Khorenica: Studies in Moses Khorenatsi

This is the title of a monograph published by Yerevan State University Press and authored by Dr. Albert Stepanyan, Adjunct Lecturer of Armenian history at the American University of Armenia (AUA). The book, as its title shows, is dedicated to the History of the Armenians by Moses Khorenatsi, an early medieval author whose work has played an exceptional role in the intellectual history of Armenia.

The monograph Khorenica: Studies in Moses Khorenatsi is the outcome of a ten-year investigation by Stepanyan systematized into nine research sketches. The book is arranged into four main sections: "The Author and his Social Theory," "Cosmic Rhythm and Royal Authority," "Aspects of Social Partnership," and Ways of Self-Conception and Identity. 

“It is designed for the advanced reader with intellectual experience in the various fields of ancient, medieval and modern humanities. They are expected to enter into dialogue with Khorenatsi and his intellectual entourage. This implies a meeting of two époques that promises to expand the author’s narrative with new descriptions, interpretations and understandings of (even) well-known facts of the History,” Stepanyan explains in the Preface of the monograph referring to the hypertextuality of the narrative.

According to the author, “history must be rewritten from time to time utilizing a point of view influenced by new ideas, concepts, and understandings.” This idea lies at the core of Stepanyan’s fundamental research focusing on various aspects of the historical concept of Moses Khorenatsi, which had an immense impact on later works on the history of Armenia and its neighboring countries.