Artak Movsisyan: In the pre-Christian era Armenians had a well-developed writing, spanning several millennia

Artak Movsisyan: In the pre-Christian era Armenians had a well-developed writing, spanning several millennia

Historian Artak Movsisyan Lectures in New York


On Sunday, February the second at the Pashalian Hall of  St. Illuminator's Cathedral in Manhattan, the audience learned much from the lecture / multimedia presentation given by Dr. Artak Movsisyan, professor at the Yerevan State University and organized by the New York and New Jersey chapters of Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society. This event was a part of the Hamazkayin Eastern USA Distinguished Lecture series, celebrating the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing. Prior to New York, Dr. A. Movsisyan had given a lecture in Boston, and will continue his lecture tour in major cultural centers of the West Coast.


Despite his young age, Dr. Movsisyan has made a serious contribution to the study of  pre-Christian Armenian history and writing. His career started in 1991 at the State Historical Museum of Armenia, where he worked as a scientific worker till 1997 and since then at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of  the Republic of Armenia,  as a senior scientific worker. Parallel to his scientific work,  since 1998, Dr. Movsisyan has been teaching history at Yerevan State University as an Associate professor. The incomplete bibliography of his works consists of over a dozen  monographs and research articles, some translated into various languages. We are particularly proud to state, that a historian of Dr. A. Movsisyan's calibre has been educated solely in Armenia. From 1990 to 1994 he earned his Master's degree at the Department of History of Yerevan State University. Between 1994 and 1997 he completed his post-graduate studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, earning his Doctoral degree in 1997 for his thesis ?The Hieroglyphic Script of Van Kingdom (Biainili, Urartu, Ararat)? published by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.


On Sunday afternoon in attendance were Mrs. Hasmig Aprahamian and Mr. Hagop Melkonian, representatives of the Eastern United States Regional Executive Committee of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society.


Mrs. Hasmig Aprahamian made the opening remarks and invited Dr. Ara Caprielian, chairman of the New York chapter, who was the master of ceremonies of this event. Dr. Caprielian presented a brief introduction to Dr. Artak Movsisyan's vast body of research publications in Armenian, Russian and English languages.


Dr. Movsisyan's lecture was brimming with facts from primary sources of Armenian and non-Armenian origin, proving that in the pre-Mashdots or pre-Christian era Armenians had a well-developed writing, spanning several millennia.


After a lively question and answer period, Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian,  pastor of  St. Illuminator's Cathedral, expressed his thoughts upon the lecture and once again congratulated Hamazkayin on organizing diverse and interesting programs.


Following his closing remarks, Dr. Caprielian commented that to guarantee Armenia's security and viability a disciplined and motivated army is necessary, but scholars of  our national history as Dr. Artak Movsisyan are also vitally important for teaching and presenting our true history to counteract the revisionists and pseudo-historians attempting to distort factual history. He also thanked Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian and the Board of Trustees for welcoming and hosting several of Hamazkayin's programs at the Pashalian Hall. Fr. Lakissian consistently encourages Hamazkayin's cultural activities and proves by his deeds his strong belief that the Cathedral ought to be a lively center for the community at large.


It was extraordinarily rewarding to see how Dr. Movsisyan's books were flying off the table. The titles offered: “The Sacred Highlands: Armenia in the Spiritual Geography of the Ancient Near East,” “The Writing Culture of Pre-Christian Armenia” and “10 Outstanding Armenian Kings” were no “light fare,” yet most of the books were purchased within minutes. The attendees surrounded the lecturer, asking additional questions, and  patiently waiting to get their books inscribed. It was encouraging to hear that most of them were looking forward to future programs offered by Hamazkayin of New York.


Books by Dr. Artak Movsisyan:



 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


From left to right:
Dr. Ara Caprielian, Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Dr. Artak Movsisyan, Mrs. Asdghig Sevag (NY chapter exec. member), Hasmig Aprahamian (Regional exec. secretary), Hakob Melkonian (Regional exec. member), Arevik Caprielian (NY chapter exec. secretary).