Etymology
According to Armenian and Western specialists, inscriptions dating to the Urartian period mention the region under a variety of names: "Ardakh", "Urdekhe", and "Atakhuni." In speaking about Armenia in his Geography, the classical historian Strabo refers to an Armenian region which he calls "Orchistene.", which again is believed to be the old name of Artsakh
According to another hypothesis put forth by David M. Lang, the ancient name of Artsakh possibly derives from the name of King Artaxias I of Armenia (190-159 BC), founder of the Artaxiad Dynasty and the kingdom of Greater Armenia.
Folk etymology has that the name is derived from "Ar" (Aran) and "tsakh" (woods, garden) (i.e., the gardens of Aran Sisakean, the first nakharar of northeastern Armenia).
The name today is used mostly by Armenians to refer to Nagorno-Karabakh, including areas of land such as Kalbajar that historically had been a part of Artsakh but that the Soviet Union did not permit to be included in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijan SSR.
Read more about this topic: Artsakh
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