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Old December 23rd, 2005 #3
Armenian...
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Virtual Armenia
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Regarding Armenian heritage and genetics:

Armenians have the most ancient Indo European (Aryan) culture within the world and, genetically, pure Armenians are true Caucasians. According to most respectable genetics experts and anthropologists, Armenian genetic strains contain a varied mix of several sub-groups of the Caucasian race: Mediterranean, Alpine, Dinaric. The mix of the aforementioned is at times refered to as "Armenoid" (Armenid). Armenians, in essence, reflect the unique racial demographics of Asia Minor as it existed thousands of years ago at a time when Indo-European nations (proto-Greek, Armenian, Hittite and Iranian), Caucasian nations (Hurrians, Urartians, Alans) and Mesopotamian nations (Assyrians, Babylonians, Sumerians) were living adjacent to one another.

Modern Armenians today are a product of this ancient mix. Subsequently, it is natural that some Armenians may look as *Nordic* as Germans and others look as *Mesopotamian* as Assyrians. Thus, there are *light* skinned Armenians and *olive* skinned Armenians and both types, regardless of pigmentation, are true Armenians in every sense.

Regarding the genetic connection between Middle Easterners, Jews, Turks and Armenians:

Proto-Armenians of Asia Minor and southern Caucasus spread throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East in very large numbers beginning very early during the region's pre-history - most probably during the time of the Indo-European language diffusion some four to six thousand years ago. As a result, you would find a great numbers of the so-called "Armenid" types occurring within the Anatolia, Caucasus, Balkans, Central Asia, Levant and Palestine.

However, that does not mean that Armenians are the progenies of Semitic or Turkic tribes. It simply means that the Semitic and Turkic nations of the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus have absorbed large amounts of "Armenid" genetic traits throughout history and, thus, are today indirectly related to Armenians -- not the other way around.

The following are two theories of mine as to how 'Ashkenazi' Jews came to be related to Armenians genetically.

Theory One:

Majority of Jews today, approximately 80%, are of Ashkenazi background. It is well known that Ashkenazi Jews today are of Semitic, Slavic, Turkic and Caucasian decent. It is also well known that Ashkenazi Jews orginated within Khazaria, a Turanid peoples of mixed heritage, during the middle ages. Since the Khazars ruled a region that also had a large numbers of Armenids, Khazar naturally absorbed Armenid strains as well and this would naturally aplly to their off shoots - the Ashkenazi Jews. The Khazar/Ashkenazi tribes also had ancient Scythian/Cimmerian genetic strains. After invading Asia Minor during the eight century BC, Scythians and Cimmerians became an element within the Armenian race as well, which was at the time just beginning to take form. It is interesting to note that the Armenian city of Kumayri (formerly Leninakan) derives its name from the Cimmerian settlers.

Theory Two:

I believe that proto-Jews/Hebrews, that is, the prehistoric tribes that eventually became the historic Hebrews of Palestine, dwelt originally with the Armenian Highlands. Genetic testing of Jews today clearly suggest that their racial origins were within Anatolia - not Palestine. Moreover, their sacred folklore, found within the so-called "Old Testament" texts (Hebrew Torah) also suggest this. Furthermore, realize that for over a thousand years various Armenid tribes from the Armenian Highlands ruled the Levant and Palestine, and, at times, all the way down to Egypt. Therefore, it is quite natural that the Armenid genetic strains of these invaders would be found within the peoples of the region in question.

Thus, there are obvious genetic similarities between Armenians and Jews, namely through the aforementioned factors.

In the opinion of many prominent Russian, Armenian, American and European anthropologists and linguists, it was through Asia Minor and the Caucasus that Indo-European (Aryan) civilization was brought into Eurasia. We Armenians today are the last surviving tribe of those pre-historic Aryans. What's more, realize that this 'Aryan' racial type does not equate with blonde and blue eyed peoples. The blonde and blue eyed Aryan was a fairytale that Nazis sold to Europeans. Genetically speaking, Aryans were Caucasian tribes who spoke a similar language. We Armenians today are essentially a conglomeration of these ancient aborniginal Indo-European "Aryans" of Asia Minor and non-Indo-European "Caucasian" peoples such as the Hurrians and the Urartians. The Armenian people began forming, as a nation, approximately four thousand years ago, however, it was only during the classical period that the final product took form.

As a nation, Armenians have not mixed with any other nationality within the past two thousand years. Throughout history, it was the Armenian genetic pool that was disseminated throughout the Eurasia, Near East and the Caucasus -- not the other way around. In short, the various racial strains found within the Armenian people today occurred during the primordial developmental phase of the Armenian people.

During the Islamic era of the Caliphates and later the during the Ottoman rule, traffic of genetics were virtually one way. First Arabs and later Turks always took large numbers of Armenians out of the Armenian gene pool, often the cream of our nation was taken away from us for centuries. Moreover, there were strict rules regarding intermarriage within Christian Armenian society that distanced Armenians from their neighboring non-Christian nations. Nevertheless, Turks, or Asiatics, did not leave a genetic strain upon the Armenian people.

Nonetheless, it is obvious that there is some genetic damage within Armenians today. I would say a good ten-fifteen percent of all Armenians look Semitic (this Semitic incursion is most probably due to the absorption of Middle Eastern Christians into Armenian society). This does not mean, however, that the rest of the ninty to eighty-five percent of Armenians are Nordic. As stated above, Armenians are primerily an Alpine race with Medd and Dinaric infusion. And this mix, more often than not, is brunette.