Surprise: Great Britain’s Original Inhabitants Were Armenians

Ancient chronicles, archaeology, and cross-cultural links point to an Armenian origin for the first Britons

By Vic Gerami

History often hides its most intriguing facts in plain sight. One of these cases lies within the pages of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a cornerstone of early English history. In its very first passage, the Chronicle states: “The first inhabitants were the Britons, who came from Armenia.”

That single sentence challenges everything we think we know about the origins of Britain. Could the people who first settled the island have come from the Armenian Highlands, the ancient land beneath Mount Ararat?

An Overlooked Origin Story

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, compiled in the 9th century under King Alfred the Great, was never intended as myth. It was a record of nations and migrations. Its assertion that the Britons came from Armenia cannot easily be dismissed as error or confusion. Some scholars have argued that the scribe meant “Armorica” (modern Brittany), yet the repetition of “Armenia” across versions suggests something more deliberate.

This historical record opens a fascinating possibility: that one of the earliest European populations descended from peoples of the Near East who migrated westward after the great flood myths of antiquity. Armenia, located between Mesopotamia and Anatolia, is often described as the cradle of civilization. Its ancient cities such as Metsamor and Shengavit reveal advanced metallurgy, astronomy, and trade networks dating back 6,000 years, long before Stonehenge rose from the British plains.

Shared Spirit: Armenian and Celtic Cultures

Parallels between Armenian and Celtic cultures are striking. Both revere nature, mountains, and sacred stones. Both feature mythologies centered around heroism, the sun, and the continuity of life. In art and spirituality, the similarities deepen.

Armenia’s khachkars—stone crosses carved with intricate spirals, suns, and vines—bear uncanny resemblance to Celtic crosses found in Ireland and Scotland. Both express a union of heaven and earth through sacred geometry. In both cultures, the cross predates Christianity, symbolizing the cosmic balance of nature before it became a Christian emblem.

The linguistic family tree also offers faint but fascinating connections. Some scholars have traced Indo-European roots linking early Armenian with proto-Celtic languages, suggesting that spiritual and artistic concepts may have traveled westward over millennia.

Stonehenge and Zorats Karer: Twin Gateways to the Sky

The connection between Armenia and Britain becomes even more tangible when comparing two of the world’s oldest megalithic monuments: Stonehenge in England and Zorats Karer in Armenia, often called Armenia’s Stonehenge.

Zorats Karer, near the town of Sisian, is an ancient observatory made up of hundreds of upright stones, some pierced with circular openings. Archaeologists estimate it to be over 7,500 years old, roughly 5,000 years older than Stonehenge. Both sites are precisely aligned with the solstices and equinoxes. Both appear to have been used for astronomical observation and spiritual ritual.

Whether these two structures were the result of shared knowledge or parallel human ingenuity, the resemblance is extraordinary. The builders of both sought to bring order to the cosmos, to measure time, and to connect human life to the movement of the stars.

Faith, Symbolism, and the Cross

Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD, yet its symbols long predate the faith. The Armenian cross, with its flowing extensions and sun motifs, continues to represent eternal life rather than death. Similarly, in Celtic lands, the cross with its circle represents the sun, continuity, and divine unity.

The merging of these spiritual traditions into Christian iconography may hint at an ancient exchange of ideas stretching back thousands of years—a conversation between civilizations through stone, art, and belief.

The Armenian Origins of the Celts and Gauls

A remarkable study titled “Armenia and the Celts (Gauls)” published in 2017 provides compelling linguistic and archaeological evidence that further supports the theory of an Armenian origin for Celtic peoples.

According to Armenian and European historians cited in the research, some of the earliest Celtic tribes may have originated in the northern regions of the Armenian Highlands, particularly around Lake Sevan. Scholars such as Martiros Kavoukjian and G. Ghapantsyan traced toponyms and tribal names like Uelikuni, Gegharkuni, and Gulutahi—found in ancient Urartian inscriptions—to the same linguistic roots as Welsh, Gaul, and Galatian. These early tribes, known to the Greeks as Keltoi and to the Romans as Galli, may have migrated westward through the Black Sea and Danube corridors, eventually populating areas of Central and Western Europe.

Notably, the study highlights parallels between Armenian and Celtic linguistic structures, where words beginning with “v” in Indo-European languages evolved into “g” in both Armenian and old Celtic tongues. This suggests a shared phonetic shift originating in the Armenian Highlands.

Armenian chroniclers such as Movses Khorenatsi (5th century) and Movses Kaghankatvatsi (7th century) wrote of Galatian and Celtic tribes in Asia Minor, describing them as descendants of Japheth’s son Magog. These accounts align with archaeological evidence placing Celtic settlements and influence throughout Cappadocia, Phrygia, and Galatia (modern-day Ankara), regions historically tied to Armenia.

The Celts’ reverence for the oak tree and sun symbolism also mirrors pre-Christian Armenian spiritual traditions. Even the iconic Irish names Eriu and Eremon—linked to the origins of Ireland’s name—closely resemble the ancient Armenian tribal names Eria and Eriaini, recorded in inscriptions of King Rusa I (735–713 B.C.).

Finally, the linguistic resemblance between Karahunj in Armenia and Stonehenge in Britain further supports this ancient connection. In Armenian, kar means “stone,” while hunj closely echoes henge. Both monuments, built thousands of years apart yet serving similar astronomical and spiritual functions, stand as silent witnesses to a shared cultural ancestry.

Khachkars in Ireland and the Armenian-Irish Connection

Adding further weight to this shared heritage is the discovery of Armenian khachkars, or cross-stones, in Ireland, particularly on the Rock of Cashel. According to the Armenian Electronic Encyclopedia, established theories now propose that Armenians were among the first inhabitants of the island, based on deep cultural, linguistic, and spiritual similarities between Armenian and Celtic traditions.

Research by Donovan Sullivan and Jacob Gazarian shows that the Aryans—represented by Armenians, Medes, and Illyrians—contributed to the ethnogenesis of the Irish people. The presence of khachkars in Ireland, along with psalms from the Irish Church that specifically pray for prosperity in Armenia, reflects an ancient and enduring connection.

Archaeological excavations in 2005 at the buried city of Tigranakert uncovered five cross-stones nearly identical to the “high Irish crosses,” providing tangible evidence that the prototypes of Ireland’s monumental crosses originated in Armenia. These discoveries inspired the establishment of a Department of Armenian Studies at the University of Dublin by scholars Patrick Voulsh and David Ross.

Modern genetic studies by Oxford’s Stephen Oppenheimer reinforce these findings, revealing that the Irish share unique DNA markers with the inhabitants of Armenia’s Syunik and Artsakh regions. Linguistic analysis further supports this link, with ancient Celtic words such as gardmir (meaning red in Old Irish) showing clear parallels with Armenian roots.

Today, a small Armenian school operates on St. Patrick’s Street in Ireland, where a khachkar has been erected, symbolizing this rediscovered bond between two ancient cultures separated by geography but united by ancestry, art, and faith.

A Shared Heritage of Resilience

Both Armenians and Celts are peoples of mountains and memory. Each has endured conquest, colonization, and cultural suppression, yet both have kept their language, art, and spirituality alive. Their traditions speak of survival through song, craftsmanship, and community.

The fact that Britons came from Armenia deserves attention, as It reflects how deeply the roots of civilization are intertwined. From Ararat to Albion, from Zorats Karer to Stonehenge, humanity’s oldest monuments tell a shared story of wonder, endurance, and a timeless search for meaning written in stone.