Artashat
Encyclopedia
Artashat is a city on Araks River
in the Ararat valley, 30 km southeast of Yerevan
. Being one of the oldest cities of Armenia, Artashat is the capital of Ararat Province
. Modern Artashat is situated on the Yerevan
-Nakhichevan
-Baku
and Nakhichevan-Tabriz
railway and on Yerevan-Goris
-Stepanakert
highway. The name of the city is derived from Iranian languages
and means the "joy of Arta
". Founded by King Artashes I
in 176 B.C., Artashat served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia from 185 BC until 120 AD, and was known as the "Vostan Hayots" or "court" or "seal of the Armenians."
Present-day Artashat is a mid-sized city and has a population of 25,300 people. It is located 5 km northwest from historical Artashat.
, at the point where Araks river was joined by Metsamor river during that ancient eras, near the heights of Khor Virap
. The story of the foundation is given by the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi
of the fifth century: "Artashes traveled to the location of the confluence of the Yeraskh and Metsamor
[rivers] and taking a liking to the position of the hills [adjacent to Mount Ararat], he chose it as the location of his new city, naming it after himself." According to the accounts given by Greek historians Plutarch
and Strabo
, Artashat is said to have been chosen and developed on the advice of the Carthaginian general Hannibal:
However, modern historians argue that there is no direct evidence to support the above mentioned passage. Some sources have also indicated that Artashes built his city upon the remains of an old Urartian
settlement. Strabo and Plutarch describe Artashat as a large and beautiful city and call it the "Armenian Carthage
". A focal point of Hellenistic
culture, Armenia's first theatre was built here. Movses Khorenatsi points that in addition to numerous copper
pagan statues of the gods and goddesses of Anahit
, Artemis
and Tir
brought from the religious centre of Bagaran
and other regions to the city, Jews
from the former Armenian capital of Armavir
were relocated to Artashat.
Artashes also built a citadel (which was later named Khor Virap
and gained prominence as the location where Gregory the Illuminator
was to be imprisoned by Trdat the Great
) and added other fortifications, including a moat
. The city's strategic position in Araks valley on the silk road
, soon made Artashat a centre of bustling economic activity and thriving international trade, linking Persia and Mesopotamia
with the Caucasus
and Asia Minor
. Its economic wealth can be gauged in the numerous bathhouses, markets, workshops administrative buildings that sprang up during the reign of Artashes I. The city had its own treasury and customs. The ampithetare of Artashat was built during the reign of king Artavazd II
(55-34 BC). The remains of the huge walls surrounding the city built by King Artashes I could be found in the area.
. Due to the remoteness of Artashat in the greater context of the empire, Tigranes built a new capital called Tigranakert
. However, in 69 the Roman general Lucullus
invaded Armenia, defeated Tigranes' forces
at the outskirts of Tigranakert, and sacked the new capital. As the harassed Roman forces continued to move northeast in pursuit of the Armenian king, a second prominent battle took place, this time at Artashat where, according to Roman sources, Tigranes II was defeated once again. Artashat was restored as capital of Armenia in 60 B.C.
However, the city remained a hotly contested military target for the next two centuries. It was occupied by Capadocian legions under the Roman
general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
, who razed it to the ground in 59 AD as part of the first, short-lived, Roman conquest of Armenia. After Emperor Nero
recognized Tiridates I
as king of Armenia in 66, he granted him 50 million sesterces and sent architects and construction experts to help in the reconstruction of the ruined city. The city was temporarily renamed Neronia, in honor of its sponsor, Nero.
Artashat remained the capital of Armenia until 120 when the see of power was moved to Vagharshapat during the reign of Vagharshak I (117-140). After his death, the Romans led by Statius Priscus
invaded Armenia and destroyed Artashat in 162 A.D. Archaeological excavations conducted during the Soviet
era uncovered a Latin
inscription bearing the full titles of the Emperor Trajan
that was probably inscribed upon the governor's palace, dating back to the first quarter of the second century. Artashat remained one of the principal political and cultural centres of Armenia
until 369 when it was thoroughly destroyed by the Persian invading army of king Shapur II
.
In 449, just prior to the Battle of Avarayr, the city witnessed the "Artashat Council" where the political and religious leaders of Christian Armenia gathered to discuss the threats of the Persian Sassanian king Yazdegerd II
.
