e general theory is that they are indeed of European decent. It is difficult to describe the arrival of Armenians to Armenia because of geographical and chronological problems. Conclusion that Armenians came from the west to Armenia can be derived first from language and second from Greek writers and historians Herodotus and Strabo. Armenian is an Indo-European language whereas it's predecessors' are not. Proto-Armenian did not belong to the same branch of Indo-European as Hittite and Luwian. Proto-Armenian most probably belonged to a Thraco-Phrygian subgroup which appeared in Asia in the twelfth century BC. Around 310 BC Eudoxus of Cnidus commented on the similarity of Phrygian and Armenian1.
             Herodotus had observed that Armenians in the army of Persian king Xerxes were armed like the Phrygians, since they were, he said to be Phrygian settlers2. Strabo recorded that Armenia was named after Armenus, a Thessalian and companion of Jason, whose followers had settled there. Strobo also remarked that the clothing which Armenians wore and style of their horsemanship was said to be Thessalian3. Modern scholars have cited, as archaeological evidence for a Thraco-Phrygian advance into Armenia, reported their proof respectively in publications of 1899 and 1901, but other scholars give their evidence for this theory little importance since no archaeological confirmation can be found4.
             All evidence points to a western, Indo-European origin, but dating is more complex. Herodotus did not specify when Armenian settlers left their Phrygian kin, for he knew Phrygian history stretched many centuries. Dating Armenian migration is still something we have not been able to accurately date. For instance, Old Armenian cannot be derived from Phrygian. Hence, seventh century "Armenians" were not Phrygians. Even Strobo was not completely accurate with his Armenus theory, because the twelfth century Mushki are identified as proto-Armenians. That makes the t...