Movses Kaghankatvatsi

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The Sassanian fortress of Derbent, whose Siege and Sack during the Khazar Invasions was described in detail by the author of History.
The Sassanian fortress of Derbent, whose Siege and Sack during the Khazar Invasions was described in detail by the author of History.

Movses Kaghankatvatsi (Armenian: Մովսես Կաղանկատվացի), also referred to as Movses Daskhurantsi (Armenian: Մովսես Դասխուրանցի), was the indigenous Armenian historian of Caucasian Albania.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Contents

[edit] Controversy of name

This 7th century historian is associated with the historical compilation known as The History of the Country of Albania [20]. The identity of the author as well as his writings has been subject to scholarly discussion for decades [20]. The first historian to mention this author was Mkhitar Gosh, referring to him as Movses Daskhurantsi, a name that does not appear anywhere else[20]. However, a later historian, Kirakos Gandzaketsi, referred to a statement in the History itself, to attribute the name of the author as Movses Kaghankatvatsi [20]. The statement in question (Book II, ch. 11) says:

“ When the enemy became aware of what had happened, they pursued them and overtook a group of them at the foot of the mountain opposite the large village of Kaghankatuk, which is in the same province of Uti where I too am from. ”


However, scholars question the content of this passage [20]. It is unknown whether the “I” in question was the original author or someone else [20]. Moreover, the passage suggests the author is from the province of Uti, and not necessarily from Kaghankatuk [20].

[edit] Date and authorship of The History of the Country of Albania

The primary work associated with this author, The History of the Country of Albania is subject to contreversy as well. The attribution of the work to a single author was rejected from the beginning[20]. Movses narrates the Khazar invasion of Transcaucasia and other events up to the 7th century in Book I and II of History.[20]

However, Book III of his History differs from the previous ones in style of writing[21] and date[20]. It deals with the Caspian expeditions of the Rus and their conquest of Partav in the 10th century[20].

Because of such time lapse and difference in style, attribution of the work to a single author seems impossible[20]. Some have tried to solve this dilemma by attributing Book I and II to Kaghankatvatsi and Book III of the compilation to Daskhurantsi.[20]

[edit] References

  1. ^ (Turkish) İstanbul Üniversitesi İslâm Tetkikleri Enstitüsü (1953). İslâm Tetkikleri Enstitüsü dergisi. İstanbul: Edebiyat Fakültesi Matbaası, p. 35. 
  2. ^ Vasiliev, A.A. (1951). The Second Russian Attack on Constantinople. Dumbarton Oaks Papers Vol. 6, p. 181. 
  3. ^ Cameron, Averil (1969). Agathias of the Sassanians. Dumbarton Oaks Papers Vol. 23, p. 153. 
  4. ^ Oshanin, Lev Vasilievich (1964). Anthropological Composition of the Population of Central Asia, and the Ethnogenesis of of Its Peoples. Peabody Museum, p. 24. 
  5. ^ Société belge d'études byzantines, Centre national de recherches byzantines, Byzantine Institute of America, with Contributor Paul Graindor, Henri Grégoire (1924). Byzantion: revue internationale des études Byzantines, p. 72. 
  6. ^ (Hungarian) Balás, Gábo (1988). A Székely művelődés évszázadai. Panoráma, p. 14. 
  7. ^ Laufer, Berthold. Sino-Iranica. Harvard University, p. 594. 
  8. ^ (German) Austrian Academy of Sciences Kommission für Byzantinistik, Universität Wien Institut für Byzantinistik, Universität Wien Institut für Byzantinistik und Neogräzistik (1981). Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, p. 5. 
  9. ^ (German) Asia Major, August Fischer, Erich Bräunlich (1964). Islamica, p. 150. 
  10. ^ Wexler, Paul (2002). Two-Tiered Relaxification in Yiddish: Jews, Sorbs, Khazars, and the Kiev-Polessian dialect. Walter de Gruyter, p. 517. ISBN 3110172585. 
  11. ^ (Polish) Uniwersytet Łódzki (1983). Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Lodz: Uniwersytet, p. 90. 
  12. ^ Kushnareva, Karinė Khristoforovna (1997). in H. N. Michael (trans): The Southern Caucasus in Prehistory. Univ. of Pennsylvania Museum History, p. 196. ISBN 0924171502. “The tenth century A.D. Armenian historian Movses Kalankatuatsi states that ...” 
  13. ^ (Armenian) Svazyan, H. Մովսես Կաղանկատվացի (Movses Kaghankatvatsi). Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia. vol. viii. Yerevan, Armenian SSR, 1982 pp. 41-42
  14. ^ (German) Gesellschaft, Görres. Oriens Christianus. Leipzig, Germany: O. Harrassowitz 1905, p. 274
  15. ^ (French) Vavřínek, Vladimír. Byzantinoslavica. Prague: Czechoslovakia Academy of Sciences, 1929 p. 363
  16. ^ Caucasian Albania, by Z. Yampolsky / Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  17. ^ Oganesyan, Hrant Abgarovich. The Museums of Yerevan. Yerevan, Armenian SSR, 1986 p. 8
  18. ^ (Russian) В.А. Кузнецов, В верховьях Большого Зеленчука, Москва, "Искусство", 1977, c. 12
  19. ^ Vladimir Minorsky. "Caucasica IV", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 15, No. 3. (1953), p. 504
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Hacikyan, Agop Jack (2000). The Heritage of Armenian Literature. Wayne State University Press, p. 171-172. ISBN 0814330231. 
  21. ^ Hewsen, Robert H. (1964). Notes and Communications. London: Bulletin of Oriental and African Studies, University of London vol. 27 Museum History, pp. 151-156. 

[edit] Literature

  • (Russian)Movses Kaghankatvatsi (1984). The History of the Country of Albania (translated by Š.V. Smbatian). Yerevan: Matenadaran. 
  • (Georgian)Movses Kaghankatvatsi (1985). The History of Albania (translated by L. Davlianidze-Tatishvili). 
  • (English)Movsēs Dasxuranc'i (1961). The History of the Caucasian Albanians (translated by C. F. J. Dowsett). London: (London Oriental Series, Vol. 8).