# 𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴
## Old Persian
### Etymology

Old Persian Armina is the first unambiguous application of the name Armenia as the ethnonym of the Armenians and is first attested in 6th century BC Behistun inscription by Achaemenid king Darius I of Persia. Like most place names in West Asia the Persians borrowed it from Aramaeans, whom the Achaemenids employed in their chancelleries. According to Diakonoff the word is formed with long Aramaic ending -ā from Urartian *armini (“inhabitant of Arme; Arme-ian (country)”). Arme/Urme was a country inhabited by Proto-Armenians in the mountains of Sassoun; of the territories inhabited by Proto-Armenians it was the closest to Aramaeans (who lived in Amida). See also Old Armenian հայ (hay) and Old Georgian სომეხი (somexi).

### Proper noun

𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴 (a-r-mi-i-n /Armina/) m
* Armenia (an ancient Armenian kingdom in eastern Anatolia, in modern eastern Turkey and Armenia)
** late 6th century BCE, Darius the Great, Behistun Inscription, Column 1, lines 13-17
    […] θātiy Dārayavauš xšāyaθiya imā dahyāva tyā manā patiyāiša vašnā Auramazdāha adamšām xšāyaθiya āham Pārsa Ûvja Bābiruš Ahurā Arabāya Mudrāya tayaiy drayahyā Sparda Yauna Māda Armina Katpatuka Parθava Zraka Haraiva Uvārazmîy Bāxtriš Suguda Gadāra Saka Θataguš Harauvatiš Maka fraharavam dahyāva XXIII... […] King Darius says: These are the countries which are subject unto me, and by the grace of Ahuramazda I became king of them: Persia, Elam, Babylonia, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, the countries by the Sea, Lydia, the Greeks, Media, Armenia, Cappadocia, Parthia, Drangiana, Aria, Chorasmia, Bactria, Sogdia, Gandara, Scythia, Sattagydia, Arachosia and Maka; twenty-three lands in all.
** late 6th century BCE, Darius the Great, Behistun Inscription, Column 2, lines 29-31
    […] θātiy Dārayavauš xšāyaθiya Dādaršiš nāma Arminiya manā badaka avam adam frāišayam Arminam avaθāšaiy aθaham paraidiy kāra hya hamiçiva manā naiy gaubataiy avam jadiy... […] King Darius says: An Armenian named Dādarši, my servant, I sent into Armenia, and I said unto him: 'Go, smite that host which is in revolt and does not acknowledge me.'

#### Derived terms

* 𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴𐎹 (a-r-mi-i-n-y /⁠Arminiya⁠/, “Armenian”)

#### Descendants

* Middle Persian: 𐭠𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩 (ʾlmny /⁠Arman⁠/)
** Persian: ارمن (arman)
* → Ancient Greek: Ἀρμενίᾱ (Armeníā)
* → Egyptian: (ꜣrwmꜥynꜣ), (ꜣrwmꜥynyꜣ)

#### See also

* Armenia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Behistun Inscription on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### References

* ↑ Dʹjakonov, I. M. (1968) S. T. Jeremjan, editor, Predystorija armjanskovo naroda. Istorija Armjanskovo nagorʹja s 1500 po 500 g. do n.e. Xurrity, luvijcy, protoarmjane [The Pre-History of the Armenian People. The History of the Armenian Highland from 1500 to 500 BC. Hurrians, Luwians, Proto-Armenians]‎ (in Russian), Yerevan: Academy Press, page 234
* ↑ Gindro, S. with Scarlata, S. and Widmer, P. (2013) “Old Persian Corpus”, in TITUS: Thesaurus Indogermanischer Text- und Sprachmaterialien‎, section 125
* ↑ Jona Lendering, Susa, Statue of Darius, Subject L02, 3lm'yn3 (OP. Armina = Armenia), Livius.org
* ↑ Tavernier, Jan (2007) Iranica in the Achaemenid Period (ca. 550–330 B.C.): Lexicon of Old Iranian Proper Names and Loanwords, Attested in Non-Iranian Texts, Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, page 93
* ↑ Posener, Georges (1936) La première domination perse en Égypte: Recueil d’inscriptions hiéroglyphiques, page 185