Records Concerning the Hephthalites in Armenian Data

Yu Taishan

1. ?azar P’arpec’i[1], the History of Armenia[2]

[1]?azar P’arpec’ior Ghazar Parpetsi (c. 442 - early 6thcentury) was a 5thto 6thcenturies Armenian chronicler and historian. He had close ties with the powerful Mamikonian noble family and is most prominent for writing a history of Armenia, titledHistory of Armenia,sometime in the early sixth century.

[2]?azaris best known for writingHistory of Armenia,which is composed of three parts: the first treats Armenian history from the mid-fourth century and life in Armenia under Sassanian rule until the deaths of Sahak Partev and Mesrop Mashtots in the mid-fifth century; the second concerns the events leading up to the battle of Avarayr as well as its subsequent consequences; and the third follows up on the Vartanank wars and the 484 signing of the Nvarsak Treaty.

1.1 [48]

[3] Yazkert (Yazdgird II): The emperor of the Sasanian Empire, son of Bahrām V, reigned from 438 to 457.

1.2 [79]

1.3 [85]

[21] Aluar: A village in Basean.

[22] Vahan Mamikonean: An Armenian general who became themarzpanof Armenia for the shah in 485.

[23] Aryans and non-Aryans: Armenia is variously described as being part of Eran or Aneran (“non-Iran”, Middle Persian ethno-linguistic term generally used pejoratively to denote a political and religious enemy of Iran and Zoroastrianism).

[24] “A sworn covenant”: Cf. Procopius, I, iii.

[25] Asorestan: northern Mesopotamia.

1.4 [90]

[26] Nixor: The Persian envoy who stopped in the province of Her (on the Persian border).

1.5 [91]

[27] At that time when the negotiations between Vahan Mamikonean and the new shah’s envoy as they tried to bring about a peaceful settlement. Nixor, the Persian envoy, demanded three conditions before he would submit to the shah: One of them was the practice of the Armenian patrimonial and original religion,and free observance of Christian rites.

[28] When Nixor and Vahan met face to face, he put the blame for the rebellion on the presumptuous character of Peroz.

2. E?ishē[1], History of Vardan and the Armenian War[2]

[1] E?ishē or Yeghishe Vardapet (410 - 475 CE) was a prominent Armenian historian. He documented the successful revolt of the Armenians in the 5thcentury against the rule and religion of the Sassanid Persians.

[2]History of Vardan and the Armenian Warisconsidered one of the masterpieces of classical Armenian literature. In this he recounts the struggle of the Armenians, in union with the Iberians and the Caucasian Albanians, for their common faith, against the Persians (449-451 CE).

2.1 [Ch. 1]

2.1.4 In this form the edict reached the lands of the Armenians, Georgians, Albanians[12],Lp‘ink‘[13], Tsawdeik‘[14], Korduik‘[15], A?dznik‘[16], and many other distant parts which were previously not accustomed to travel that road. A force of nobility and lesser nobility was assembled from Greater Armenia and retainers from the royal house; likewise from Georgia, and Albania, and the land of the Lp‘ink‘, and still others from all the districts of the south near the borders of Tachkastan[17], the Roman Empire, Korduk‘, Dasn[18], Tsawdē, and Arznarzn[19], people who were all believers and baptized into the one catholic and apostolic

2.1.6 ... So when the king saw all the armed soldiers and the multitude of the force of the barbarians who had loyally come to the royal service, he was even more happy in front

2.2 [Ch. 2]

2.3 [Ch. 7]

3. The Armenian History[1] Attributed to Sebeos[2]

[1] TheArmenian HistoryAttributed to Sebeos: To him has been attributedA History of Heraclius,chronicling events from the end of the fifth century to 661. The first section begins with the mythical foundation of Armenia with the Legend of Hyke and Bel, moving to contemporary history with the ascent of Vardan II Mamikonian in 570. From there, he relates the struggles and alliances between Persia and Byzantium.

