Suren Yeremyan
Encyclopedia
Suren Tigrani Yeremyan was an Armenian
historian
and cartographer who specialized in the studies concerning the formation of the Armenian nation and pre-medieval Armenia
and the Caucasus
. He devoted nearly 30 years of his scholarly efforts in reconstructing the "Ashkharatsuyts" (literally, "world show"), a seventh century atlas commonly attributed to Anania Shirakatsi
.
in 1908 and attended a Russian school there. Yeremyan was an avid reader of history books and his interest in Armenian history grew especially when he chanced upon reading Nicholas Adontz
's Armenia in the Period of Justinian. He moved back to Armenia and in 1928, he was accepted to Yerevan State University
.
He studied history and economics and graduated from there in 1931. From 1935 until 1941, Yeremyan worked at the Soviet Academy of Sciences' department of Oriental Studies
in Leningrad
. While there, Yeremyan also taught Armenian history at Leningrad State University
's department of History and Philology and he defended his dissertation, titled "The Feudal Organization of Kartli
during the Marzpanate Period."
In 1941, he moved back to Yerevan and continued his studies at the Institute of Material Culture and History, which was still under the auspices of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He earned the title of professor in 1953, having defended his second dissertation (from Moscow State University
) in his "The Social Structure of Ancient Armenia." He held the position of director of the department of history from 1953 to 1958 and in 1963 he was inducted as a member of the Armenian Academy of Sciences
.
. In 1963, his Armenia According to the Ashkharatsuyts was published, although Yeremyan would in subsequent years go on to revise some of the views, most notably coming to the conclusion that Anania Shirakatsi
was its true author, that he had concluded in the work. He also contributed in writing several articles in the USSR Historical Atlas. Yeremyan was also one of the key advocates who pushed for the publication of the History of the Armenian People (Yerevan, 1971–1984, 8 volumes), authoring numerous articles on the origins of the Armenian people, the kingdom of Urartu
, and on the social, economic, cultural and political structure of the Kingdom of Armenia. He would also go on to write numerous articles in the Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia.
Having struggled with a serious illness for many years, Yeremyan died in 1992.
. NS : XXIV, 1993, pp. 339–40.
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...
and cartographer who specialized in the studies concerning the formation of the Armenian nation and pre-medieval Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. He devoted nearly 30 years of his scholarly efforts in reconstructing the "Ashkharatsuyts" (literally, "world show"), a seventh century atlas commonly attributed to Anania Shirakatsi
Anania Shirakatsi
Anania Shirakatsi was an Armenian mathematician, astronomer and geographer. He is commonly attributed to having written the Geography .-Life:Scholars are split on where exactly Anania was born...
.
Early life and education
Yeremyan was born into a family of laborers in Tiflis, GeorgiaGeorgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
in 1908 and attended a Russian school there. Yeremyan was an avid reader of history books and his interest in Armenian history grew especially when he chanced upon reading Nicholas Adontz
Nicholas Adontz
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.-Early...
's Armenia in the Period of Justinian. He moved back to Armenia and in 1928, he was accepted to Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University is a university in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded on May 16 1919, it is the largest university in the country with 110 departments. Of its 3,150 employees, 1,190 comprise the teaching staff which includes 25 academicians, 130 professors, 700 docents , and 360 assistant lecturers...
.
He studied history and economics and graduated from there in 1931. From 1935 until 1941, Yeremyan worked at the Soviet Academy of Sciences' department of Oriental Studies
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. While there, Yeremyan also taught Armenian history at Leningrad State University
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
's department of History and Philology and he defended his dissertation, titled "The Feudal Organization of Kartli
Kartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
during the Marzpanate Period."
In 1941, he moved back to Yerevan and continued his studies at the Institute of Material Culture and History, which was still under the auspices of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He earned the title of professor in 1953, having defended his second dissertation (from Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
) in his "The Social Structure of Ancient Armenia." He held the position of director of the department of history from 1953 to 1958 and in 1963 he was inducted as a member of the Armenian Academy of Sciences
Armenian Academy of Sciences
The Armenian Academy of Sciences is the primary body that conducts research in and coordinates activities in the fields of science and social sciences in the Republic of Armenia. It was founded on November 29, 1943...
.
Academic research
It was during this time that Yeremyan shifted his focus to composing historical atlases: one of his most notable contributions was on the study of a seventh century "Ashkharatsuyts", where he spent a great deal of his energies in not only translating and researching the background behind the atlas but also on the supposed author of the work, Anania ShirakatsiAnania Shirakatsi
Anania Shirakatsi was an Armenian mathematician, astronomer and geographer. He is commonly attributed to having written the Geography .-Life:Scholars are split on where exactly Anania was born...
. In 1963, his Armenia According to the Ashkharatsuyts was published, although Yeremyan would in subsequent years go on to revise some of the views, most notably coming to the conclusion that Anania Shirakatsi
Anania Shirakatsi
Anania Shirakatsi was an Armenian mathematician, astronomer and geographer. He is commonly attributed to having written the Geography .-Life:Scholars are split on where exactly Anania was born...
was its true author, that he had concluded in the work. He also contributed in writing several articles in the USSR Historical Atlas. Yeremyan was also one of the key advocates who pushed for the publication of the History of the Armenian People (Yerevan, 1971–1984, 8 volumes), authoring numerous articles on the origins of the Armenian people, the kingdom of Urartu
Urartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
, and on the social, economic, cultural and political structure of the Kingdom of Armenia. He would also go on to write numerous articles in the Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia.
Having struggled with a serious illness for many years, Yeremyan died in 1992.
Works
Armenia According to the Ashkharatsuyts. Yerevan, 1963. Armenia in the Epoch of David the Invincible. Yerevan: Academy of Sciences of Armenian SSR, 1980. History of the Armenian People. Yerevan, 1971–1984.Further reading
Mahé, Jean-Pierre. "In Memoriam: Souren Eremyan, 1908-1993". Revue des Études ArméniennesRevue des Études Arméniennes
Revue des Études Arméniennes is a prominent French language academic journal dedicated to the study of Armenian history, art history, philology, linguistics, literature. The journal was founded by two French scholars who specialized in Armenian studies in Paris in 1920, Frédéric Macler and Antoine...
. NS : XXIV, 1993, pp. 339–40.