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The name Armenia is an exonym, the Armenian language name for the country being Hayk‘ (see "Hayk" for a discussion of that name). Its first unambiguous application as the ethnonym of the Armenians is in a late 6th century BC Old Persian inscription, as Armina ( Some more decades later, Xenophon describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality. He relates that the people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians.[2]. The etymology of the name is unknown, and there are various speculative attempts to list it to older toponyms or ethnonyms.
[edit] Etymological speculationThere are certain Bronze Age records controversially identified with Armenians in both Mesopotamian and Egyptian sources by early 20th century Armenologists. The earliest is from an inscription which mentions Armânum together with Ibla (Ebla) as territories conquered by Naram-Sin (23rd century BC)[3] identified with an Akkadian colony in the Diarbekr region[4] A Babylonian inventory of the Akkadian Empire of Sargon the Great locates the land Armanî beyond the Tigris and next to Lullubi[5]. This opinion was criticized and rejected by armenologist Nicholas Adontz in his 1946 book.[6] Another mention by pharaoh Thutmose III in the 33rd year of his reign (1446 BC) as the people of Ermenen, and says in their land "heaven rests upon its four pillars".[7] Minni (מנּי) is also a Biblical name of the region, appearing in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 51:27) alongside Ararat and Ashchenaz, probably the same as the Minnai of Assyrian inscriptions,[8] perhaps corresponding to the Minyans.[9] Armenia is interpreted by some as ḪARMinni, that is, "the mountainous region of the Minni".[10] It has been suggested that Old Persian Armina and the Greek Armenoi are continuations of the Assyrian toponym.[11] There have been further speculations as to the existence of a Bronze Age tribe of the Armens (Armans, Armani; Armenian: Արմեններ Armenner, Առամեններ Aṙamenner), either identical to or forming a subset of the Hayasa-Azzi[12][13], so that "Armenia would then be an ethnonym (as opposed to a toponym). The name is connected with the Indo-European root Ar- meaning light, sun, fire found in Ararat, Aryan, Arta etc.[14] The name has been claimed as a "variant" of Urmani, a e living near Lake Van and near Lake Urmia according to an inscription of Menousas.[15] Armenian tradition makes Armenak or Aram the great-grandson of Haik. Also, the names Armen and Arman, are the most common Armenian given names, its feminine being Armin'e. The Persian inscription referring to Armenia is in this form, as Armina. Armin is also a Persian given name.[16] [edit] Modern namesModern terms for Armenians and Armenia in Armenian and neighboring languages:
[edit] References
[edit] See also[edit] External links
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