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THE LOCATION OF ACHEMENID PERSIA’S SAKA COUNTRY – 2012-2

Summary

Hovhannes G. Khorikyan
The study of the location of the country of Sakā and the Sacae in general in specialized literature has given rise to much disagreement. However, a comprehensive study of old sources shows that the country of Sakā of Achaemenid Persia corresponds to the country of the Sacae mentioned in the XV Satrapy. By initially being included in the territorial settlement of Sakā-haumavargā, the territorial settlement of Sakā was later included also in Sakā-tigraxaudā, found in the country of Sakā. Therefore, on the Behistun inscription, the country of Sakā and the Sacae in Herodotus’ XV Satrapy, in general, represent the haumavargā and tigraxaudā Sacae, who were found adjacent to each other, and reflected in the geographical concept, «the Scythians who are beyond Sogdians.»

THE ATTITUDE OF TURKISH SOCIETY – 2012-2

Towards the Problem of Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey

Summary

Anush R.Hovhannisyan
In the last ten years, steps aimed at reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia has considerably increased. But it is obvious that real reconciliation between the two nations and between the two societies is impossible without the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

“Denialism” is the term commonly used to characterize the positions of both the Turkish state and society towards the Armenian Genocide. Although the arguments of Turkish state denialism were widely discussed scholarly, the motivations for public denial are still less investigated. Why has Turkish society chosen simply to forget, to ignore or deny the crimes committed by their ancestors or as Taner Akcam said “wish to forget history?”

Some scholars explain it by the lack of historical consciousness in Turkey. According to them, the public sphere has been totally dominated by the imposed official state narrative and to be critical of the official text, publicly oppose and contradict it means to question the very existence of the state and Turkish identity. Society was unable to question this narrative, so ignorance, amnesia and fear became part of their survival strategy. In our article, we argue that in such collectively committed crimes as genocide and its denial there must be a kind of “solidarity” between the state and society: society must be hostile towards the target group to allow the genocide and it’s denial to occur. Whatever the motivations for this are, society cannot move forward without confronting and acknowledging the crimes of the past.

In the last years “the desire to not remember the past” or the “Armenian Genocide taboo” is losing ground; part of Turkish society wants to know what really happened in 1915 and is demanding open discussion of the Armenian Genocide. This group of historians, journalists, intellectuals and common people still comprise only a small part of Turkish society and cannot considerably influence state policy. But the process of the further democratization of Turkey could change the attitude of society towards this issue that is that the genocide will stop being viewed as rational and acceptable policy.

Lusine Hambardzumian – Muller, “Michael Arlen and his World of Novels” – 2012-2

Summary

Ruzan G. Asatryan
Lusine Hambardzumian’s book, edited by Suren Danielian, is a unique opportunity for Armenian readers to discover the real Michael Arlen, an Armenian whom we have known through the perceptions of other writers (who often blamed him for having changed his name). Thanks to this successful and valuable monograph it has become possible for us to reveal some basic parallels between the two world famous writers whom the Armenians will always be immensely proud of.

ARTASHES HARUTYUNYAN’S LITERARY-HISTORICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERCEPTIONS – 2012-2

In Memory of the Martyred Writer and Intellectual

Summary

Anahit G. Nahapetyan
Poet, writer, literary critic Artashes Harutyunyan (1873-1915) was one of the benefactors of Western Armenian literature. He developed the literary-cultural program “Tomorrow’s Literature,” which had a contained message in the perception of national literature and corresponded to European historical-comparative and psychological perceptions.

While he was alive, the writer was able to publish three modest collections of poetry. However, while modest, almost 460 of those poems have been published in the pages of about 60 Armenian and French publications; compiling these works was undertaken by the author of this article. Artashes Harutyunyan’s views, the new percepts of his writings, old and newly discovered facts about him are disclosed in the article. His well known personality is revealed on the depths of Western Armenian literary culture from the critique of psychological literary interpretation, which is an innovative phenomenon and until today insufficiently elucidated.