However, after losing its status as a capital to Vagharshapat and later Dvin
, Artashat gradually lost its significance. The exact location of ancient Artashat was defined during the 1920s, but the archeological excavations started only in 1970.
and a dramatic theatre named after Amo Kharazyan.
There are 6 public education schools, 9 kindergartens, 1 musical, 1 art and 1 sports school in Artahsat, as well as a local TV station and a number of local newspapers. The musucal school which is named after Alexander Melik Pashaev is operating since 1956.
One of the Human Rights Library Network (HRLN) libraries of the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Centre (ACRPC) is located in Artashat.
In 2004, a new amusement park was inaugurated in the centre of Artashat, which is used to host public celebrations, concerts and musical shows at nights.
Recently, within the framework of events dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet
, a symposium took place in Artashat, during which participant sculptors from all over Armenia and the diaspora created many cultural monuments in the centre of Artashat, working on it nearly a month and a half. In the centre of the city one can also see the buildings of Ararat province's administration and the city hall and the monument of King Artashes, the founder of Artashat.
The new church of Surb Hovhannes is currently under construction since 2000 with many interruptions, therefore it is expected to be finished in 2012. In September 2009 a dome-blessing ceremony was conducted by the supreme Catholicos
of all Armenians, where crosses were placed on the top of the domes.
of Euripides
on Artashat amphitheatre in 53 BC with the presence of king Orodes II of Parthia
.
During the last 15 years, the dramatic theatre of Artashat named after Amo Kharazyan, has performed not only Armenian national classics and modern creations, but also world masterpieces of dramatic art and works devoted to the Armenian Genocide
. It will soon be performed for French audiences as well.
After some difficulties during the economical crisis of the 1990s in Armenia, many firms in Artashat overcame the situations
and began to introduce their products in the domestic and international markets.
The Artashat Cannery is supplied with modern technology, while the Artashat Winery which was opened in 1995 is considered to be one of the most developed factories in Armenia. The products of the winery are mainly exported to Russia
and other CIS
countries. The Porcelain Factory of Artashat is one of the main suppliers of building materials in the Armenian market and the only one in the Republic which produces porcelain tiles.
which was founded in 1982 as Olimpia Artashat was the only football club in the city. After the 1999 Armenian Premier League
season, the club disbanded and is currently inactive from professional football.
, 1975. ___________________. "Les fouilles d'Artaxata: Bilan Provisoire." Revue des Études Arméniennes
. Volume 18, 1984, pp. 367–395. Yeremyan, Suren T
. Հայաստանը ըստ «Աշխարհացույց»-ի (Armenia According to the Ashkharhatsuyts
). Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1963.
Araks River
The Aras , is a river located in and along the countries of Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. Its total length is...
in the Ararat valley, 30 km southeast of Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
. Being one of the oldest cities of Armenia, Artashat is the capital of Ararat Province
Ararat (province)
Ararat is a province of Armenia with capital in Artashat. Named after Mount Ararat, the province borders Turkey to the west and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to the south...
. Modern Artashat is situated on the Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
-Nakhichevan
Nakhichevan
The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. The region covers 5,363 km² and borders Armenia to the east and north, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest...
-Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
and Nakhichevan-Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
railway and on Yerevan-Goris
Goris
Goris is a city in the Syunik Marz of Armenia. Located in the valley of river Goris , it is about 240 km away from the Armenian capital Yerevan and 70 km from the Syunik Marz center Kapan. Goris forms an urban community...
-Stepanakert
Stepanakert
Stepanakert is the largest city and capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic, though is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan...
highway. The name of the city is derived from Iranian languages
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....
and means the "joy of Arta
Asha
Asha is the Avestan language term for a concept of cardinal importance to Zoroastrian theology and doctrine. In the moral sphere, aša/arta represents what has been called "the decisive confessional concept of Zoroastrianism." ...
". Founded by King Artashes I
Artaxias I
Artaxias I was the founder of the Artaxiad Dynasty whose members ruled the Kingdom of Armenia for nearly two centuries....
in 176 B.C., Artashat served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia from 185 BC until 120 AD, and was known as the "Vostan Hayots" or "court" or "seal of the Armenians."
Present-day Artashat is a mid-sized city and has a population of 25,300 people. It is located 5 km northwest from historical Artashat.
History
King Artashes I founded Artashat in 185 BC in the region of Vostan within the historical province of AyraratAyrarat
Ayrarat was a province of old Armenia . The main city was Oshakan. It is believed that the name Ayrarat is the Armenian equivalent of the toponym Urartu ....
