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THE PERCEPTION OF THE CONCEPT OF SADNESS IN VAHAN TERIAN’S POETIC LANGUAGE

In the Linguistic Consciousness of the Contemporary Armenian-speaking Society

The article is devoted to the description of the linguistic and cultural specifics.

The emotional experiences impact all aspects of life and are considered to be one of the forms of reflection, cognition and assessment of objective reality. The Sadness refers to the basic emotions that nominates emotions and feelings.

The object of our research is the emotional concept of Sadness, its representation in the poems of V. Teryan and in linguistic consciousness of Armenian society. To analyze the concept of Sadness in the linguistic consciousness of society, we conducted an associative experiment, which involved studying the associations that arise in connection with the concept of the emotion of Sadness. More than 100 people took part in the associative experiment: they had to give associations for the word Sadness.

THE LEGAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE ARMENIANS IN GREATER SYRIA (XVI-XIX CC.)

This article presents a detailed analysis of the legal status of Armenians in Bilād al-Shām (Northern Country or Land, Greater Syria) as a dhimmī and a constituent part of the Armenian millet, as well as their socio-economic status as a ra‘iyah in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries of Ottoman rule.

The evolution of territorial and social governance systems was a direct result of the necessity to administer the conquered regions and populations.

The state classified the population according to religious affiliation, rather than ethno-linguistic identity. Consequently, the non-Muslim population of the empire, which constituted approximately 40 percent of the population in the mid-sixteenth century, was divided into three religious communities or millets: Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Jewish․

LOSSES OF THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE IN TRANSCAUCASIA IN 1918

Based on the documents of the “Union of Compatriotic Associations” of Tiflis

After the outbreak of World War I, first in Western Armenia, Kars province and Batumi okrug, and in 1918 in Transcaucasia, as a result of the implementation of the genocidal policy against Armenians, hundreds of thousands of people who had escaped massacres and violence became refugees. Some of them found shelter in Tiflis. Soon several compatriot associations were established here, the purpose of which was to provide material and moral support to their compatriots.

In order to increase the efficiency of their activities these associations united on 1 March 1918, creating the “Union of Compatriotic Associations”. In the spring of 1918, the Turkish military offensive began, which lasted until the autumn of the same year. These events had tragic consequences, especially for the Armenian population. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians from Yerevan, Baku, Elizavetpol and partially Tiflis provinces, as well as Kars and Batumi provinces became victims of the devastating Turkish offensive.

Tens of thousands of Armenians were slaughtered by Turkish troops and local Tatars and Kurds supported by them, hundreds of villages were completely destroyed, and tens of thousands of people became refugees fleeing death. In fact, the Turkish government continued the state-organized genocide of Armenians, but now against the Armenian population outside the Ottoman Empire.

In 1918, the “Union of Compatriotic Associations” decided to appeal to the representatives of the allied countries with a request to stop the Turkish discord and robberies. In order for the submitted appeal to give an accurate picture of the situation in each Armenian county, it was decided to entrust the “Union of Compatriotic Associations” to compile brief reports on the situation in their regions.

From 25 to 29 November 1918 the associations of Karabakh and Zangezur, Alexandropol, Shemakha and Gokchi, Akhalkalaki, Lori, Pambak, Akhaltsikhe, Ganja, New Bayazet, as well as the security committee of Gohtan county submitted the required reports to the central council of the “Union of Compatriotic Associations”. They summarized information on human and material losses, as well as other acts of violence known at the time.

HISTORICAL AND STRATEGIC FOUNDATIONS OF MILITARY CONSTRUCTION IN ARTSAKH

This review examines Mher Harutyunyan’s monograph «Military Construction in Artsakh, 1991–2006», which provides a foundational historical and strategic analysis of the military-institutional development of the Republic of Artsakh during its formative post-Soviet period. The monograph offers a multidimensional exploration of the establishment, consolidation, and doctrinal evolution of the Defense Army of Artsakh (DAA), framed within the geopolitical and security challenges posed by Azerbaijani aggression.

Key thematic directions addressed in the monograph include: the institutionalization of armed forces and defense governance (1992–1994), the development of military infrastructure and logistics under resource-limited conditions, the training and professionalization of officer corps through both domestic and international frameworks, and the implementation of territorial defense and fortification strategies in the post-ceasefire period (1994–2006).

The review highlights the author’s effective use of primary sources, including classified archival materials, official publications, military press, and personal testimonies, many of which have gained unique historiographic value following the forced displacement of Artsakh’s population in 2023.

Particular attention is paid to the book’s conceptual contributions to the understanding of military construction as a key component of state-building under conditions of political non-recognition and existential threat. The monograph is not merely a descriptive chronology but a systematic and theoretically informed analysis that interfaces military history with national security studies, conflict theory, and institutional resilience.

The review underscores the work’s relevance for academic disciplines such as military history, political science, and strategic studies. It also notes its potential utility for policy planners and defense professionals concerned with the design of adaptive and context-specific national security strategies, especially in contested regions.

