IV. Ghazar P'arpec'i's History
of Armenia
A late fifth century History of Armenia
by Ghazar P'arpec'i is the product of an author about whom certain
biographical details exist. This information is found in Ghazar's
History and in his Letter to the marzpan
of Armenia, Vahan Mamikonean (marzpan 485-ca. 506).
According to these documents, Ghazar was from P'arpi village
in the Aragacotn district and perhaps was a Mamikonean relative
(104). He was educated at the home of bdeshx Ashusha of
Iberia along with Hmayeak Mamikonean's children Vahan, Artashes
and Vard (105). Subsequently under the tutelage of Alan Arcruni
(106), Ghazar became a cleric who received part of his education
in Byzantium (1070. According to Manuk Abeghyan, from 484 to
486 Ghazar was a hermit in Siwnik', but left his cave when his
childhood friend, the now marzpan Vahan Mamikonean, invited
him to Vagharshapat to become abbot of the monastery there. For
reasons not entirely clear to us, Ghazar eventually was expelled
from the monastery by jealous monks. It was then that he wrote
his Letter to Vahan, refuting the charges levelled
against him. At Vahan's request Ghazar returned to Armenia from
his place of refuge, Amida on Byzantine territory (108). Likewise
at Vahan's request Ghazar wrote his History of Armenia (109).
This work is a panegyric to the Mamikonean family generally,
and especially a glorification of two of the family's members:
Vardan, leader of the anti-lranian rebellion at Awarayr (450-451)
and Vahan, Vardan's nephew and Ghazar's patron, leader of another
anti-lranian uprising known as the Vahaneanc' (481-484).
Accounts of the activities of Vardan
and Vahan comprise the contents of Ghazar's Books II and III respectively.
Book I begins with information concerning the division of Armenia
between the Byzantine and Sasanian empires (387), and describes
the invention of the Armenian alphabet and the abolition of the
monarchy in the Iranian-controlled eastern sector (428).
Toward the end of Book I the death of Catholicos Sahak in 489
is recorded. One also learns there that because Sahak left no
male heir, his property, including lands in Taron district, passed
to his grandchildren Vardan, Hmayeak, and Hamazasp--sons of Sahak's
daughter, who was also the wife of sparapet Hamazasp
Mamikonean (110). The positioning of this piece of information
close to the end of Book I provides a sort of introduction to
the contents of Book II, the exploits of the adult Vardan. The
hero of Book III, Vahan, was the son of Vardan's brother Hmayeak.
The text of Ghazar's History
contains one serious lacuna: apparently one or more pages were
removed in III.74, which presumably contained a description of
the deaths of Vasak Mamikonean and Sahak Bagratuni as well as
the names of the naxarars who fell in the same battle.
Also, several lines in the description of Vahan's battle near
Mt. Jrvezh with the famous Iranian commander Zarmihr Hazarawuxt--which
only confuses the outcome of the battle--are missing or out of
place (111). One long section, the "Vision of St Sahak,
" in which Sahak speaks of the fall of the Arsacid kingdom
and the discontinuation of the priesthood in the line of Gregory
the Illuminator, is recognized today as a later interpolation
(112). The discovery of a lost fragment of P'arpec'i in 1967,
which describes the creation of the Armenian alphabet, has cleared
away the confusion found in the History regarding
when this event occurred and also cleared Ghazar of the one serious
criticism raised by Abeghyan regarding reliability (113).
Ghazar P'arpec'i cites three authors
as sources: Agat'angelos, P'awstos (114), and Koriwn (115).
He is reluctant to rely on P'awstos' History since he discovers
in it many passages of an anti-clerical and vulgar nature
that lead him to suggest that bishop P'awstos' work was corrupted
by some uneducated person. Ghazar also appears to have used a
Life of Alexander (116) and Eusebius' Ecclesiastical
History (117). Likewise the author cites oral informants,
most notably Arshawir Kamsarakan (118) and his son Nerses (119)
and a Syrian merchant "Xuzhik" (120), all of whom were
participants in the events described.
P'arpec'i is a reasonably trustworthy
historian. True, certain of his biases, especially his religious
worldview, occasionally lead him to attribute incorrect causes
for some events. Nonetheless, he does know the correct sequence
of Iranian and Byzantine kings as well as of Armenian Catholicoi.
