Nicholas Adontz
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Adontz was a prominent Armenian
historian
, specialist of Byzantine
and Armenian studies
, and philologist. Adontz was the author of the Armenia in the Period of Justinian, a highly influential work and landmark study on the social and political structures of early Medieval Armenia
.
, which was then part of the Zangezur uezd of the Elisabethpol Governorate
(modern Syunik
). His family traced its roots to an 18th century Armenian military figure and close ally of David Bek
named Ter-Avetik. He graduated from a parochial school in Tatev
and later studied at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary
in Echmiadzin
and the Russian gymnasium
in Tbilisi
(1892–1894).
Adontz was accepted to the University of St. Petersburg and studied at the Departments of Oriental languages and History and Philology under the general direction of the renowned historian and linguist, Nicholas Marr. He learned Latin and Greek and graduated with honors in 1899. Following this, Adontz went along with Marr to Europe (Munich, Paris, London and Vienna) and the two worked together in the area of Byzantine studies until 1901. In 1903, Adontz returned to the Caucasus, learning Georgian and later working at the manuscript repository in Echmiadzin.
he participated in the II Van
archaeological expedition organized by Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences
. One year later, he was appointed honorary trustee and professor at the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages
in Moscow.
and after Adontz and the other professors refused their orders to work at another institute, the University of Brussels was shut down. Left with no salary, Adontz willed his work to Belgium's small Armenian community and died shortly thereafter in Brussels
on January 27, 1942.
in 1901. Some of his other notable works include The Peasantry of Ancient Armenia, The Art of Dionysius Grammarian and his Armenian Interpretations, and Political Parties in Ancient Armenia. His Armenia in the Period of Justinian (under the full Russian title of Армения в эпоху Юстиниана: Политическое состояние на основе Нахарского строя), based on his dissertation, however, is considered to be one of the "most important achievements in Armenian studies of the 20th century." In 1970, his work was published in English by Byzantine historian Nina G. Garsoïan. In another notable work, Mashtots and his Students According to Foreign Sources, Adontz placed the date of the creation of the Armenian alphabet
by its founder, Mesrob Mashtots, to the years 382-392 A.D., approximately 20 years prior to the traditional given date (405).
In a stark departure from his studies on ancient and medieval Armenian history, Adontz took a vested interest in the history of the Armenian Question
in the immediate years following the end of the First World War. He wrote several works on the subject of the Armenian Question. These included two works published in English in 1918, The Historical Foundation of the Armenian Question and the Collapse of Turkey and The Partition of Turkey; two works published in Russian in the same year, Turkey's Note and Western Armenia
and The Armenian Question and Germany Plans; and The Armenian Question at Sèvres
, which was published in English in 1920. He charged Western Europe for taking advantage of the Armenians' plight in the Ottoman Empire in order to increase their own influence in the region. Adontz also condemned Soviet Russia
for signing the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, believing that the agreement surrendered all of Western Armenia to the Turks.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, specialist of Byzantine
Byzantine studies
Byzantine studies is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the history, culture, costumes, religion, art, such as literature and music, science, economy, and politics of the Byzantine Empire. The discipline's founder in Germany is considered to be the philologist Hieronymus...
and Armenian studies
Armenian studies
Armenian studies, or Armenology is a field of humanities covering Armenian history, language, religion and culture.- Early scholars :*Lord Byron *Ghevond Alishan *Mikayel Chamchian...
, and philologist. Adontz was the author of the Armenia in the Period of Justinian, a highly influential work and landmark study on the social and political structures of early Medieval Armenia
Medieval Armenia
-Prelude:Western Armenia had been under Byzantine control since the partition of the Kingdom of Armenia in AD 387, while Eastern Armenia had been under the occupation of the Sassanid Empire starting 428. Regardless of religious disputes, many Armenians became successful in the Byzantine Empire and...
.
Early life
Adontz was born Nikoghayos Ter-Avetikyan in the village of Brnakot in SisianSisian
Sisian formerly also known as Sisakan, Sisavan and later Garakilse, is a city in the southern province of Syunik, Armenia. Located on both banks of Vorotan River, 6 km south of the Yerevan-Meghri highway, at a distance of 217 km from Yerevan and 115 km from Kapan. Sisian forms an urban...
, which was then part of the Zangezur uezd of the Elisabethpol Governorate
Elisabethpol Governorate
Elisabethpol Governorate or Elizavetpol Governorate was one of the guberniyas of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Elisabethpol . Its area was 44,136 sq. kilometres, and it had 878,415 inhabitants by 1897....
(modern Syunik
Syunik
Syunik is the southernmost province of Armenia. It borders the Vayots Dzor marz to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave to the west, Karabakh to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital is Kapan. Other important cities and towns include Goris, Sisian, Meghri, Agarak, and Dastakert...
). His family traced its roots to an 18th century Armenian military figure and close ally of David Bek
David Bek
David Bek was an Armenian military commander and one of the most prominent military figures of the Armenian liberation movement of the 18th century against the forces of Safavid Iran and the Ottoman Empire...
named Ter-Avetik. He graduated from a parochial school in Tatev
Tatev
The Monastery of Tatev is a 9th century Armenian monastery located in the Tatev village in Syunik Province in southern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. It stands on a plateau on the edge of the deep gorge of the Orotan River...
and later studied at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary
Gevorkian Theological Seminary
Gevorkian Theological Seminary is a theological school-college of the Armenian Apostolic Church founded by Catholicos Gevork IV in 1874. It is located in the city of Vagharshapat within the complex of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, Republic of Armenia.-History:During the tenure of Catholicos...
in Echmiadzin
Echmiadzin
Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin is a 4th century Armenian church in the town of Ejmiatsin, Armenia. It is also the central cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church....
and the Russian gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
(1892–1894).
