Movses Khorenatsi's History of the Armenians: Chapter 22
Movses Khorenatsi's History of the Armenians
(Translated by Robert Bedrosian)
Genealogy of Greater Armenia
The order of our kings and their number, from father to son
Now I shall pass on to enumerating our [noteworthy] men, especially those who were kings up to the time of the lordship of the Parthians. For such men among our kings are as dear to me as my very own blood relations and true brothers. I would be happy if the Savior had appeared at that time and redeemed me and I had been born into the world under them [the Armenian kings], to enjoy the pleasures of their rule, avoiding the present troubles [of our day]. But that situation [i.e., self-rule] or even the chance for it escaped us long ago. Now I, living during the reign of foreigners, shall set forth the order of the kings of our people next to theirs. The native monarchs of our land were those men whose names we shall record below.
That there truly was a kingdom of our people in that [ancient] period is attested by [a passage in the Biblical book of] the prophet Jeremiah in his words inviting [other peoples] to come to war against Babylon. He said: "Order [to come forth] the kingdom of Ayrarat and the brigade of Ask'anaz" [Jeremiah 51:2], which [passage] authenticates the existence of our kingdom in that period.
Now let us present the order of our [kings] alongside [the chronology] of the kings of the Medes.
The First Median [kings were]:
Varbake's
Mo'dakis
So'sarmos
Ar'tikas
De'ovkis
P'r'awortis
Kwak'sare's
Azhdahak
Our first [kings] crowned by Varbake's the Mede:
Paroyr, son of Skayordi
Hrach'eay
This Hrach'eay was so named because of his very radiant face and fiery eyes. They say that in his day lived Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians, who took the Jews captive. They say that [Hrach'eay] requested from Nechuchadnezzar one of the chiefs of the Hebrew captives, named Shambat, who was brought and settled in our country with great honor. It is from him, historians say, that the Bagratuni azg descends. And that is the truth. Later we shall relate in detail what efforts our kings made to make them submit to idol worship, and about [the Bagratids' losses] how many of them, and who they were that paid with their lives for worshipping God. For some unreliable men say, willfully and not truthfully, that it was from Hayk that your Bagratuni clan, [clan of] the coronants, descended. Therefore I say, "Do not believe such foolish words since there is no trace or sign of reality or verisimilitude in them. For these are disordered babblings and nonsensical words [supposedly] about Hayk and his kind. But know that this name Smbat, which the Bagratunik' often give to their children, is in truth Shambat' in their original language, Hebrew."
P'ar'navaz
Pachoych
Kor'nak
P'ar'os
The other Haykak
Eruand the Short-lived
Tigran
I believe that the later Eruand and Tigran were named after these [people in the list], in the hope [of resembling them]; the time was not very distant, and someone remembered these names.
ԳԻՐՔ ԱՌԱՋԻՆ
Ծննդաբանութիւն
Հայոց Մեծաց
Գլուխ ԻԲ
Կարգ թագաւորաց մերոց եւ համար նոցունց որդի ի հաւրէ առնլով
Արդ` այժմ անցից ի թիւ մերոց արանց, մանաւանդ թէ թագաւորաց, մինչեւ ցտէրութիւնն Պարթեւաց: Քանզի ինձ այսոքիկ արք ի մերոց թագաւորաց են սիրելիք, որպէս բնիկք եւ իմոյ արեանառուք եւ հաւաստի հարազատք: Եւ սիրելի էր ինձ` յայնժամ գալ Փրկչին եւ զիս գնել, եւ առ նոքաւք յաշխարհ զմուտն իմ լինել, եւ նոցա տէրութեամբն խրախճանալ, եւ յարդեացս ապրել վտանգիցս: Այլ վաղ ուրեմն փախեաւ ի մէնջ պատահումնն այն, թէ արդեաւք եւ վիճակ: Բայց արդ ես առ աւտարաց թագաւորութեամբն կացեալ` ընդ նոցայն զմերս ազգի ածից զկարգ թագաւորացն, զի մերոյ աշխարհիս բնիկք պսակաւորք արք այնոքիկ, զորոց զանուանսն ի ներքոյ դրոշմեսցուք։
Վարբակէս
Մաւդակիս
Սաւսարմոս
Առտիկաս
Դէովկիս
Փռաւորտիս
Կւաքսարէս
Աժդահակ
Հրաչեայ
Պաճոյճ
Կոռնակ
Փառոս
Միւս Հայկակ
Երուանդ սակաւակեաց
Տիգրան
Քանզի եւ զվերջին Երուանդ եւ զՏիգրան ի սոցանէ ըստ յուսոյ կոչեցեալ ասեմ արդեաւք. ոչ կարի հեռագոյն գոլով ժամանակին, յիշեաց ոք զանուանս զայսոսիկ:
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