The ' Apuevia of the Greeks (sometimes aspirated • Apaevia) is the A rminiya or Irminiya of the Arabs, the .Ermenutan of the Persians. Moses of Chorene derives the name from Armenagh, the second of the native princes ; Hartmann draws it from Aram (see that article), a son of Shem, who also gave name to Ammma or Syria ; but the most probable etymology is that of Bochart, viz., that it was originally 'ITZ ill, Har-Minni or Mount Minni, the High-land of Minyas, or, according to Wahl (in his work on Asia, p. 807), the Heavenly Mountain (i. e., Ararat), for mino in Zend, and myno, ?arty, in Parsee, signify `heaven, heavenly.' In the country itself the name Armenia is unknown; the people are called Haik, and the country Hayotz-zor, the Valley of the Haiks—from Haik, the fifth descendant of Noah by Japhet, in the traditionary genealogy of the country (comp. Ritter's Erraunde, th. ii. p. The boundaries of Armenia may be described generally as the southern range of the Caucasus on the north, and a branch of the Taurus on the south ; but in all directions, and especially to the east and west, the limits have been very fluc. tuating. It forms an elevated table-land, whence rise mountains which (with the exception of the gigantic Ararat) are of moderate height, the plateau gradually sinking towards the plains of Iran on the east, and those of Asia Minor on the west. The climate is generally cold, but salubrious. The country abounds in romantic forest and mountain scenery, and rich pasture-land, especially in the districts which border upon Persia. Ancient writers notice the wealth of Armenia in metals and precious stones. The great rivers Euphrates and Tigris both take their rise in this region, as also the Araxes, and the Kur or Cyrus. Armenia is commonly divided into Greater and Lesser, the line of separation being the Euphrates ; but the former constitutes by far the larger portion, and indeed the other is often regarded as pertaining rather to Asia Minor. There was anciently a kingdom of Armenia, with its metropolis Artaxata : it was sometimes an independent state, but most com monly tributary to some more powerful neighbour. Indeed at no period was the whole of this region ever comprised under one government, but Assyria, Media, Syria, and Cappadocia shared the dominion or allegiance of some portion of it, just as it is now divided among the Persians, Russians, Turks, and Kurds; for there is no doubt that that part of Kurdistan which includes the elevated basins of the lakes of Van and Oormiah anciently belonged to Armenia. The unfortunate German traveller
Schulz (who was murdered by a Kurdish chief) discovered in 1827, near the former lake, the ruins of a very ancient town, which he supposed to be that which is called by Armenian historians Shami ramakert (i. e., the town of Semiramis), because believed to have been built by the famous Assyrian queen. The ruins are covered with inscriptions in the arrow-headed character; in one of them Saint Martin thought he deciphered the words Khshearsha son of Dareioush (Xerxes son of Darius). In later times Armenia was the border country where the Romans and Parthians fruitlessly strove for the mastery, and since then it has been the frequent battle-field of the neighbouring states. Towards the end of the last war between Russia and Turkey, large bodies of native Armenians emigrated into the Russian dominions, so that their number in what is termedTurkish Armenia is now considerably reduced. By the treaty of Turkomanshee (zist Feb. 1828) Persia ceded to Russia the IChanats of Eri van and Nakhshivan. The boundary-line (drawn from the Turkish dominions) passes over the Little Ararat ; the line of separation between Persian and Turkish Armenia also begins at Ararat ; so that this famous mountain is now the central boundary stone of these three empires.
Christianity was first established in Armenia in the fourth century ; the Armenian church has a close affinity to the Greek church in its forms and polity ; it is described by the American missionaries who are settled in the country as in a state of great corruption and debasement. The total number of the Armenian nation throughout the world is sup posed not to exceed 2,000,000. Their favourite pursuit is commerce, and their merchants are found in all parts of the Fast. For the history of the country, see Moses of Chorene, Father Chamich, and the Mist. of Varian, translated by Neumann. For the topography, Morier, Ker Porter, Smith and Dwight, Southgate, etc., and especially the vols. of the journal of the Geographical Society, containing the researches of Monteith, Ainsworth, and others.—N. M.