Adontz was accepted to the University of St. Petersburg and studied at the Departments of Oriental languages and History and Philology under the general direction of the renowned historian and linguist, Nicholas Marr. He learned Latin and Greek and graduated with honors in 1899. Following this, Adontz went along with Marr to Europe (Munich, Paris, London and Vienna) and the two worked together in the area of Byzantine studies until 1901. In 1903, Adontz returned to the Caucasus, learning Georgian and later working at the manuscript repository in Echmiadzin.
Graduate studies
Adontz wrote his dissertation Armenia in the Period of Justinian and defended his MA Degree in 1908. Adontz was appointed as the private-assistant professor at the University of St. Petersburg in 1909. He received his Ph.D and the title of professor by the work Dionysius of Thrace and his Armenian Interpretations written in 1916. In 1916, with archaeologist Ashkharbek KalantarAshkharbek Kalantar
Ashkharbek Kalantar was an Armenian archaeologist, historian. He had important role in founding of archaeology in Armenia. Born in Armenian noble family of Loris-Meliks, he graduated St.Petersburg University in 1911 under Nicholas Marr...
he participated in the II Van
Van, Turkey
Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan...
archaeological expedition organized by Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
. One year later, he was appointed honorary trustee and professor at the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages
Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages
The Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages, established in 1815, was a Moscow school specializing in Caucasian language and culture, particularly that of Armenia, and the cultural center of the Armenian diaspora in Russia. Many Russian scholars specializing in Transcaucasia received their...
in Moscow.
Later life
In 1920, Adontz left Russia and moved to London and then Paris. Adontz was invited to deliver lectures at the University of Brussels in 1930 and was appointed to the position of the head of the newly organized Department of Armenian Studies. During the Second World War, Belgium was occupied by Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and after Adontz and the other professors refused their orders to work at another institute, the University of Brussels was shut down. Left with no salary, Adontz willed his work to Belgium's small Armenian community and died shortly thereafter in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on January 27, 1942.
Academic work
Adontz left more than 80 monographs on the history and literature of Medieval Armenia, Armenian-Byzantine relations, Armenian-Greek philology, mythology, religion, linguistics in the Armenian, Russian and French languages. He published his first scholarly article in the journal Handes AmsoryaHandes Amsorya
Handes Amsorya Handes Amsorya Handes Amsorya (in is an academic journal that publishes research papers and articles on Armenian history, art, social sciences, linguistics and philology. It was established in 1887 by the Mekhitarian order in Vienna. The title means Monthly Review in Armenian....
in 1901. Some of his other notable works include The Peasantry of Ancient Armenia, The Art of Dionysius Grammarian and his Armenian Interpretations, and Political Parties in Ancient Armenia. His Armenia in the Period of Justinian (under the full Russian title of Армения в эпоху Юстиниана: Политическое состояние на основе Нахарского строя), based on his dissertation, however, is considered to be one of the "most important achievements in Armenian studies of the 20th century." In 1970, his work was published in English by Byzantine historian Nina G. Garsoïan. In another notable work, Mashtots and his Students According to Foreign Sources, Adontz placed the date of the creation of the Armenian alphabet
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...
by its founder, Mesrob Mashtots, to the years 382-392 A.D., approximately 20 years prior to the traditional given date (405).
In a stark departure from his studies on ancient and medieval Armenian history, Adontz took a vested interest in the history of the Armenian Question
Armenian Question
The term "Armenian Question" as used in European history, became common place among diplomatic circles and in the popular press after the Congress of Berlin; that in like Eastern Question, refers to powers of Europe's involvement to the Armenian subjects of the Ottoman Empire beginning with the...
in the immediate years following the end of the First World War. He wrote several works on the subject of the Armenian Question. These included two works published in English in 1918, The Historical Foundation of the Armenian Question and the Collapse of Turkey and The Partition of Turkey; two works published in Russian in the same year, Turkey's Note and Western Armenia
Western Armenia
Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey....
and The Armenian Question and Germany Plans; and The Armenian Question at Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
, which was published in English in 1920. He charged Western Europe for taking advantage of the Armenians' plight in the Ottoman Empire in order to increase their own influence in the region. Adontz also condemned Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
for signing the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, believing that the agreement surrendered all of Western Armenia to the Turks.
Selected publications
Samuel l'Armenien, Roi des Bulgares. Bruxelles, Palais des academies, 1938. Published also in: Etudes Armeno-Byzantines. Livraria Bertrand. Lisbonne, 1965.- Histoire d'Arménie, les origines du X-e siècle au vie (av. J.C.). Préf. de René Grousset. Paris, 1946.
- Armenia in the Period of Justinian: the Political Conditions Based on the Naxarar System. Translated with partial revisions, a bibliographical note, and appendices by Nina G. Garsoïan. Lisbon, 1970. Denys de Thrace et les commentateurs arméniens. Lisbon, 1970.
- Mashtots and his Students According to Foreign Sources. 1925.