New Publication: Impact of an Ancient Nation

A new book highlighting various aspects of Armenian history and culture has just been published as an initiative of The 100 Years, 100 Facts Project.

Impact of an Ancient Nation: Bridging the Past, Present, and Future with 100+ Facts about Armenia and Armenians by Lena Maranian Adishian and Nareg Seferian is a follow-up to the hugely successful year-long online educational initiative that the pair ran to mark the centennial of the Armenian Genocide last year.

“Our thinking as we laid the groundwork for our project was: how do we share our rich legacy as Armenians with a worldwide Diaspora – and with the world at large – in a powerful way during the genocide centennial? To reach the widest audience, we featured our educational series online through our website and social media platforms. But now, a year later, we decided it was time for a printed, commemorative book – something that lasts in a different way, a medium that can be shared across individuals and generations in what we hope will be meaningful and, well, impactful,” Lena said.

Impact of an Ancient Nation includes updated and revised versions of the 100 facts published on the project’s website. In addition, there are five bonus facts researched and written just for the book. The facts cover Armenian history, including entries on the Armenian Genocide, as well as profiles of Armenian Diaspora communities around the world, famous Armenians, music and dance, religion and language, and even sports and entertainment.

“Lena and I really wanted to put together a work that showcases the depth and breadth of the Armenian experience. Certainly, we cover the Armenian Genocide as the major turning point in modern times, but we also highlight many other notable aspects to Armenian history and culture that are worth knowing about, celebrating, and sharing. We hope this book makes its way into households and schools and libraries and classrooms, whether being perused by Armenians or non-Armenians,” Nareg added.

Impact of an Ancient Nation is an excellent educational resource – as a family reference book, Sunday school library addition, a commemorative gift to odar friends, or as a way to share the Armenian heritage with a new generation of children and grandchildren, nephews and nieces, cousins and community members. The page-long facts serve as a great overview of a particular aspect of Armenian history and culture, with resources for further research available in the book’s reference section.

The book is a not-for-profit publication made possible with the generous support of the Arshag and Eleanor Dickranian Foundation (Los Angeles) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon).

Impact of an Ancient Nation was designed by Harut Genjoyan of AlphaGraph LLC and features images by Armen Arakelyan and Aram Jibilian.