Ashkharatsuyts ( arm. Աշխարհացույց , lit. "Showing the world" ) - a monument of geography and cartography of ancient Armenia , compiled at the beginning of the VII century [1] [2] . For a long time, Movses Khorenatsi was considered the author of the work, however, at present, most historians are inclined to consider Anania Shirakatsi as the author of Ashkharatsuyts. The monument captures the concept of Armenian national identity and unity [3] .
| Ashkharatsuyts | |
|---|---|
| Աշխարհացույց | |
| Ashkharatsuyts | |
 Pages from the manuscript "Ashkharatsuytsa" 1178 | |
| The authors | Anania Shirakatsi |
| Date of writing | VII century |
| Original language | |
| Theme | geography |
| First edition | 1683 year |
| Manuscripts | 981 year |
| Original | Armenian |
Content
Contents
The sources of labor were ancient geographers, now almost completely lost Middle Persian geographical works, as well as local Transcaucasian materials [2] . The first part of "Ashkharatsuyts" provides general information about the world, its relief, climatic zones, seas, etc. The second, more extensive part, contains a description of the continents known at that time - Europe , Libya ( Africa ) and Asia . Their location is indicated, the peoples [2] are named who inhabit these continents, the main seas, mountains, rivers, minerals, flora, fauna, etc. are marked. The main attention in "Ashkharatsuyts" is given to the description of the countries of the Near East - Armenia , Iberia , Aluank , Malaya Asia , Syria , Iran , Mesopotamia , Asian Sarmatia .
Editions
In his introduction to the Russian translation of “Armenian Geography” (St. Petersburg, 1877) K.P. Patkanov reports that this work was first published in the original in Marseille in 1683 . In 1736 , the book was translated into Latin by William Whiston along with the History of Movses Khorenatsi and published under the same cover with it under the title Mosis Chorenensis Geographia. Then the French translation was published by Antoine Jean de Saint-Martin in the second volume of his book Notes on Armenia ( Fr. Mémoires sur ľArménie ; 1819 , pp. 301-394).
Famous researchers of “Ashkharatsuytsa” are S. T. Eremyan , Y. A. Manandyan , G. Kh. Sargsyan, E. L. Danielyan, A. Zh. Harutyunyan. For a long time, Movses Khorenatsi was considered the author of Ashkharatsuyts. Recently, however, researchers E. L. Danielyan and A. Zh. Harutyunyan have reasonably proved that the final version of this source is edited and supplemented by Ananiy Shirakatsi.
Authorship
In the introductory article “Note on the epoch of the creation of“ Geography ”attributed to Moses Khoren” ( fr. Mémoire sur ľépoque de la composition de la Géographie attribuée à Moyse de Khoren ), Saint-Martin shows that “Geography” contains a number of information, names and usage of words that could not appear before the X century, and therefore could not be written Khorenatsi; Saint-Martin dated the text around 950. Gukas Inchichyan made objections to Saint-Martin, however Patkanov does not find these objections convincing.
The statements of Saint-Martin prompted the Mkhitarists to prepare and release in 1843 in Venice , as a part of the collected works of Movses Khorenatsi, a verified edition of Geography, based on a comparison of six surviving lists. As a result of this work, a significant part of the anachronisms that triggered the conclusions of Saint-Martin were eliminated. Nevertheless, the verified text left a series of irreparable evidence that Khorenatsi, who lived in the 5th century, could not write it, for example, direct references to Cosmu Indikoplov, who lived in the 6th century. At the same time, according to Patkanov, the “Geography” did not reflect the increasingly stronger influence of the Arabs on Persia since the 7th century, and this, along with various particular considerations, gave him reason to date the book in the first half of the 7th century, and as its author to offer Anania Shirakatsi.
Notes
- ↑ Robert W. Thomson. Armenian Literary Culture through the Eleventh Century // The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century / Edited by Richard G. Hovannisian. - St. Martin's Press, 1997 .-- Vol. I. - P. 222.
- ↑ 1 2 3 A.P. Novoseltsev . Khazar state and its role in the history of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus . - M .: Nauka, 1990 .-- S. 30.
- ↑ Nina Garsoïan . The Marzapane (428–652) // The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century / Edited by Richard G. Hovannisian. - St. Martin's Press, 1997 .-- Vol. I. - P. 115.
See also
- Ancient Armenian historiography
- Geography (Ptolemy)
- Geography (Strabo)
Links
- Original in ancient Armenian
- “Armenian Geography of the 7th century according to R.X. (attributed to Moses Khorensky)” / Translation and preparation of the publication by K.P. Patkanov. - St. Petersburg, 1877.
- New list of Armenian Geography : From a new list of geography attributed to Moses Khorensky // Journal of the Ministry of Education. Ch. 226. 1883
- The Geography, to which is added a selection of Vardan's fables called Aluesagirk. , 1668, Amsterdam