His veracity on certain details and events may be attested to
by other sources. In addition to being our major source on military,
political, and religious developments in fifth century Armenia,
Ghazar's History is also a major untapped source on the
history of fifth century Iran (121).
An understanding of Ghazar's biases
depends on a knowledge of some of the major political developments
occurring in Armenia since the expulsion of King Varazdat by Manuel
Mamikonean. Manuel, as P'awstos noted toward the end of his history,
raised the two sons of the ousted monarch. One of these sons,
Arshak III, became king. However, upon Manuel's death (385) the
naxarars revolted against Arshak and appealed to Shapuhr
III for a new Arsacid king. Varazdat's son Xosrov IV was sent
to Armenia with an Iranian army and King Arshak fled west near
the Byzantine border for safety. Armenia was divided between Byzantium
and Iran by the Peace of Ekegheac' (387) with the Iranian sector
being five times larger than the Byzantine. Arshak III died in
390 and, with his passing, the Arsacid monarchy was abolished
in the western sector. The princes residing there were placed
under an officer appointed by the emperor called the comes
Armeniae (122).
The situation in Persarmenia and in
the empire administering it, Iran, was quite different from that
which developed in the west. As a consequence of the division
of Armenia in 387, those lands falling to Iran included most of
Arsacid Armenia minus its border districts of Gugark', Utik',
Arc'ax, P'aytakaran, Parskahayk', Korcek', and Aghjnik'--which
were still subject to Iran but no longer formed part of an Armenian
administrative unit (123). Eastern Armenia was thus reduced to
six provinces: Ayrarat, Taruberan, Vaspurakan, Siwnik', Tayk',
and Mokk' (124). In the Iranian sector ruled the Armenian Arsacids
Xosrov IV (385-388), Vramshapuh (388-414), and Artashes
IV (423-428). King Yazdgard l's son Shapuhr occupied the
Armenian throne between ca. 414 and 421. In 428, at the request
of the naxarars, Artashes IV was deposed and Iranian monarchs
began appointing Iranian and Armenian viceroys or marzpans
as their representatives with Dwin as the administrative seat.
Seven of the marzpans are known: Vehmirshapuh, appointed
in 428 (125); Vasak Siwnik', ruling at the time of the battle
of Awarayr (450-451); Atrormizd Arshakuni, ruling after Awarayr
(126); Yozmamdean Atrvshnasp, ruling at the outbreak of Vahan's
revolt (481) (127); Shapuh Mihran, marzpan during the Vahaneanc'
(128) and Andekan, an Iranian who ruled briefly and then supported
his replacement in office by the successful rebel Vahan (129).
Ghazar's attitude toward Iran and its
policies is one of unequivocal hatred. This is quite understandable,
since as panegyrist of the Mamikoneans who fought with their lives
against lran, he cannot support Iranian policies. Iranian administrative
policy included a definite religio-cultural policy (130).
Thus, not only as a Mamikonean sympathizer, but as a Christian
cleric, he cannot tolerate either the implications or the actualities
of Iranian domination (131). P'arpec'i's reaction to Iranian
religious policies is expressed in several ways: by repudiation
of all things Zoroastrian, exultation over Zoroastrian reverses,
refutations of Zoroastrian beliefs (132), elevation of Christian
martyrs into epic heroes (133) and humiliation of the Syrians
whose influence in Armenia was encouraged by Iran (134).
P'arpec'i also has definite opinions
about Armenia's nobility, the naxarars. He divides this
aristocracy into two groups, the oath-keepers and the oath-breakers,
i.e., those naxarars who fought loyally on the side
of the Mamikoneans against Iran and those apostates who sided
with Iran and so converted to Zoroastrianism. Ghazar says that
among the oath-breakers siding with the apostate marzpan
Vasak Siwnik' were members of the Bagratuni, Xorxoruni, Apahuni,
Vahewuni, Paluni, Abeghen, and Urc families, some from the royal
family, "and a few sepuhs from every clan [tohm]"
(135). Among the oath-keepers, besides the Mamikoneans,
were members of the Kamsarakan (Arsharuni, Dimak'sean, Abeghen,
Amatuni, Arcruni, Xorxoruni, Paluni, Vahewuni, Mokac', Kajberuni,
Araweghen, Gnt'uni, Gnuni, Anjewac'i, Bagratuni, and Siwnik' houses
(136).
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