Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Photo: ASP Archive
Staff Report
During the winter break, Dr. David Zakarian participated in the 16th General Conference of the International Association of the Armenian Studies (AIEA), held at the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne from January 9-11, 2025. The conference brought together many leading scholars in Armenian Studies from around the world, focusing on various aspects of Armenian history, literature, and manuscript studies, from the ancient to the modern period. There were 22 parallel sessions spread across three days, with around 100 scholars presenting papers in Armenian, English, and French. It was physically impossible to attend all the talks, and every participant was encouraged to attend sessions they found pertinent to their interests. Therefore, this report offers only a selective overview of the conference, and due to space constraints, many other insightful and significant papers could not be included.
Keynote Lectures
Three keynote lectures covered the late antique, medieval, and modern periods of Armenian history. The conference opened with a keynote lecture by Jost Gippert (University of Hamburg), titled “Approaching the Early Centuries: Palimpsests and Their Significance for the History of Armenian Literacy.” According to Gippert, “The written heritage of the early centuries of Armenian literacy mostly consists of palimpsests, i.e. manuscripts on parchment that were later erased and overwritten.” He provided an overview of Armenian palimpsests, highlighting their importance for understanding the evolution of Armenian literary traditions. He discussed the ERC project DeLiCaTe and the identification of over 10,000 palimpsests, emphasizing their relevance in reconstructing lost texts.
The second keynote lecture, “The Catholicosate of Aghuank‘ in the Hierarchical Structure of the Armenian Church,” was by Vahe Torosyan (Deputy Director of Scientific Affairs of the Matenadaran). This address examined the historical and ecclesiastical realignment of Armenian territories following their annexation by Sasanian Iran, focusing on the incorporation of the churches of Utik ‘and Arts‘akh into the jurisdiction of the Church of Aghuank‘ (Caucasian Albania). Through an analysis of primary sources and scholarly research, Torosyan argued that the Catholicosate of Aghuank‘ functioned within the hierarchical structure of the Armenian Church, which explains the lack of opposition to the transfer and the absence of efforts to reclaim the churches after the marzpanate’s abolition.
On the last day of the conference, Suzan Meryem Kalayci (University of Oxford) delivered the third keynote lecture titled “Dark Times – Reflections on the Armenian Genocide.” Her presentation addressed the historiographical and psycho-logical aspects of genocide memory, exploring the interplay of denial and remembrance in modern narratives.
Panel on Armenian Manuscripts and Textual Studies
Given his expertise and research interests in ancient and medieval history, David Zakarian participated in several sessions dedicated to early Christian Armenian texts and medieval manuscripts, engaging in scholarly discussions on these subjects. In particular, of great interest was the session on “Philology and Manuscript Studies” chaired by Bernard Coulie (Université catholique de Louvain). This session featured four presentations that shed new light on Armenian textual traditions. Emilio Bonfiglio (University of Hamburg) discussed a ninth- or tenth-century palimpsest from Agathangelos’ History of the Armenians, a valuable primary source housed in the library of the Mekhitarist Congregation of Vienna.
Tim Greenwood (University of St Andrews) also revisited Agathangelos’ History, focusing on its Greek recension (Vg), initially studied by Gérard Garitte in 1946. He argued that Vg, rather than being a derivative late translation, represents an independent Armenian tradition that likely emerged in the first half of the sixth century within Roman Armenia, thus highlighting the importance of individual study of each recension of this text, very popular in the medieval period, as they provide unique insight into the milieu in which they were created.
The 18th-century Bodleian Library Armenian manuscript (MS. Arm. f. 7), which preserves two distinct Armenian texts on Ezekiel’s throne vision, was discussed by Theo M. van Lint (University of Oxford). His presentation contextualized these texts within the broader tradition of Armenian apocalyptic literature, linking them to the theological works of Vardan Arewelts’i (13th c.).
Another very interesting paper was presented by Knar Harutyunyan (Matenadaran). Harutyunyan presented recent advancements in cataloguing Armenian manuscripts at the Matenadaran, highlighting previously misattributed texts, including a 13th-century manuscript now identified as an 11th-century commentary by Anania Sanahnetsi. This paper opened a small window into what important work is currently being done in the Matenadaran.
Discussion on Historical and Political Contexts
From the “Contemporary History” session Khachatur Stepanyan’s (Armenian State Pedagogical University) paper titled “The Issue of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Annexation to Soviet Azerbaijan in the Diasporan Press (1920-1930s)” was of great interest. Stepanyan analyzed how the Armenian diaspora press engaged with the forced Sovietisation of Karabakh (Artsakh), providing new perspectives on the historiographical debate surrounding the region’s political status. “This was the only issue concerning Armenia and Armenians that all major diasporan newspapers and magazines had an identical approach, ir-respective of their political affiliations,” Stepanyan stressed.
New Methodological Approaches
Several papers also demonstrated how digital methodologies are transforming Armenian historical studies through data modelling, manuscript analysis, and architectural heritage preservation.
Conclusion
The AIEA 2025 Conference was a significant event for scholars engaged in Armenian Studies. The discussions on manuscript traditions, textual transmission, and historical memory contributed to the broader understanding of Armenian heritage. Dr. Zakarian’s participation in these sessions reinforced his engagement with ongoing research in Armenian philology and historiography.