Armenians, along with Assyrians, Greeks, Jews and several other peoples, are one of the oldest peoples in the world. The first mentions of the origin of Armenians date back to III millennium BC. The first information about the ancient Armenians was reported by the historical sources of the Mesopotamian countries, Assyria, Achaemenid Persia, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, which were preserved both on stone inscriptions and on clay tablets. The rulers of the neighboring states also provided valuable information, mentioning Armenians and Armenia in the records of their country. The Behistun trilingual inscription (523-521 BC) stands out among them, where Armenia was mentioned as Armina in the Old Persian version, as Harminuea in the Elamite version and as Urartu (Urushtu) in the Babylonian version.

According to the myth, Armenians originated in the northern part of Mesopotamia, from where the leader of the ancient Armenians, Hayk Nahapet came from, who according to the Bible was the fifth generation of Noah, in order to get rid of Bel, the tyrant of Assyria, together with his relatives moved north from Mesopotamia to the basin of Van Lake, not far from which he built the settlement named after him - Haykashen. Not tolerating such a move by his obedient and considering it disobedience, Bel first sent a messenger to Hayk, demanding the latter return and obedience and after receiving a refusal, he gathered a large army and marched on Hayk. In 2492 BC, during the battle between the armies of the two giants at the place called Armenian Valley, Hayk shot Bel with an arrow and put the Assyrian army to flight. As a result of the victory Hayk and his relatives are strengthened in their place of residence. Hayk's relatives and descendants are called Armenians by his name and their place of residence - Hayk, which later has changed to Armenia. The highlands in the South Caucasus, where the Armenians lived, later received the name Armenian highlands or Armenian plateau.

Today, many historians conventionally count the year of the origin of Armenians since 2492 B.C. Important historical information about the origin of the Armenian people was reported not only by Armenian, but also by foreign narrators and historians, among which the works of Herodotus, Xenophon, Strabo, Mar Abbas Catina, Plutarch, Appian, Ibn al-Asir and others stand out, in which detailed reference was made to the genealogy, culture, tradition and customs, as well as the military potential of the Armenian people.