1. Вестник древней истории 3 (82)
2. The Greek Inscription from Garni (Armenia) and King Tiridates the Great. Part I. Prolegomena

The Greek Inscription from Garni (Armenia) and King Tiridates the Great. Part I. Prolegomena

Bresson Alain, Fagan Elizabeth

Since the discovery at Garni (Armenia) in 1945 of a Greek inscription mentioning a king Tiridates (Trdat), there has been an ongoing debate on the identification of this king. On the basis of paleography and content, most scholars have preferred to date the document to the first-century CE reign of Tiridates I, despite what seemed to be a suggestive indication from the historian of Armenia Moses Khorenatsi that Tiridates the Great, in the early fourth century CE, had dedicated a Greek inscription in memory of his sister at Garni. This study attributes the inscription to the reign of Tiridates the Great, although it shows also that this text cannot be the one referred to by Moses Khorenatsi. This reattribution is of special importance for the early history of Armenia. It paves the way for a new analysis of the reign of the king who initiated the Christianization of the country. Our next article, in a forthcoming issue, will offer a new and full critical edition of the inscription, comparing it with prior reconstructions.

Keywords: Armenia, Garni, Tiridates the Great, Christianization, Agathangelos, Moses Khorenatsi

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