From its conversion to Christianity to the Genocide during World War I,
from the Soviet occupation to its recent independence, Armenia has seen
a long and often turbulent history. In the magnificent Armenia: A
Historical Atlas, Robert H. Hewsen traces Armenia's rich past from
ancient times to the present day through more than two hundred
full-color maps packed with information about physical geography,
demography, and sociopolitical, religious, cultural, and linguistic
history.
Hewsen has divided the maps into five sections, each of which begins
with a chronology of important dates and a historical introduction to
the period. Specialized maps include Ptolemy's second-century map of
Armenia, as well as maps of Roman, Cilician, Ottoman, tsarist, and
Soviet Armenia. Other maps show the Persian khanate of Erevan, the
Caucasian campaigns of World War I, the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian
monuments in Turkey and Transcaucasia, the worldwide diaspora, ground
plans of selected cities, and plans of the great monastery of Echmiadzin
in 1660, 1890, and 1990. The atlas concludes with maps portraying the
Karabagh war and the new Armenian Republic, and an extensive
bibliography compiles references to the vast historical, ethnological,
and travel literature on the region.
The first comprehensive and authoritative atlas of any of the former
Soviet republics, this book does not treat Armenia in isolation, but
instead sets it within the context of Caucasia as a whole, providing
detailed information on neighboring regions such as Georgia and
Azerbaijan. Armenia: A Historical Atlas will be an essential reference
and an important teaching tool for generations to come.
