succeeds
Nimrfid,
and is killed
by Haik.
Place of
descent.
and when the decease of Nimrud opened to his enterprising
spirit a wider field, he took the name ot Belus the Second, and
extended his power not only over the Babylonians, the Naba-
thoe'i, the Chaulotoei (Havilah), and the Agroei,1 but also over
all the conquests of Nimrud, with the exception of Armenia.
Circumstances having now given him a pretext for the invasion
of the latter country, he despatched a mission to Haik; and on
the latter refusing to return to his former allegiance, he proceeded
to invade the country on its weakest side, that of
Ararat. This part of the territory was abandoned on his
approach, and Cadmus, one of the princes of Armenia, sought
the protection of his grandfather, who drew up all the forces he
could muster, to make a stand on the shores of Lake Van. The
result of this battle was favourable to the Armenians, and Belus
was killed by an arrow directed by Haik himself, which penetrated
his brazen breast-plate.2 On returning in triumph to the city of
Hare, the victor took upon himself the sovereignty of Armenia;
and thus commenced a second monarchial government, independent
of that of Babylon, which continued without interruption
in the family of Haik during the lengthened period of 1342 years.
Owing to his success in overcoming the idolatrous Belus,
Haik was considered the earliest champion of the true religion.
He died about eighty years after the defeat of Belus, being then,
as the Armenians state, 500 years old.3 His son Armenac,
who next ascended the throne, quitted Hare soon after his
accession, with a large portion of the people; and having
advanced a few days’ journey towards the north-east, he settled
in a plain delightfully situated at the foot of a itiountain, along
which ran a river of the purest water. Here he built a city
which he called Aragaz, or Armenagaz, situated near Arnohwote,
or the place of Descent, to which, as well as to Aporateeion in
the same neighbourhood, allusion has already been made. In
this city, as Josephus informs us, was the sepulchre ol Noah.4
And in support of this assertion it may be observed, that
I' Strabo, lib. X V I., p. 767. 8 Moses Choronensis, lib. I., cap. x., p. 29.
3 MSS. of Armenian History, collected in 1831 by the Au thor; see also
Moses Choronensis and Michael Chamish.
* Lib. I ., cap. iii.
according to Armenian tradition Noyanzar, or Nemzar, Noah’s To^of ^
wife, was buried here by her sons; it is certain that the place
bore the name of Marant or Maranta,1 up to the time of
Tavernier.2 But to the mountain itself, Armenac gave the
name of the “ foot of Armenac,” after himself, which it retains
to this day in common with that of Ararat.3
Manavaz, the brother of Armenac, remained at Hare, where
his followers took the name of Manavazerans 5 and from Buz,
another brother who had settled near the north-west shore of
the sea of Akhthamar (Lake Van), came the name of a second
branch, the Buzonians; but the most general name for the
descendants of Haik, at this remote period, was that of Ha'ika-
nians; although they were also known by the different appellations
of Ascanazians, Japhetians, or Togormeans, from
Togormah,4 father of Haik, their capital being Hare. According
to Michael Chamish,6 Aramais, the son of Armenac, having
succeeded to the sovereignty on the death of his father, built a
city of hewn stones on a small eminence in the plain of Aragaz, River Gihon
close to the river then called Gihon, which name he now Araxes.
changed to Arax,6 after his son Arast or Eraskh ;7 but the new
city, which now became the capital of his kingdom, he called
Armavir, after himself.8 The circumstance just mentioned
may serve to strengthen the opinion, that the Gihon of Genesis
is the same as the river Araxes. The plain of Aragaz lies
beyond the left bank of the Araxes, to the north of Mount
Ararat; and the site of Armavir itself was probably between
Echmiyadzin and the river.
Amassia, his son, succeeded Aramais, >and having settled
two of his sons in villages, bearing their names (Pharacote and
Zolakert), close to the foot of Ararat, he gave to the latter the
1 <c The Mother is here.”
2 Voy. de Tavernier, tome I ., cap. ii., and Journal o f Royal Asiatic
Society, No."8, p. 340.
3 Michael Chamish, vol. I., p. 12. 4 Ezekiel, chap. X X V I I ., v. 14.
5 Vol. I ., p. 12, translated by J . Avdall, Esq.
6 This river, instead of its original name of Gihon, took successively those
of Armais, Arashe, Raski, Eris, Araksis, Arras, Araxes, &c. See above,
vol. I., p. 11.
7 In Armenian, grandson of Armenac. 8 See vol. I ., p. 16.