Mesopotamia by David M. Kiely

I was searching on amazon.com for books to do with Armenians to put on my kindle and was looking for something that was more like a novel as opposed to a classical history fact book. What I came across was a book written by David M. Kiely called Mesopotamia. I was curious to the contents of course and found myself reading the 1st couple of chapters from the excerpt online, wondering in what manner the Armenians would be referred to. Initially, I didn’t find any mention of Armenians, but constant referrals to the year 1915. I decided to buy the book and give it a try anyhow. While reading, I can say I was completely delighted with the information it conveyed and seamlessly it tied in the multiple storylines. The plot consists of multiple facets, from the psychology of a war veteran who was forced to endure torture by the Turks to the love triangle that transcends the classes of the time to the detailed descriptions of the multitude of war crimes and atrocities happening at the same time the Armenians and Assyrians are nearly wiped out to the betrayals and murder that run rampant and are always directly connected to the government and politics. It is without a doubt one of the better novels I have read that wholly encompasses all that is happening between 1914 and 1921, from the salons of Paris to the deserts of ancient Sumeria, from the creation of Iraq to the political intrigues of Turkey. Don’t expect a happily ever after but do expect a very detailed and engrossing tale about a British Officer’s journey for vengeance and justice.

The book can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Mesopotamia-ebook/dp/B0036FUS9O

Civil War

Strange enough, there are no records of any civil wars occurring in Armenia at any given point. While the rest of the world and most especially Europe saw constant uprisings, the Armenian people held only rebellions against their tyrannical oppressors and not against their own monarchs and government. Though we have had a multitude of traitors, we have not seen the same unrest most of the world has been dotted with over the centuries.

The 1st Turkish Novel

The first Turkish-language novel (“Akabi Hikayesi”) was written, in 1852, by an Armenian named Vartan. It was printed in the Armenian alphabet, although the language was Turkish.

King in Chains

Captured (34 B.C.) by Marc Anthony and brought in gold chains to Alexandria, tenacious King Ardavazt of Armenia, refused to sink to his knees before Cleopatra. Instead, he addressed her by her name. All coercion was futile.The Armenian king was held captive for three years before being beheaded. Anthony sent Ardavazt’s severed head 1,200 miles east, to the Median king as a threat. Octavian, who defeated Anthony and Cleopatra, condemned Anthony for having paraded Ardavazt in chains.

The Influence on Swedes

Armenia’s ties with Sweden go back to the 10th century. According to Swedish legend, a Swedish navigator by the name of Petrus was so enchanted by a beauty of an Armenian princess that he crossed Europe to travel to Armenia to marry her. Historians believe that around the same time the Swedes borrowed the art of needlework from the Armenians along with some musical tunes. “Erik” means husband in Swedish and Armenian. Some stone engraving in Sweden have many similarities with the Armenian khachkars (stone crosses).