In light of its methodological rigor, originality, and applied analytical insights, the monograph represents a significant contribution to the evolving field of post-Soviet military transformations and de facto state studies.

DELIBERATIVE COMMUNICATION AS A CONDITION FOR DEMOCRATISING PUBLIC POLICY IN ARMENIA

With the establishment of the new world order, there is a need to reevaluate the public policy democratization issues to address the challenges and uncertainties of modern political turbulence. The interconnected nature of the uncertainties stemming from contemporary political development crises underscores the necessity of studying deliberative communication to enhance democratization in Armenia. This emphasizes the need to integrate deliberative and participatory democracies to enhance dialogue between the state and civil society. In the RA, a similar approach is essential for preventing internal and external turmoil by establishing mechanisms for the evolutionary modernization of the political system. This will facilitate a shift from revolutionary methods toward a more inclusive democratic transition, focusing on a “transition to consolidation” with ongoing modernization as a strategic goal.

The primary aim is to regard the public interest as the foundation of polyarchic elite activity through the genuine convergence of deliberative and participatory democracy in Armenia and to mitigate information-communication (IC) manipulations. Simultaneously, citizen socialization is justified to avert marginalization and alienation within the public consciousness.

The theoretical and practical significance of this research lies in illuminating the evolutionary modernization of the political system by justifying deliberative communication as a crucial element in the democratization of public policy. The insights derived from this study can be integrated into programs aimed at fostering a “transition-consolidation” democracy in Armenia.

The research findings can facilitate the optimization of interactions between the state authorities and civil society organizations.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE PATRIARCHAL (CATHOLICOS) VESTMENTS AND LITURGICAL ITEMS

The ordination and anointing of the Catholicos is a unique liturgical tradition of the Armenian Church. The office of the Catholicos is not merely a spiritual highest rank or title, as in the case of leaders of other churches, but rather an important value and a unique symbol for the Armenian statehood, nation, and homeland. Its recognition, devotion, and obedience are a sacred duty for every Armenian Christian.

Over the centuries, the ordination and anointing of the Catholicos has undergone various stages of development. A complete understanding of the procedure can be formed starting from the 14th century, as the oldest rules for the ordination of the Catholicos are recorded in the manuscripts of the “Mashtots” liturgical books from that period. According to these and other sources, there are similarities, differences and peculiarities in the order of granting of the Catholicos’ vestments and liturgical items.

The spiritual and cultural values represented by the vestments and liturgical items of the clergy that have reached us today carry their own significance and meaning. The spiritual leader of the Armenian Church – the Catholicos of All Armenians – has unique vestments and liturgical items that distinguish the figure of the Catholicos and his role in the Church, as well as in the liturgical and national life. The liturgical vestments and items of the Catholicos constitute the spiritual and national cultural heritage of the Armenian Church and serve as an inseparable part in strengthening our identity and national value system.

TATEV MONASTERY AS A PLACE OF PILGRIMAGE OF ST. EUSTATHIUS THE APOSTLE

For studying the history of Tatev Monastery – the spiritual and cultural center of Syunik, the primary source is the historical book by chronicler Stepanos Orbelyan (written in Noravank in 1297). The historian describes in detail the construction of the cathedral of Tatev Monastery and the placement of the relics of Saints Paul and Peter in the foundations of the twin columns of the temple, without mentioning the supposed disciple of Christ or Saint Thaddeus – Saint Eustathius (Eustace-State). The latter’s name is not attested in early literary and hagiographic sources either, but appears only from the 15th century onwards.

The main reason for concealing the names of Apostles Paul and Peter in Tatev and associating the monastery with the supposed Apostle Eustathius can be attributed to the church-political conditions of the time, when as a result of the pro-Latin position adopted by the Catholicosate throne in Cilicia, the Unitor movement expanded in Syunik with its center in Krna in Nakhichevan. From this perspective, it can be argued that this was the primary rationale for designating the spiritual and episcopal centre of Syunik as apostolic.

As for the toponym Tatev, it is mentioned multiple times in literary and epigraphic sources, the earliest of which is probably the family name Tatevians preserved in the “Nersesian” throne list, as well as Orbelian’s testimonies, manuscripts from the 13th-14th centuries, and contemporary monastery inscriptions, meaning the toponym Tatev is documented as the early medieval period and in subsequent centuries. Apart from the legend woven around the name of Saint Eustathius and its religious-political motives, the monastery’s main church today again bears the name of its holy apostles – Paul and Peter, while only the semi-ruined memorial pillar located outside the monastery wall on the northeastern side is associated with the name of St. Eustathius.

PRINCIPLES OF PARONYAN IN DEPICTING A BIG CITY

“A Stroll through the Streets of Polis”

The study is dedicated to the examination of the series of essays entitled “A Stroll Through the Streets of Polis” that occupies a unique place in the diverse and multi-genre literary work of the brilliant Armenian satirist Hakob Paronyan (1843-1891). As a classic example of physiological essay genre, it is noteworthy in the field of worldwide satire and, by the way, unique in the context of the whole Armenian literature.