[2] Sebeo: Little is known about the author, though a signature on the resolution of the Ecclesiastical Council of Dvin reads “Bishop Sebeos of Bagratunis”. His writings are valuable as one of the few intact surviving sources that chronicle sixth century Armenia and its surrounding territories. The history of Sebeos contains detailed descriptions from the period of Sassanid supremacy in Armenia up to the Islamic conquest in 661. His history was published for the first time in 185 in Istanbul.

3.1 [CH. 10]

3.2 [Ch. 25]

3.3 [CH. 28]

3.3.2 Then the king bestowed on him the office oftanutērcalled Khosrov Shum[15],robed him splendidly with a hat and robe of silk woven with gold, exalted him tremendously

APPENDIX

Pseudo-Yovhannēs Mamikonean[34],History of Tarōn[35]

[34] Pseudo-Yovhannēs Mamikonean: The Patmut‘iwn Tarōnoy(The History of Tarōn)pretends to be the work of two men. The first section is said to have been written by Zenob Glak, the fourth century abbot of the Monastery of St. John [Yovhannēs] the Precursor [Karapet in Armenian], who had been appointed its first abbot and also the first bishop of the Mamikonean tun [feudal house] by Gregory [Grigor] the Illuminator, who is credited with the conversion of Greater Armenia to Christianity in 314 CE. The second section is said to have been compiled and partially written, after he had translated Zenob’s portion, by Yovhannēs [John] Mamikonean, thirty-fifth bishop after Zenob of the Mamikonean tun [and abbot of that same Monastery of Glak?]. He translates Zenob’s section into supposedly seventh century Armenian, adds to it “the ten sections” he had in the Monastery and then composes a history of the events of his own times,which seems to be the mid-seventh century CE; he is thus represented as the compiler of the whole work.

[35]History of Tarōnattributed to the otherwise unknown Yovhannes (John) Mamikonean is a peculiar work. The author claims to have compiled it in 680-681 from shorter, earlier accounts written by the abbots of the monastery of Glak in the district of Tarōn (in southwestern historical Armenia, to the west of Lake Van). Actually, scholars are convinced that the work is an original composition of a later period (post-eighth century), written as a deliberate forgery.The History of Tarōndescribes significant events occurring in the district of Taron during the Byzantine-Iranian wars when the shah of Iran was Xosrov II (r. 590-628). The records about the Hephthalites inHistory of Tarōnwere only some traditions.

4.1 [§70-71]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Avdoyan1993 = Pseudo-Yovhannes Mamikonean,The History of Tarōn [Patmut?iwn Tarōnoy]. Historical Investigation, Critical Translation, and Historical and Textual Commentaries by Levon Avdoyan. Georgia,Atlanta, Scholars Press, 1993.

Christensen1936 = A. Christensen,L’Iran sous les Sassanides,Annates du Musée Guimet 48, Paris, 1936.

Enoki1965 = Enoki Kazuo 榎一雄, “Shoki Arumenia Shisho ni Mieru Efutaru to Kushan” 初期アFIメニア史書に見xiitfエフタFIとクシャン (The Hephthalites and the Kushans as Seen in the Early Armenian Historical Records),Tōyō Gakuhō東洋學(xué)報(bào) 47-4 (1965), pp.1-56。

Hübschmann1904 = H. Hübschmann,Die altarmenische Orsnamen,Strassburg 1904; repr. Amsterdam 1969.

Justi1895 = F. Justi,Iranisches Namenbuch, Marburg,1895; repr. Hi1desheim, 1963.

Langlois1867-1869 = V. Langlois,Collection des Historiens Anciens et Modernes, ed l’Arménie(I-II), Paris,1867-1869.

Marquart1901 = J. Marquart,ērān?ahr.Berlin, 1901.

Thomson1976 =Agathangelos History of the Armenians.Translation and Commentary by R. W. Thomson.Albany: State University of New York Press, 1976.

Thomson1982 = Robert W. Thomson (Translation and Commentary),E?ishē, History of Vardan and the Armenian War,Harvard University Press, 1982,410-475.

Thomson1991 = Robert W. Thomson,The History of ?azar P’arpec’i,Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press, 1991. [5thto 6thcenturies]

Thomson1999 = Robert W. Thomson, trans.The Armenian History Attributed to Sebeos,Part I-II: Translation and Notes. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1999. [7thcentury]