NEW PUBLICATIONS DEDICATED TO EPIGRAPHY
Epigraphy is an important branch of archeology and research of the origins, it became an individual science based on the methods set by N. Marr and H. Orbeli. During the past decades, the Epigraphy department operating at the Archeology and Ethnography Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, published a book of nine volumes, about the regions in Armenia where the inscriptions originated, the esteemed scientist Sedrak Barkhudaryan authored the majority of these volumes.
In the later years, Arsen Harutyunyan, one of the departments senior scientists and a Candidate of historical sciences PHD was recognized for his scientific research on epigraphy. In 2016, Mr. Haroutyunyan authored his book titled: Research dedicated to the epigraphic heritage in Vagharshapat - Etchmiadzin. For the first time ever, all 700 epigraphic inscriptions of the Vagharshapat area were documented in one book. 520 of them were researched for the first time ever, this book reveals a huge part of the Vagharshapat history, with a special focus on its episodes that are revealed through the epigraphic inscriptions.
Mr. Arsen Harutyunyans’ following publication came to life this year. It was dedicated to one of the other famous sanctuaries, the history of the Khor Virab monastery and its richness in the manuscript and epigraphic heritage. In this case as well, the history, research of the origins and epigraphy have been gathered in one book and enriched with new information, charts, and name lists. The book is rich in photos, among which are manuscripts with scenes of torture of St. Gregory Illuminator. The Khor Virab monastery scriptorium and school, and the not far from it the Akori settlement scriptorium that bear the same signature, provide descriptions in all of the eighteen manuscripts and reveal a chronological chart. In reference to the epigraphic heritage in this book, the picture is very telling, from the already decoded epigraphic inscriptions, sixteen were published already, the remaining epigraphic inscriptions are included in the book according to the set, accepted standards, meaning, each one has a sketch and a photograph added to it.
On a happy note, the above mentioned volumes prepared by Sedrak Barkhudaryan were not completely published, Mr. Arsen Harutyunyan in cooperation with Mr. Gagik Sargsyan, the head of the Epigraphy department at the Archeology and Ethnography Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, edited the volume for publication. It is the edition on the Shirak province in the book called the “Corpus of Armenian Epigraphy” (Divan Hay Vimagrutyan). And, although it includes 192 epigraphic inscriptions only, they are considered very important because of their revelations about the historic facts, also many of them will be introduced to the readers for the first time ever. These monuments bear valuable epigraphic inscriptions from the advanced Middle Ages, at the Marmashen, Harichavank, Lmbatavank, Pemzashen and some other places.
Information by armenianart.org