THE PRESERVATION OF THE ITTIHAT TRADITION IN THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY – 2012-1

A Comparative Analysis of the Young Turk Trials of 1919-1921 and 1926

Summary

Meline V. Anumyan
The article compares the Young Turk trials of the 1919-1921 Military Tribunal of the Ottoman Empire and the 1926 Independence trials in the Turkish Republic and highlights the preservation of the Ittihat tradition in the Republic of Turkey.

The 1919-1921 Ittihat trials took place thanks to international pressure and as a result of the coming to power, once again, of the Freedeom and Agreement Party who was in opposition to the Unity and Progress Party (Ittihatin). The Young Turk trials that took place in 1926, in the case of the assassination attempt in Izmir and Ankara or the “Group of Black Bandits,” wasn’t so much due pressure as certain attempts at intervention on the part of a number of states. The deportation and extermination of the Armenians, the creation of the “Special Organization”which played an important role in the realization of the Armenian Genocide, dragging the country without valid reasons into the world war, allowing for economic abuses, working within the black market and threatening the country’s security all served as a basis for the 1919-1921 Ittihat trials. In addition to these accusations the trials of 1926 spoke to the objective of taking over power by those Young Turks who had dragged the country into war and then sped off abroad, their activities in foreign countries and their later attempts to reestablish their party in Turkey. Among the accusations in 1926, the accusation of deporting and slaughtering Christians, in particular, Armenians was outrightly absent. Moreover, during the entire course of the trial, there was not a single mention about the extermination of the Christians by the Young Turks during the First World War.

The criminal case against the Unity and Progress party of 1919-1921 was not one of retribution by the powerless Ittilaf government; that was the 1926 trials of Izmir and Ankara by the Kemalist government, comprised of the same Ittihat party. The 1926 trial of the Young Turks, by putting an end to the Ittihatist “deep state” in Turkey, placed the foundation for the development of another Kemalist deep state – to settle scores with the Armenian retaliation against several escaped leaders of the Ittihat, however leaving the Ittihat idealogy and practice intact in political life.

TORK ANGEGHYA: ETYMOLOGICAL REVIEW – 2012-1

Summary

Armen H. Gharagyozyan
There have been many conflicting and contradictory points of view in academic literature regarding one of the most remarkable characters in Armenian mythology, Tork Angegh (about the deprecatory nature of the Turkish ethnic name of Tork/Turk). This study shows that the depiction of Tork Angeghya (Angegh – Ugly) had a positive function and reflected the meaning of beauty. It is noteworthy that in Armenian, the Sun’s beautiful name is connected first and foremost with the notion of light. Thereby, Angeghya-Ugly meant heavenly lamp, lantern, light (at the foundation, Sun). It is obvious that the names Tork and Turk and their Asian parallels originated from the Indoeuropean sun god Tor’s (Tur or Dur) mythological name. At the same time, the perception of Tork/Turk as a god brings one to the conclusion that Tork the Ugly, in his composition meant the god of heavenly light. In this case, the semantic transfer of Tork the Ugly = Ara the Beautiful is obvious.

In this way, Tork the Ugly is presented as a heavenly light dominator, giver, distributor, grantor; at the same time the patron of crafts and tillers and the god of fertility. He was also the most-abled, the bearer of power and strength, always the winner, fierce, the diety of lightening and thunder.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST PRINTING HOUSE AND PAPER FACTORY IN ARMENIA – 2012-1

On the Occasion of the 500th Anniversary of Armenian Printing

Summary

Sasun M. Haroutyunyan
One of the most important developments in human history has been the invention of the printing press. It gave birth to revolutionary changes in world civilization. Many nations urgently wanted to make use of this invention in order to develop their science and culture.

The modern art of printing was also acquired by the Armenian nation. The first Armenian publishing house was founded in 1771 by the All-Armenian Catholicos, Simeon A. Yerevantsi. The funding for the construction was provided by Grigor Chakikyan a benefactor from the Indian-Armenian Diaspora.

After the foundation of the printing house the problem of paper arose. At first it was imported to Armenia from European countries, which proved to be very expensive. In order to limit the expenses, Simeon A Yerevantsi seized the opportunity to start paper production in Armenia. By 1776, the construction of a paper factory in Echmiadzin was completed.

