The Armenian alphabet is a true masterpiece of its era and knows many secrets. However, there is one in particular that still blows my mind. As some people know the Armenian alphabet was (re)invented in 405 AD by the Armenian linguist and theologian Mesrop Mashtots with the help of the patriarch Sahak Partev and...
Tracing the oldest Armenian script
Simple questions rarely have simple answers. That’s certainly true for the following question: “What is the oldest extant example of the Armenian alphabet?” Initially I though it was a fairly straightforward question to ask and a simple google search would provide the answer. Surely there has to be the oldest surviving image of Armenian...
Armenian literary tradition
The above phrase translated from Solomon’s Book of Proverbs is said to be the first sentence to be written down in Armenian by Mashtots after his recovery of the Armenian alphabet. Armenian literary tradition dates back to times immemorial. In Armenian mythology there exist deities and spirits of writing and literature. Like the god...
Saint Mesrop Mashtots
One of the greatest figures in Armenian history, he was born about 361 at Hassik in the Province of Taron; died at Valarsabad, 441. He was the son of Vartan of the family of the Mamikonians. Koryun, his pupil and biographer, tells us that Mesrob received a liberal education, and was versed in the...
