Armenian M3302

From Wikipedia: History of Armenia

" In the Bronze Age, several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of its power), Mitanni (southwestern historical Armenia), and Hayasa-Azzi (1600–1200 BC). Soon after the Hayasa-Azzi were the Nairi tribal confederation (1400–1000 BC) and the Kingdom of Urartu (1000–600 BC), who successively established their sovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of the aforementioned nations and tribes participated in the ethnogenesis of the Armenian people.[3][4] Yerevan, the modern capital of Armenia, dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by King Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain.[5] Erebuni has been described as "designed as a great administrative and religious centre, a fully royal capital."[6]

The Iron Age kingdom of Urartu (Assyrian for Ararat) was replaced by the Orontid dynasty.[7][8] Following Persian and subsequent Macedonian rule, the Artaxiad dynasty from 190 BC gave rise to the Kingdom of Armenia which rose to the peak of its influence under Tigranes II before falling under Roman rule.[9]

In 301, Arsacid Armenia was the first sovereign nation to accept Christianity as a state religion. The Armenians later fell under Byzantine, Sassanid Persian, and Islamic hegemony, but reinstated their independence with the Bagratid Dynasty kingdom of Armenia. After the fall of the kingdom in 1045, and the subsequent Seljuk conquest of Armenia in 1064, the Armenians established a kingdom in Cilicia, where they prolonged their sovereignty to 1375.[10]

Starting in the early 16th century, Greater Armenia came under Safavid Persian rule; however, over the centuries Western Armenia fell under Ottoman rule, while Eastern Armenia remained under Persian rule.[11] By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia was conquered by Russia and Greater Armenia was divided between the Ottoman and Russian Empires.[12]

In the early 20th century, the Armenians suffered in the genocide which was committed against them by the Ottoman government of Turkey, in which 1.5 million Armenians were killed and many more Armenians were dispersed throughout the world via Syria and Lebanon. From then on, Armenia, whose territory corresponded to much of the territory of Eastern Armenia, regained its independence in 1918, with the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia, and in 1991, the Republic of Armenia was established.[13][14][15]"

Although Italy is currently home to an estimated 5,000 thousand Armenians, the ties between Italians and Armenians date back to the Roman era.  

During the Roman era, the Byzantine Armenian general Narses obtained military authority over Italy from the Emperor Justinian I. The south of Italy and Sicily had long been under Byzantine control by then, so many Armenians were able to follow and settle there; this would explain why Saint Gregory the Illuminator is particularly venerated in Nardo, Naples, and Palermo. 

The fall of the Kingdom of Cilicia marked a new wave of emigration to Italy and the construction of several churches, a few of which are still standing today. 

The seventeenth-century represented a golden age for Armenian merchants in Venice and Livorno, and it was during this time that the Mekhitarist Fathers settled in Venice as well. Armenian emigration towards all corners of Italy has continued through to the present day, albeit generally sporadically and in small groups.