Movses Kagankatvatsi

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Movses Kagankatvatsi (Kalankatuatsi - Մովսես Կաղանկատվացի) (VII or X century) - Armenian historian, author or editor of the "The History of the Country of Aluank" – composition or, most likely, compilation, assigned to him or to Movses Daskhurantsi.

Except for a few references about Movses Kagankatvatsi, which can be found in Armenian history writings of the XIII century, the biographical data about him are absent. Also almost nothing is known about the time of his life. Based on the fact that Movses tells about the events of the VII century as an eyewitness, some researchers (Emin, Bore, Shakhnazarian) assume that the time of his life was the VII century; other researchers (Patkanov, Abegyan) believe that Movses Kagankatvatsi lived in |X c. and wrote only the 3rd book of the "The History of the Country of Aluank", but in the 1st and in the 2nd books he retold the events of the VII century, based on information, borrowed from Movses Khorenatsi, Egishe and other Armenian writers. This assumption is based on the fact that in his 3rd Book of the “History…” he described the fall of Partav city (present-day Barda), the event, which happened in 943 or 944 year and was described by Arabian writer Ibn Miskaveykh (X – XI c.).

From his own writings it is known that he was born in Utik region, in a village of Kalankatuyk (Book II, chapter 11). He wrote his book in Armenian language. Based on the inscription added in one of the manuscript (No 667, record No 1855), it is known that the author of the book was a monk.

Based on the analysis of the language of the author and his style, some researches have concluded that the 3rd Book was written entirely by another person, who lived several centuries later. This explains why the author refers to the Armenian historians of the IV – VI centuries (Agathangelos, Faustos of Byzantium, Yeghishe, Moses of Chorene), but does not even mention other Armenian authors, who also wrote about Aghvania in the VII century (John Mamikonian, Shapuh Bagratuni, Sebeos, Thomas Artsruni).

[edit] Literature

• Movses Kalankatuatsi. The History of the Country of Aluank. Translated from Old Armenian (Grabar) by Sh.V.Smbatian, Yerevan, 1984 (In Russian).
• Movses Kalankatuatsi. History of Albania. Translated by L. Davlianidze-Tatishvili, Tbilisi, 1985 (In Georgian)
• The History of the Caucasian Albanians by Movsēs Dasxuranci, translated by C. F. J. Dowsett (London Oriental Series, Vol. 8), London 1961.