Revealing the Oldest Armenian Manuscript

While Armenians and Georgians have steadily developed their written heritage up to this day, the literacy of the Caucasian Albanians ended with the Arab conquest in the 8th century. Only a few specimens of their language have survived, mostly as palimpsests. Similarly, only limited numbers of original Armenian and Georgian texts from the 5th–10th centuries have been preserved, also mostly as palimpsests. The ‘DeLiCaTe’ ERC project studies the literacy development in the Southern Caucasus, employing an interdisciplinary approach.

Dating to the 7th or 8th century CE, MS 575 in the Schøyen Collection might be the oldest Armenian manuscript. Faintly visible underneath the visible Syriac text, we can find the only surviving copy of the Armenian translation of John Chrysostom’s commentary on the Psalms. After being erased and overwritten at least 1,000 years ago, MSI techniques make it possible to read the Armenian scrips again, providing insight into the original source.