, at the point where Araks river was joined by Metsamor river during that ancient eras, near the heights of Khor Virap
Khor Virap
The Khor Virap is an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery located in the Ararat plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about south of Artashat, Ararat Province...
. The story of the foundation is given by the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi
Movses Khorenatsi
Moses of Chorene, also Moses of Khoren, Moses Chorenensis, or Movses Khorenatsi , or a 7th to 9th century date) was an Armenian historian, and author of the History of Armenia....
of the fifth century: "Artashes traveled to the location of the confluence of the Yeraskh and Metsamor
Akhurian River
The Akhurian, Akhuriyan, Akhuryan or Akhouryan is a river in the South Caucasus. It originates in Armenia and flows from Lake Tseli south, along the border with Turkey, forming part of the geographic border between the two states, until it flows into the Aras River as a left tributary near Bagaran...
[rivers] and taking a liking to the position of the hills [adjacent to Mount Ararat], he chose it as the location of his new city, naming it after himself." According to the accounts given by Greek historians Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
and Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, Artashat is said to have been chosen and developed on the advice of the Carthaginian general Hannibal:
However, modern historians argue that there is no direct evidence to support the above mentioned passage. Some sources have also indicated that Artashes built his city upon the remains of an old Urartian
Urartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
settlement. Strabo and Plutarch describe Artashat as a large and beautiful city and call it the "Armenian Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
". A focal point of Hellenistic
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
culture, Armenia's first theatre was built here. Movses Khorenatsi points that in addition to numerous copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
pagan statues of the gods and goddesses of Anahit
Anahit
Anahit was the goddess of fertility and healing, wisdom and water in Armenian mythology. In early periods she was the goddess of war. By the 5th century BC she was the main deity in Armenia along with Aramazd.- Temples dedicated to Anahit :...
, Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
and Tir
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
brought from the religious centre of Bagaran
Bagaran
Bagaran is a town and former fortress in the Armavir Province of Armenia, located 5 kilometers west of the right bank of the Akhurian River, and formerly a capital of Armenia....
and other regions to the city, Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
from the former Armenian capital of Armavir
Armavir
Armavir is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the left bank of the Kuban River. Population: 144,000 . Armavir was formerly the second-largest industrial center of Krasnodar Krai, after Krasnodar....
were relocated to Artashat.
Khor Virap
The Khor Virap is an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery located in the Ararat plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about south of Artashat, Ararat Province...
and gained prominence as the location where Gregory the Illuminator
Gregory the Illuminator
Saint Gregory the Illuminator or Saint Gregory the Enlightener is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church...
was to be imprisoned by Trdat the Great
Tiridates III of Armenia
Tiridates III or Diritades III was the king of Arsacid Armenia , and is also known as Tiridates the Great ; some scholars incorrectly refer to him as Tiridates IV as a result of the fact that Tiridates I of Armenia reigned twice)...
) and added other fortifications, including a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. The city's strategic position in Araks valley on the silk road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
, soon made Artashat a centre of bustling economic activity and thriving international trade, linking Persia and Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
with the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. Its economic wealth can be gauged in the numerous bathhouses, markets, workshops administrative buildings that sprang up during the reign of Artashes I. The city had its own treasury and customs. The ampithetare of Artashat was built during the reign of king Artavazd II
Artavasdes II of Armenia
King Artavasdes II ruled Armenia from 53 to 34 BC. He succeeded his father, Tigranes the Great. Artavasdes was an ally of Rome, but when Orodes II of Parthia invaded Armenia following his victory over the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, he was forced to...
(55-34 BC). The remains of the huge walls surrounding the city built by King Artashes I could be found in the area.
Wars against Romans and Persians
During the reign of Tigranes II, the Armenian kingdom expanded and conquered many territories in the south and west, ultimately reaching the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. Due to the remoteness of Artashat in the greater context of the empire, Tigranes built a new capital called Tigranakert
Tigranakert
Tigranakert was a city possibly located near present-day Silvan, Turkey, east of Diyarbakır. It was founded by the Armenian Emperor Tigranes the Great in the 1st century BC. Tigranakert was founded as the new capital of the Armenian Empire in order to be in a more central position within the...