Thus, the foundations of both the first printing house and paper factory in Armenia are closely affiliated with Simeon A. Yerevantsi.

THE RESTORATION OF CONSTANTINOPLE’S HAGIA SOPHIA BY ARCHITECT TRDAT ANETSI – 2012-1

Summary

Murad M. Hasratyan
One of the works of medieval Armenia’s greatest architects, Trdat was the restoration of the destroyed dome of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople following an earthquake in 980. Armenian historian Stepanos Taronetsi, including also a Byzamtium chronologer notes that he restored the basilica’s dome in the year 992.

While restoring Hagia Sophia’s dome, Trdat did not rebuild it according to the original but rather applied innovative architectural and construction solutions for that complicated process. In contrast to Armenian churches, he built the dome arch much lower, which alleviated its weight and rebuilt the west side of the dome with 20 dome ribs. He built 40 windows which also made it lighter and gave it the illusion of being suspended from the sky. These unique and bold solutions were justified as the dome is still standing today.

THE OPERA “SAYAT-NOVA” BY ALEKSANDER HARUTYUNYAN – 2012-1

Summary

Mikhail A. Kokzhaev
This article is about one of the masterpieces of Armenian operatic art. Aleksander Harutyunyan’s “Sayat-Nova” presents the historical character of Armenian music. The originality is that Sayat-Nova himself was a poet and musician, known as ashugh, meaning a singer who creates love songs (both text and music and presents them to the public). Aleksander Harutyunyan cited some of Sayat-Nova’s songs written in the 17th century in his opera. Even when composing his own music, he displayed the style of the singer in his original music. As a result, unique composition is obtained, in which a synthesis of Armenian monody is conjoined with the classical genre of opera and the symphonic orchestra.

The article analyzes the dramaturgical features of the opera, for which two factors are essential: the content, and the peculiarity of the melody. The intonational structure is quite unique, causing the overall melodic environment to be unique as well. The component of the rhythm and the orchestration of the opera are also very interesting and meaningful. Each instrument or instrumental group is justified and used with reason.

Therefore, we can assert that Aleksandr Harutyunyan’s opera is a masterpiece not only within the framework of Armenian national operatic art, but in musical culture worldwide.

TIGRAN CHUKHAJYAN’S CREATION – 2012-1

On the Occasion of the 175th Anniversary of his Birth

Summary

Anna G. Asatryan
T. Chukhajyan, who had received formal musical training and mastered completely the technique of European composing was among the first Eastern musician who tried to find a way of bringing Eastern and Western musical culture closer together; he brought his own Eastern musicality to the complicated genres of opera, symphony and chamber music.

T. Chukhajyan placed the foundations of the Armenian classical professional school of composing. He authored the first examples of Armenian romance, i.e. “Karun,” “Lora,” and the first piano opuses in Armenian reality.

T. Chukhajyan was the founder of the Armenian musical theater. It was through his activity that the beginnings of Armenian musical theater in the second half of the 19th century were conditioned. Not only did he set the foundations for Armenian operatic music, but with his six operas, the historical romance, “Arshak II,” the triad of comedic operas, “The Cunning of Arif,” “Kyose Kehyan,” and “The Father and Son Leblebij,” the patriotic “Indiana,” the mythological “Zemyre,” he set into motion the first stage in the development of Armenian musical theater.

The creation of the first Armenian opera was accompanied by the creation of the musical theater. T. Chukhajyan understood the necessity for a national theater of opera in the 1870s. The “Ottoman Opera Theater Group,” under the leadership of T. Chukhajyan and T. Galemjyan, was the first musical theater group composed completely of Armenian artists in Armenian reality (the theater group was the first in the entire Middle East). They had the monopoly in directing the musical productions.

The author places great importance on the production of T. Chukhajyan’s operas at the A. Spendiaryan National Opera and Ballet Theater, the establishment of the Tigran Chukhajyan Museum in Yerevan and also the publication of the composer’s complete collection of works.