Historical Dictionary of Armenia (Historical Dictionaries of Europe)

There are two Armenias: the current Republic of Armenia and historic Armenia. The modern state dates from the early 20th century. Historic Armenia was part of the ancient world and expired in the Middle Ages. Its people, however, survived, and from its residue recreated a new country. The history of the Armenians is the story of how an ancient people endured into modern times and how its culture evolved from one conceived under the influence of Mesopotamia to one redefined by the civilization of Europe. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Armenia relates the turbulent past of this persistent country through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 200 cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, events, places, organizations, and other aspects of Armenian history from the earliest times to the present. "While other works on Armenian history require multiple volumes, the Historical Dictionary of Armenia captures a vast amount of Armenian history in just one - the A-to-Z arrangement offers the choice of reading selectively. By broadly covering the early history and focusing on more recent events, author Rouben Paul Adalian provides readers a way to unravel many of the complexities that arise in the study of this intricate country and its sometimes confusing history." The entries are related in topical cycles covering the whole span of Armenian history. Subjects such as cities, royal dynasties, political organizations, and national leaders can thus be seen through the common threads that bind them across centuries. The smaller sections are no less important, whether the list of acronyms, which allows for easier navigation of several passages, or the exhaustive bibliography, which points toward many other significant sources of information. Perhaps the most useful section is the fully detailed chronology, which gives readers a roadmap to the countless twists and turns that fill the pages of Armenian history.