. However, in 69 the Roman general Lucullus
Lucullus
Lucius Licinius Lucullus , was an optimate politician of the late Roman Republic, closely connected with Sulla Felix...
invaded Armenia, defeated Tigranes' forces
Battle of Tigranocerta
The Battle of Tigranocerta was fought on October 6, 69 BC between the forces of the Roman Republic and the army of the Kingdom of Armenia led by King Tigranes the Great. The Roman force was led by Consul Lucius Licinius Lucullus, and Tigranes was defeated...
at the outskirts of Tigranakert, and sacked the new capital. As the harassed Roman forces continued to move northeast in pursuit of the Armenian king, a second prominent battle took place, this time at Artashat where, according to Roman sources, Tigranes II was defeated once again. Artashat was restored as capital of Armenia in 60 B.C.
However, the city remained a hotly contested military target for the next two centuries. It was occupied by Capadocian legions under the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo was a Roman general and a brother-in-law of the emperor Caligula.-Descent:Corbulo was born in Italy into a senatorial family...
, who razed it to the ground in 59 AD as part of the first, short-lived, Roman conquest of Armenia. After Emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
recognized Tiridates I
Tiridates I of Armenia
Tiridates I was King of Armenia beginning in AD 53 and the founder of the Arshakuni Dynasty, the Armenian line of the Arsacid Dynasty. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. His early reign was marked by a brief interruption towards the end of the year 54 and a much longer one from 58...
as king of Armenia in 66, he granted him 50 million sesterces and sent architects and construction experts to help in the reconstruction of the ruined city. The city was temporarily renamed Neronia, in honor of its sponsor, Nero.
Artashat remained the capital of Armenia until 120 when the see of power was moved to Vagharshapat during the reign of Vagharshak I (117-140). After his death, the Romans led by Statius Priscus
Marcus Statius Priscus
Marcus Statius Priscus Licinius Italicus was a Roman politician and general of the mid 2nd century.His career began as an equestrian officer, receiving a decoration from Hadrian during the Jewish rebellion...
invaded Armenia and destroyed Artashat in 162 A.D. Archaeological excavations conducted during the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
era uncovered a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscription bearing the full titles of the Emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
that was probably inscribed upon the governor's palace, dating back to the first quarter of the second century. Artashat remained one of the principal political and cultural centres of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
until 369 when it was thoroughly destroyed by the Persian invading army of king Shapur II
Shapur II
Shapur II the Great was the ninth King of the Persian Sassanid Empire from 309 to 379 and son of Hormizd II. During his long reign, the Sassanid Empire saw its first golden era since the reign of Shapur I...
.
In 449, just prior to the Battle of Avarayr, the city witnessed the "Artashat Council" where the political and religious leaders of Christian Armenia gathered to discuss the threats of the Persian Sassanian king Yazdegerd II
Yazdegerd II
Yazdegerd II was the fifteenth Sassanid King of Persia. He was the son of Bahram V and reigned from 438 to 457....
.
However, after losing its status as a capital to Vagharshapat and later Dvin
Dvin
Dvin was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia, the city of Artaxata, along the banks of the Metsamor River, 35 km to the south of modern Yerevan...
, Artashat gradually lost its significance. The exact location of ancient Artashat was defined during the 1920s, but the archeological excavations started only in 1970.
Soviet Artashat
The modern city of Artashat (adjacent to the old city) was known as Upper Ghamarlu, also Romanized as Kamarlyu, Kamarlu, and Kemerli. until 1945. Artashat was given the status of urban community in 1962.Education and culture
Nowadays, the cultural life of Artashat is enhancing with the presence of several cultural institutions. The city has a cultural palace, an art centre named after Charles AznavourCharles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
and a dramatic theatre named after Amo Kharazyan.
There are 6 public education schools, 9 kindergartens, 1 musical, 1 art and 1 sports school in Artahsat, as well as a local TV station and a number of local newspapers. The musucal school which is named after Alexander Melik Pashaev is operating since 1956.
One of the Human Rights Library Network (HRLN) libraries of the Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Centre (ACRPC) is located in Artashat.
In 2004, a new amusement park was inaugurated in the centre of Artashat, which is used to host public celebrations, concerts and musical shows at nights.
Recently, within the framework of events dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...
, a symposium took place in Artashat, during which participant sculptors from all over Armenia and the diaspora created many cultural monuments in the centre of Artashat, working on it nearly a month and a half. In the centre of the city one can also see the buildings of Ararat province's administration and the city hall and the monument of King Artashes, the founder of Artashat.
