History of the Armenians

Abstract

Movses's History of the Armenians was the first attempt at a universal history of Armenia and remains the only known general account of early Armenian history. It traces Armenian history from its origins to the fifth century, during which Movses claimed to have lived. His history had an enormous impact on Armenian historiography and was used and quoted extensively by later medieval Armenian authors. He is called the "father of Armenian history" (patmahayr) in Armenian. Movses's history is also valued for its unique material on the old oral traditions in Armenia before its conversion to Christianity. Approximately twenty manuscripts of Movses's history have reached us, the majority of which date from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries