnographic exploration into the relationship between diaspora and success. Berlin : LIT Verlag Münster. p. 25. ISBN 978 - 3 - 643 - 90226 - 9. Jump up ^ Taylor, Tony ( 2008 ). Denial : history betrayed. Carlton, Victoria : Melbourne University Pub. p. 4. ISBN 978 - 0 - 522 - 85482 - 4. Jump up ^ `` National Statistics Office of Georgia '' ( PDF ). Jump up ^ В Абхазии объявили данные переписи населения. Delfi ( in Russian ). 29 December 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2013. ( According to the 2011 census ). Jump up ^ Republic of Artsakh. `` Population estimates of NKR as of 01.01. 2013 ''. Retrieved 20 February 2014. Jump up ^ Gibney, Matthew J. ( 2005 ). Immigration and asylum : from 1900 to the present. Santa Barbara, California : ABC - CLIO. p. 13. ISBN 978 - 1 - 57607 - 796 - 2. Jump up ^ Vardanyan, Tamara ( 21 June 2007 ). Իրանահայ համայնք. ճամպրուկային տրամադրություններ ( The Iranian - Armenian community ) ( in Armenian ). Noravank Foundation. Retrieved 5 January 2013. Jump up ^ Sargsyan, Babken ( 8 December 2012 ). Armenian Service `` Գերմանիաիի հայ համայնքը ( Armenian community of Germany ) '' Check url = value ( help ) ( in Armenian ). Retrieved 10 January 2015. Jump up ^ `` THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF ARMENIAN DIASPORA ''. Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 19. Jump up ^ The distribution of the population by nationality and mother tongue, Kiev : State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, 2001, retrieved 5 January 2013 Jump up ^ Comunidade armênia prospera no Brasil, mas não abandona luta pela memória do massacre. By Breno Salvador. O Globo, 24 April 2015 Jump up ^ `` Federal Senate of Brazil Recognizes Armenian Genocide ''. Armenian Weekly. 3 June 2015. Jump up ^ Bedevyan, Astghik ( 18 January 2011 ). `` Հունաստանի հայ համայնքը պատրաստվում է Հայաստանի նախագահի հետ հանդիպմանը ( Armenian community of Greece preparing for the meeting with the Armenian president ) '' ( in Armenian ). Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Armenian Service. Retrieved 10 January 2015. Jump up ^ Ayvazyan 2003, p. 100. Jump up ^ `` Foreign Ministry : 89,000 minorities live in Turkey ''. Today 's Zaman. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2013. Jump up ^ Canada National Household Survey, Statistics Canada, 2011, retrieved 20 August 2013. Of those, 31,075 reported single and 24,675 mixed Armenian ancestry. Jump up ^ `` Narodowy Spis Powszechny 2011 ( Polish Census of 2011 ) ''. Główny Urząd Statystyczny ( Polish Central Statistical Office ). 2011. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Armenia : Ancient and premodern Armenia ''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. The Armenians, an Indo - European people, first appear in history shortly after the end of the 7th century bce Missing or empty url = ( help ) ; access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ Richard G. Hovannisian, The Armenian people from ancient to modern times : the fifteenth century to the twentieth century, Volume 2, p. 427, Palgrave Macmillan, 1997. ^ Jump up to : see Hastings, Adrian ( 2000 ). A World History of Christianity. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 289. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8028 - 4875 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Armenia first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion ''. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Χαλύβοισι πρὸς νότον Ἀρμένιοι ὁμουρέουσι ( The Armenians border on the Chalybes to the south ) ''. Chahin, Mark ( 2001 ). The Kingdom of Armenia. London : Routledge. pp. fr. 203. ISBN 0 - 7007 - 1452 - 9. Jump up ^ Xenophon. Anabasis. pp. IV. v. 2 -- 9. Jump up ^ Razmik Panossian, The Armenians : From Kings And Priests to Merchants And Commissars, Columbia University Press ( 2006 ), ISBN 978 - 0 - 231 - 13926 - 7, p. 106. Jump up ^ Rafael Ishkhanyan, `` Illustrated History of Armenia, '' Yerevan, 1989 Jump up ^ Elisabeth Bauer. Armenia : Past and Present ( 1981 ), p. 49 Jump up ^ Thomas Gamkrelidze and Vyacheslav V. Ivanov, The Early History of Indo - European Languages, March 1990, p. 110. ^ Jump up to : Hamp, Eric P. ( August 2013 ). `` The Expansion of the Indo - European Languages : An Indo - Europeanist 's Evolving View '' ( PDF ). Sino - Platonic Papers. 239 : 8, 10, 13. Retrieved 8 February 2014. Jump up ^ Haber, Marc ; Mezzavilla, Massimo ; Xue, Yali ; Comas, David ; Gasparini, Paolo ; Zalloua, Pierre ; Tyler - Smith, Chris ( 2015 ). `` Genetic evidence for an origin of the Armenians from Bronze Age mixing of multiple populations ''. European Journal of Human Genetics. 24 ( 6 ) : 931. bioRxiv 015396. doi : 10.1038 / ejhg. 2015.206. PMC 4820045. PMID 26486470. Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/11/science/study-backs-5th-century-historians-date-for-founding-of-armenia.html?_r=0 Jump up ^ Vahan Kurkjian, `` History of Armenia '', Michigan, 1968, History of Armenia by Vahan Kurkjian ; Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, v. 12, Yerevan 1987 ; Artak Movsisyan, `` Sacred Highland : Armenia in the spiritual conception of the Near East '', Yerevan, 2000 ; Martiros Kavoukjian, `` The Genesis of Armenian People '', Montreal, 1982 Jump up ^ Curtis, John ( November 2003 ). `` The Achaemenid Period in Northern Iraq ''. L'archéologie de l'empire achéménide ( Paris, France ) : 12. ^ Jump up to : Mary Boyce. Zoroastrians : Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Psychology Press, 2001 ISBN 978 - 0415239028 p 84 Jump up ^ `` The conversion of Armenia to Christianity was probably the most crucial step in its history. It turned Armenia sharply away from its Iranian past and stamped it for centuries with an intrinsic character as clear to the native population as to those outside its borders, who identified Armenia almost at once as the first state to adopt Christianity ''. ( Nina Garsoïan in Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times, ed. R.G. Hovannisian, Palgrave Macmillan, 1997, Volume 1, p. 81 ). Jump up ^ traditionally dated to 301 following Mikayel Chamchian ( 1784 ). 314 is the date favoured by mainstream scholarship, so Nicholas Adontz ( 1970 ), p. 82, following the research of Ananian, and Seibt The Christianization of Caucasus ( Armenia, Georgia, Albania ) ( 2002 ). ^ Jump up to : Mary Boyce. Zoroastrians : Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Psychology Press, 2001 ISBN 0415239028 p 84 Jump up ^ Charl Wolhuter, Corene de Wet. International Comparative Perspectives on Religion and Education AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, ISBN 1920382372. 1 March 2014 p 31 Jump up ^ Hodgson, Natasha ( 2010 ). Kostick, Conor, ed. The Crusades and the Near East : Cultural Histories. Routledge. ISBN 1136902473. Jump up ^ Donald Rayfield. Edge of Empires : A History of Georgia Reaktion Books, 2013 ISBN 1780230702 p 165 Jump up ^ Steven R. Ward. Immortal, Updated Edition : A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces Georgetown University Press, 8 January 2014 ISBN 1626160325 p 43 Jump up ^ `` Armenians : Past and Present in the Making of National Identity ''. Retrieved 30 December 2014. Jump up ^ Timothy C. Dowling Russia at War : From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond pp 728 ABC - CLIO, 2 December 2014 ISBN 1598849484 Jump up ^ Vahan Kurkjian, `` History of Armenia '', Michigan, 1968, History of Armenia by Vahan Kurkjian Jump up ^ `` Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem ''. Archived from the original on 7 March 2007. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 27. Jump up ^ The Cambridge Ancient History. vol. 12, p. 486. London : Cambridge University Press, 2005. Jump up ^ Terzian, Shelley ( 2014 ). Wolhuter, Charl ; de Wet, Corene, eds. International Comparative Perspectives on Religion and Education. African Sun Media. p. 29. ISBN 1920382372. Jump up ^ Agathangelos, History of St. Gregory and the Conversion of Armenia Jump up ^ Agathangelos, History of the Armenians, Robert W. Thomson, State University of New York Press, 1974 Jump up ^ `` A Migrating Catholicosate ''. Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2007. Jump up ^ `` Two Catholicosates within the Armenian Church ''. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2007. Jump up ^ Sacred Geometry and Armenian Architecture Armenia Travel, History, Archeology & Ecology TourArmenia Travel Guide to Armenia Jump up ^ Armenia, Past and Present ; Elisabeth Bauer, Jacob Schmidheiny, Frederick Leist, 1981 Jump up ^ `` Sport in Armenia ''. Retrieved 2007 - 02 - 27. Jump up ^ Hakobyan, Hravard H. ( 1990 ). The Medieval Art of Artsakh. Yerevan, Armenian SSR : Parberakan. p. 84. ISBN 978 - 5 - 8079 - 0195 - 8. ^ Jump up to : Hakobyan. Medieval Art of Artsakh, p. 84. Jump up ^ ( in Armenian ) Kirakos Gandzaketsi. Պատմություն Հայոց ( History of Armenia ). Yerevan, Armenian SSR : Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1961, p. 216, as cited in Hakobyan. Medieval Art of Artsakh, p. 84, note 18. Jump up ^ Ulubabyan, Bagrat A. ( 1975 ). Խաչենի իշխանությունը, X-XVI դարերում ( The Principality of Khachen, From the 10th to 16th Centuries ) ( in Armenian ). Yerevan, Armenian SSR : Armenian Academy of Sciences. p. 267. Jump up ^ http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Ghapama General This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html. This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Department of State website http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/index.htm ( U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets ). The categorization of Armenian churches in Los Angeles used information from Sacred Transformation : Armenian Churches in Los Angeles a project of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Some of the information about the history of the Armenians comes from the multi-volume History of the Armenian People, Yerevan, Armenia, 1971. Further reading Wikimedia Commons has media related to Armenians. I.M. Diakonoff, The Pre-History of the Armenian People ( revised, trans. Lori Jennings ), Caravan Books, New York ( 1984 ), ISBN 978 - 0 - 88206 - 039 - 2. George A. Bournoutian, A History of the Armenian People, 2 vol. ( 1994 ) Hovannisian, Richard G., ed. ( September 1997 ), The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume I -- The Dynastic Periods : From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century, New York : St. Martin 's Press, ISBN 0 - 312 - 10169 - 4 Hovannisian, Richard G., ed. ( September 1997 ), The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II - Foreign Dominion to Statehood : The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century, New York : St. Martin 's Press, ISBN 0 - 312 - 10168 - 6 Redgate, Anne Elizabeth ( 1999 ), The Armenians ( 1st ed. ), Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishers, ISBN 0 - 631 - 22037 - 2 Aleksandra Ziolkowska - Boehm, The Polish Experience through World War II : A Better Day Has Not Come, Lanham, MD : Lexington Books, 2013, ISBN 978 - 0 - 7391 - 7819 - 5 Russell D. Gray and Quentin D. Atkinson, `` Language - tree divergence times support the Anatolian theory of Indo - European origin '', Nature, 426, 435 -- 439 ( 2003 ) George A. Bournoutian, A Concise History of the Armenian People ( Mazda, 2003, 2004 ). Ayvazyan, Hovhannes ( 2003 ). Հայ Սփյուռք հանրագիտարան ( Encyclopedia of Armenian Diaspora ) ( in Armenian ). 1. Yerevan : Armenian Encyclopedia publishing. ISBN 5 - 89700 - 020 - 4. Stopka, Krzysztof ( 2016 ). Armenia Christiana : Armenian Religious Identity and the Churches of Constantinople and Rome ( 4th - 15th century ). Kraków : Jagiellonian University Press. UCLA conference series proceedings The UCLA conference series titled `` Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces '' is organized by the Holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History. The conference proceedings are edited by Richard G. Hovannisian. Published in Costa Mesa, CA, by Mazda Publishers, they are : Armenian Van / Vaspurakan ( 2000 ) OCLC 44774992 Armenian Baghesh / Bitlis and Taron / Mush ( 2001 ) OCLC 48223061 Armenian Tsopk / Kharpert ( 2002 ) OCLC 50478560 Armenian Karin / Erzerum ( 2003 ) OCLC 52540130 Armenian Sebastia / Sivas and Lesser Armenia ( 2004 ) OCLC 56414051 Armenian Tigranakert / Diarbekir and Edessa / Urfa ( 2006 ) OCLC 67361643 Armenian Cilicia ( 2008 ) OCLC 185095701 Armenian Pontus : the Trebizond - Black Sea communities ( 2009 ) OCLC 272307784 Armenian diaspora Population by country Largest communities Ethnic enclaves Traditional areas of Armenian settlement Artsakh ( Nagorno - Karabakh ) Nakhichevan Western Armenia Cilicia Caucasus Azerbaijan ( Baku ) Georgia Tbilisi Abkhazia Former Soviet Union Russia Circassia Ukraine Crimea Belarus Moldova Baltic states Central Asia Americas Argentina Brazil Canada Chile Mexico United States Los Angeles Uruguay Venezuela Europe Austria Bulgaria Belgium Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark France Germany Greece Hayhurum Hungary Italy Malta The Netherlands Poland Romania Serbia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom Middle East Bahrain Egypt Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Qatar Syria Turkey Istanbul Hidden Armenians United Arab Emirates Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh China India Indonesia Myanmar Pakistan Singapore Africa Ethiopia Sudan Oceania Australia Armenia articles History ( timeline ) Early Origins Name Kura -- Araxes culture Hayk Hayasa - Azzi Mitanni Nairi Kingdom of Urartu Median kingdom Orontid Dynasty Achaemenid Empire Satrapy of Armenia Kingdom of Armenia Roman Armenia Parthian Empire Byzantine Armenia Sasanian Armenia Middle Arminiya Sajids Bagratuni Armenia Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Sallarids Ilkhanate Chobanids Ag Qoyunlu Kara Koyunlu Ottoman Armenia 1508 -- 1828 Persian Armenia Safavid Iran Afsharid Iran Qajar Iran Erivan Khanate Karabakh Khanate Treaty of Turkmenchay Russian Armenia Modern First Republic of Armenia Soviet Armenia Independent Armenia By topic Armenian Genocide Nagorno - Karabakh conflict Armenian national liberation movement more... 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Question: which nation was the first to accept christianity
Answer: Armenia