Origins of the Armenian Alphabet and Literature, The

Presents the invention of the Armenian alphabet based on historical sources. It views the invention within the context of the accompanying dramatic political events of the division of the kingdom of Armenia between the rival Persian and Roman empires and the fall of the Arshakuni dynasty; and the history of the Armenian Church from the mid-forth to the mid-fifth centuries; and presents the main personalities associated with the invention and the spread of literacy. It portrays the foundation of the consequent literary tradition that made the Bible accessible in Armenian, preserved many important works of the Classical world in Armenian translation, and created much of the basis of Armenian cultural identity for centuries to come.