The new church of Surb Hovhannes is currently under construction since 2000 with many interruptions, therefore it is expected to be finished in 2012. In September 2009 a dome-blessing ceremony was conducted by the supreme Catholicos
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
of all Armenians, where crosses were placed on the top of the domes.
Theatre in Artashat
Artashat is the venue of the first ever theatre show performed in the history of Armenia. King Artavazd II (55-34 BC) managed to stage and direct The BacchaeThe Bacchae
The Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides, during his final years in Macedon, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumously at the Theatre of Dionysus in 405 BC as part of a tetralogy that also included Iphigeneia at Aulis, and which...
of Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
on Artashat amphitheatre in 53 BC with the presence of king Orodes II of Parthia
Orodes II of Parthia
Orodes II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from 57 to 38 BC. Orodes was a son of Phraates III, whom he murdered in 57 BC, assisted by his brother Mithridates...
.
During the last 15 years, the dramatic theatre of Artashat named after Amo Kharazyan, has performed not only Armenian national classics and modern creations, but also world masterpieces of dramatic art and works devoted to the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
. It will soon be performed for French audiences as well.
Industry
Artashat has several industrial sectors. During the last decades many factories which produce alcoholic drinks, canned foods, dairy products, building materials and textile were opened in the city and the surrounding area.After some difficulties during the economical crisis of the 1990s in Armenia, many firms in Artashat overcame the situations
and began to introduce their products in the domestic and international markets.
The Artashat Cannery is supplied with modern technology, while the Artashat Winery which was opened in 1995 is considered to be one of the most developed factories in Armenia. The products of the winery are mainly exported to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and other CIS
CIS
CIS usually refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a modern political entity consisting of eleven former Soviet Union republics.The acronym CIS may also refer to:-Organizations:...
countries. The Porcelain Factory of Artashat is one of the main suppliers of building materials in the Armenian market and the only one in the Republic which produces porcelain tiles.
Sports
Artashat has a football stadium where many competitions and championships for toung football teams are held. Dvin ArtashatDvin Artashat
Dvin Artashat is an Armenian football club from Artashat. It was founded in 1982 under the name Olimpia Artashat. From the years 1992 - 1994, the club went by the name FC Artashat. In 1995, the club was renamed Dvin Artashat. After the 1999 Armenian Premier League season, the club disbanded and is...
which was founded in 1982 as Olimpia Artashat was the only football club in the city. After the 1999 Armenian Premier League
Armenian Premier League
The Armenian Premier League is the top football competition in Armenia. From 1936 to 1991, the competition was held as a regional tournament within the USSR. After independence, the Football Federation of Armenia has been the unit in charge. The seasons run from spring to fall...
season, the club disbanded and is currently inactive from professional football.
See also
- Report of the results of the 2001 Armenian Census
- Verin ArtashatVerin ArtashatVerin Artashat is a village in the Ararat Province of Armenia. It sits adjacent to the ruins of the ancient city of Dvin.- References :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
Further reading
Arakelyan, Babken N. "Основные результаты раскопок древнего Арташата в 1970-73 гг." Patma-Banasirakan Handes. № 4, 1974. _________________. Հին Արտաշատ (Ancient Artashat). Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of SciencesArmenian Academy of Sciences
The Armenian Academy of Sciences is the primary body that conducts research in and coordinates activities in the fields of science and social sciences in the Republic of Armenia. It was founded on November 29, 1943...
, 1975. ___________________. "Les fouilles d'Artaxata: Bilan Provisoire." Revue des Études Arméniennes
Revue des Études Arméniennes
Revue des Études Arméniennes is a prominent French language academic journal dedicated to the study of Armenian history, art history, philology, linguistics, literature. The journal was founded by two French scholars who specialized in Armenian studies in Paris in 1920, Frédéric Macler and Antoine...
. Volume 18, 1984, pp. 367–395. Yeremyan, Suren T
Suren Yeremyan
Suren Tigrani Yeremyan was an Armenian historian and cartographer who specialized in the studies concerning the formation of the Armenian nation and pre-medieval Armenia and the Caucasus...
. Հայաստանը ըստ «Աշխարհացույց»-ի (Armenia According to the Ashkharhatsuyts
Ashkharatsuyts (Anania Shirakatsi)
Ashkharatsuyts is an early Medieval Armenian illustrated book by Anania Shirakatsi. It is about the geography of Armenia, Georgia, Caucasian Albania, Iran, Mesopotamia, etc....
). Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1963.