Artik is a town in the Alexandropol uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Artik district, and currently in the Shirak province. The provincial centre lies 20 km to the southeast of the town of Gumru, in the north of Alagoz Mountain, and at a height of 1,750 m above sea level. It was first mentioned in the 7th century source. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. It had been under the subordination of the Alexandropol uezd until 1924. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 20 October 1938, it was called a settlement.

The village was historically inhabited by Azerbaijanis. The Armenians were removed to the village from the Turkish provinces of Erzurum and Kars in 1829–1830. Armenians state that the toponym was built of the word “ayr” meaning “a man” in Armenian and the word “tik” in Persian meaning “high, upper”. First of all, it should be noted that the word “tik” is not a Persian word, but a genuine Azerbaijani word.

The toponym was formed by adding the suffix “-ik” to the word “art” used in the meaning of “a mountaineous passage” in Old Turkic, “a mountain, mountainous area”. The suffix “–ik” was also added to the nouns denoting “location” in Old Turkic which is encountered in the ancient Turkic monuments going back to the 7th-13th centuries. Artik is located in a mountaneous area which implies that the oykonym was created in correspondence with the area.

According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it was integrated into the administrative area of the Shirak province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°37’ N., longitude: 43°57’ E.