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).

Footnotes 104-136



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