«Ժամանակագրության սկիզբը» - Արմեն Մերուժանյան

Armen Meruzhanyan's article "The Beginning of Chronology" is devoted to the history of the formation of the ancient Armenian calendar and its place within the system of world calendrical systems, as well as to the significance of the Armenian Highland as one of the cradles of ancient astronomy.

Introduction and Methodology
The author draws on data from archaeoastronomy, petroglyphic material, testimonies of ancient and medieval authors (Eusebius of Caesarea, Anania Shirakatsi), as well as the works of contemporary researchers (Gamkrelidze, Ivanov, Heruni, Olcott, Flammarion, Robak), comparing linguistic, mythological, and archaeological data.

Key Thesis
The central thesis of the article is that the Armenian Highland was one of the oldest centers of astronomical observation, where, already in the 4th–3rd millennia BC, a lunisolar calendar was created — a thousand years older than the Babylonian one.

Mythological Foundation of the Calendar
Particular attention is given to the connection between the beginning of Armenian chronology and the epic event — the victory of the patriarch Hayk over Bel-Nimrod — which underlies the date of August 11 (23), 2492 BC. The author traces:

the identification of Hayk with the constellation Orion;
parallels between Armenian and Greek mythology (Kumarbi — Zeus);
arguments in favor of the origin of the names of constellations precisely from the territory of the Armenian Highland.

Astronomical Structures
A significant part of the article is devoted to megalithic complexes:

the observatory of Karahunj in Syunik, dated to more than 7,000 years ago, is recognized as the oldest in the world;
the observatory at Metsamor, oriented toward Sirius, was used by priests to determine the beginning of the new year.

The author also touches on the hypothesis concerning the energetic function of the megaliths as "retransmitters" of bioenergy, linking this to the ancient conceptions of human harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Mathematical Structure of the Calendar
A calculation is given of the "Sothic" cycle (the period of Hayk), lasting 1460 years, on the basis of which cosmographers calculated the initial date of the chronology — 2492 BC. It is noted that the most recent cycle ended in 1888, and the next will end in 3348.

Calendrical Nomenclature
A separate section is devoted to the structure of the year, consisting of 12 months of 30 days each and an additional five-day month, Haveleats, as well as to the etymology of the names of the months (Navasard, Hori, Sahmi, Tre, and others), connected with mythological figures, the agricultural cycle, and the cults of the Sun, Mithra, and other deities.

Conclusion
The author concludes that the Armenian calendar represents one of the oldest and most original examples of chronology, reflecting the high level of astronomical knowledge possessed by the population of the Armenian Highland. From the standpoint of the accepted chronology, the current year corresponds to the jubilee 4500th year of the ancient Armenian calendar, which underscores the continuity of the region's cultural and scientific tradition.