Surprisingly, previous literary studies have not made this masterpiece a subject of special study and have been content with merely recording a few words of praise. Interest in “Stroll…” necessarily arose nowadays, and with the discovery and comparison of numerous newly revealed facts (25 new essay versions), a complete scientific history of that work was created for the first time. Meanwhile this masterpiece by Paronyan undoubtedly has a modern resonance: it allows us to restore the artistic biography of Constantinople located at the crossroads of East and West in the second half of XIX century filled with deep authenticity and a colorful environment. It is no coincidence that “Stroll…” was translated into Turkish and was published in Istanbul. In 2014, in Turkey, the book was included in the list of the best books recommended to readers for reading in summer time. As “Armenpress”, reported the list was compiled by the Turkish newspaper “Hurriyet” recommending reading it during the summer holidays, “as the best medicine for those readers who have decided to spend their vacation in Istanbul. In the book “A Stroll Through the Streets of Istanbul” Hakob Paronyan satirically depicts the public and courtyard life of 34 districts of Istanbul, the indifference of the Armenian leadership to the problems of the Armenian community and the contradictions created by class division. “Paronyan will help you to look at the past of the city, that has lost its colors, outline, image, and even most of its people,” with different eyes, – states the book’s announcement. And this study aims to uncover Paronyan’s principles of depicting a big city, the ideological and artistic features of the work in question and the value system.

HAOMA – SOMA
The Arian Sacred Drink in Armenian and World Literature

The article examines the depiction of the Zoroastrian equivalent of the Indo-Iranian sacred drink, Haoma, in Armenian and world literature. At the end of the 18th century, the Zoroastrian holy book ”Avesta” was translated into French for the first time. Over the next 250 years, this religion and its symbols remained a focal point for scholars, translators, and writers worldwide. Armenian authors also took an interest in it, paying attention to Haoma, a deity frequently depicted in Avesta and holding a significant place in ancient Iranian rituals. Haoma is the Iranian counterpart of the ancient Indian Soma.

The article is relevant because this topic has not been comprehensively analyzed and systematized in Armenian literature. Another reason for its significance is that the great Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents wrote the poem ”Soma” in 1918, which led to some scholarly study of the Indian manifestation of the sacred plant and liquid by Armenian researchers. However, to fully understand the mythological foundations of the poem, it is also necessary to study the Haoma mythological phenomenon as depicted in Armenian and world literature. This article represents the first attempt to examine Charents’s poem in the context of the Soma-Haoma mythological unity and its cult.

The study explores the reflections of Haoma and ”Avesta” in the works of Armenian writers and scholars from the 5th century to the present. Among the representations of the sacred Haoma drink, the works of Daniel Varouzhan, Leo, and Levon Khechoyan have been highlighted. The article also examines references to Zoroastrianism in the works of Raffi, Siamanto, and others. To accurately interpret Soma within a mythological context, traces of Zoroastrianism in Charents’s works are identified.

The research employs historical-comparative, comparative-contrastive, and mythological methodologies. Relevant phenomena in Armenian literature are compared with Zoroastrian mythology, classical historians (Herodotus, Plutarch), and writers from the Middle Ages and modern times (Ferdowsi, Gustave Flaubert, Georg Ebers). The depictions of Haoma in Armenian literary works and the representation of Soma in Charents’s poetry are compared with translations of ”Avesta” passages, particularly those dedicated to the sacred Haoma drink, by Russian Symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont.

One of the theoretical foundations of this study is comparative mythology. The author integrates observations by Armenian philologists and religious scholars with the ideas of renowned mythologists, particularly Friedrich Windischmann and Dmitry Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky. Interdisciplinary connections are also made with history, philosophy, and psychology. The views of Hegel and Carl Jung on the Haoma deity are referenced.

The main conclusion of the article is that Zoroastrianism, its sacred text ”Avesta”, and the Haoma sacred plant and drink hold a significant place in Armenian literature. The Armenian reflections of the Iranian Haoma, particularly its representation as the Soma deity introduced into Armenian reality by Charents, form a unified whole.

THE GOVERNORSHIP (KOGHMNAKALUTYUN) DURING THE ZAKARIAN ERA IN ARMENIA

In the last decade of the 12th century, in the first decade of the 13th century, Shahnshah Zakare II Zakaryan, who restored Armenia’s independence, carried out administrative territorial reforms in the Armenia-Hayk kingdom he founded and gave bias to individual administrative units created within the country, biased names to their leaders, awarding the latter with the title of prince of princes. These territorial units, being the product of the historical and political situation of the 13th century, completely reflected the philosophical approaches of the country’s leader to building a state. Although they were a new phenomenon in the Armenian reality of that time, they still had their historical precedents.