Tag: Armenian History

Armenian history spans more than three thousand years, from the earliest Bronze Age kingdoms of the Armenian Highlands through the rise of the ancient Armenian empire under Tigranes the Great, the medieval kingdoms of Bagratuni and Cilicia, and the turbulent nineteenth and twentieth centuries that brought the Armenian Genocide, the First Republic, Soviet rule, and ultimately independence in 1991. Groong covers this full arc of the history of Armenia in depth — through structured conversations with historians, academics, and researchers who study it professionally.

Groong Deep History. The site’s dedicated historical series brings together scholars for extended conversations on specific periods and events. Rather than summarizing Wikipedia, these episodes engage with primary sources, historiographical debates, and the long-term significance of events that shaped Armenian civilization. Whether you are tracing an Armenia history timeline from Urartu to the present or looking for expert analysis of a single battle, the series offers something rare in English-language media: sustained, serious treatment of Armenian culture and history.

The ancient Armenian kingdoms and the Armenian empire. One of the most searched chapters of Armenian historical facts is the era of Tigranes the Great (95–55 BC), whose Armenian empire stretched from the Caspian to the Mediterranean and briefly made Armenia the dominant power in the Near East. Groong situates this period within the longer arc of ancient Armenian kingdoms — from Urartu and Hayasa-Azzi through the Artaxiad and Arsacid dynasties — and traces how early Armenian civilization developed its distinctive political and religious character.

The Battle of Avarayr and the Armenian Church. No event in medieval Armenian history is more central to Armenian heritage than the Battle of Avarayr in 451 AD, when Armenian nakharars led by Vartan Mamikonian fought the Sasanian Persian empire to defend Armenia’s right to remain Christian. In Ep 518, historian Zaroui Pogossian gives a comprehensive account of Vardanank — the figures, the sources, the theological stakes, and why Armenians still commemorate Vartanantz today. The episode also covers the creation of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD and the broader struggle over Armenian Christian identity in late antiquity.

Soviet Armenia and the history of Armenians in the USSR. Historian Pietro Shakarian — a specialist in Soviet Armenia and the Soviet nationalities question — is Groong’s most frequent guide to the modern era. His recurring appearances include a biography of Anastas Mikoyan, the Soviet Armenian statesman who survived Stalin, co-authored Khrushchev’s secret speech, and shaped Soviet policy for four decades (Ep 28, Ep 480). Shakarian also examines how the Soviet victory in World War II is remembered and contested in contemporary Armenian political culture (Ep 436).

Identity, memory, and the uses of history. Groong also explores how Armenian historical memory shapes present-day politics and identity. Episodes with Vahram Ter Matevosyan examine the dynamics of identity in the South Caucasus (Ep 372), while conversations with Yeghia Tashjian situate Armenian history within the broader patterns of conflict and sovereignty in the region.

All episodes in this section are in English, making Groong one of the few places where the full depth of Armenian history — ancient, medieval, modern — is accessible to an international audience.