Of all the concise English-language books that I have read on the ancient and medieval history of Armenia, none have come close to match Mack Chahin's eloquent style of writing, research, and attention to detail in his "Kingdom of Armenia." Chahin is clearly aware that the majority of Western scholars have often dismissed Armenia as just another minor vassal state, straddling on its borders much more larger, and far more interesting apparently, powers, such as Assyria, Rome, Greece, Byzantium, and the Arabs.
It is precisely this notion that Chahin attempts to dispel, as he documents the rich cultural, political, and social characteristics of Armenia, beginning from the ancient Kingdom of Urartu. The fact that Chahin chose to start from here (circa 1300 BC) is significant enough, considering that many scholars choose to ignore Armenian history until the late medieval era (circa 900 AD), when the Bagratuni Kingdom was established. And yet, he devotes roughly 2/3 of the book to Urartian history, richly describing the cultural and political legacy it left behind and showing that, far from being a weak state subject to the whims of the Assyrians, it always provided to be a thorn in the soft northern belly of Assyria, and, at certain points in its history, as well as its regional equal.
There were only a few faults I found in this book: I was a little distressed of how Chahin broached the topic of the transition from Urartian to Armenian rule. Chahin takes the word of ancient historians, most notably Herodotus, at face value, and concludes that the Armenian people must have been colonists from Europe. This may be easier to forgive since new studies proving that Armenians were original inhabitants of the region only came to light in the 1980s, and that this book was published only in 1987. Chahin could have also devoted more space to the other kingdoms of Armenia; i.e., the Yervanduni, the Artashesyan, the Arshakuni, the Bagratuni, and the Cilician kingdoms. In the grand scheme of things, 230 pages on the Urartian kingdom seems significant, but it falls somewhat short when 1500 years of history is summarized in a space of only 90 pages. Nevertheless, it's an engaging read and a great introductory tome on the little known kingdoms that were founded in the Armenian highlands.
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