Hurrians
The Armenians were called Hurrians from the Armenian word Hur/Hurri meaning Fire/Divine Spark and are mentioned by Assyrian and Armenic Sumerian sources dating from the end of the third millenium BC. In Armenian the word Hurri/Hur is also a variant of Ar/Har/Hur linking Hurrian-Aryan-Armenian. We also know that these Armenian Hurri tribes come from the region of Lake Van in the Armenian Highland, and are referred to as Horrittes by the Bible. Still, later in the ninth-seventh centuries N.C. the Armenian (Hurrian-Aryan-Armenian) people established the kingdom of Ararad in the Armenian Highlands.[1] According to Dr. Johannes Lehman "The Hittites,", All indications point toward the general region of Armenia as a main area of Hurrian concentration. [2]
Mitanni (Aram-Nahrin)
The kingdom of Mitanni was a feudal state led by a warrior nobility of "Armeno-Aryan" origin, who entered the region of Aram Nahrain/Nairi (Aram Nahabed's time) on the Orontes south of Mukis and Niya and North of Aram during 1700 BC as vassals of the Hittites. The Armenian patriarch Aram, corresponds to Aram-Naharin, Aram of 2 Rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, the location and alternative name of Mitanni.
Eusebius, writing in the early 4th century, quoted fragments of Eupolemus, a now-lost Jewish historian of the 2nd century BC, as saying that "around the time of Abraham, the Armenians invaded the Syrians". This corresponds to the arrival of the Mitanni, since Abraham is traditionally assumed at around the 17th century BC.
In the 33rd year of his reign, while he was in the Armenian Highlands in 1446 BC, Thutmose III of Egypt, referred to the people of Ermenen (Armenians), and says in their land "heaven rests upon its four pillars". Under the reign of Tuthmosis IV, friendly relations were established between the Egyptians and the Mitanni. The daughter of King Artatama was married to Tuthmosis IV. The constellation of Hayk (Orion) in the Egyptian pantheon represented Osiris, and he was the Destiny of Pharaonic Ka after [Ba or Mer -- Ban in Armenian is anonymous with divine Ēut'iwn -- the royal insignia of Mitanni represented the official religion of the state -- the Orion-Aryan sun cult -- as a winged sun disk -- surrounded on both the Right and Left by a pair of eagles and lions -- symbolic of the solar power/energy. The Sun/Son Orion (Christ-Krist Karast from Egyptian) rising from the East (Orient)... Akhenaten instated the Mitanni Aryan [Orion] solar cult as the official monotheistic [ONE God] religion of Egypt. The Armenian Orion Cult based in and around the sacred Mitanni city of Urhai [Ourhai or Ori-On] was the sacred religion guarded by the high priest Egyptian kings [going back to ages of recorded history]. This symbolism was also adopted by the Egyptian pharaohs [hence the winged sun disk and the Ba bird [connected with Ban] as the symbol of the immortal Soul that flew to the astral heaven -- represented by the hawk/eagle headed Hor[us] Arev the eventful journey to the Invisible Sun (Ararich/Creator/Source of Life).
At the height of its power, during 1400 BC, it had outposts centered around its capital, Vachukanni, whose location has been determined by archaeologists to be on the headwaters of the Khabur. Their sphere of influence is shown in Mitanni place names, personal names and the spread through Syria of a distinct pottery type. The association of this pottery with the Kura-Araxes culture has been found. The Mitanni are regarded by many historians as the ancestors of the modern day Armenians.
There is no question that the Hurrian and Urartian languages were very similar, and some have used this evidence that the Hurrian-Armenian tribes had origins in the Urartu (Ararat) area in and around Lake Van before migrating to South-Western Armenia. The Hurrian timeframe in Syria (South-Western historic Armenia), the area that the Hurri-Mitanni kingdom of Armenia was present (c. 2300 BC -1200 BC) predates the timeframe of Urartu in Eastern Armenia (c. 1000-585), it is more often considered likely that the Armenians of Urartu (Ararat) had origins there, and fled from the South-Western Armenian Highlands into the Eastern part of Armenia after the Hittites and Assyrians conquered the region. Chronologically, the Urartian language seems to be a continuation of Hurrian dialects, and not the other way around.
"The Hurri-Mitanni kingdom of Armenia kept close contact with its western neighbor, Hittite or Hatti land. Masses of population were often transplanted from one country to the other."[3]
Hurrian-Aryan links
- Mitanni King Artatama's (Armenian Arta prefix) title was "King of the Hurrians" (yet again reveals the Hurrian-Aryan links)
References
External references
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2200695/posts "The Mitanni Kingdom was a powerful force around 1500 BC to 1300 BC and are regarded by many historians as the ancestors of the modern day Armenians."
Prof. Petrie (19th century Egyptologist) "Mitannian (Armenian) origins"
"Armeno-Aryan" subgroup of Indo-European (Aryan) family tree" "Armeno-Aryan(=Armenian-Indo-Iranian) subgroup later to seperate to Armenian branch and Indo-Iranian branch. See family tree for more details"
http://www.specialtyinterests.net/heinsohn.html "Armenians=Hai of Armeno-Aryan Mitanni Period (-1500 BC to -1350 BC)"
http://ezinearticles.com/?Tracing-the-Origin-of-Ancient-Sumerians&id=311587 "These were prehistoric Aryan tribes of an Armenian origin – followers of the God Ara."
Armenian Highland; Armenian History
http://www.tacentral.com/erebuni/2ndwave.asp
http://arevordi.blogspot.com "Queen Nefertiti of Egypt was a native of the Armenian Kingdom of Mitanni."
The Indo-European Elements in Hurrian
Indo-European family tree, showing Indo-European languages and sub branches