NAASR Armenian Studies | George Bournoutian | Tigran the Great [Part 1]

Tigranes II and Rome

Dr. George Bournoutian

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Dr. George Bournoutian gives a lecture and book signing in connection with the publication of his most recent work, Tigranes II and Rome.

Tigranes II and Rome is the first English translation of an important work of Armenian historiography and was published in 2007 as part of Mazda Publishers Armenian Studies Series with a major grant from NAASR and other funders.

Bournoutian is also the author or translator of numerous other books, including A Concise History of the Armenian People (2002), Two Chronicles on the History of Karabagh (2004), and The Travel Accounts of Simeon of Poland (2007). He is Senior Professor of History at Iona College and has taught Armenian history at Columbia University, Tufts University, New York University, Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut, Ramapo College, and Glendale Community College.

Tigranes II and Rome was written by Hakob H. Manandyan (1873-1952) in Armenian and published in Yerevan in 1940. Manandyan is revered as one of the major Armenian historians of his era but very little of his work has appeared in English. His book on Tigranes represents
the first serious attempt to examine the 1st century B.C. Armenian monarch without appealing to patriotic sentiments and with a grounding in Greek and Roman sources.


Armenian Monarch Forged An Independent and Powerful State

Tigranes II, well-known to Armenians as Tigran the Great, is the sole Armenian monarch who not only succeeded in unifying all the lands inhabited by the Armenians but also extended Armenian rule into Syria and northwestern Iran. He created an Armenian empire which lasted for some two decades, taking the title of “King of kings,” which until then was only held by the kings of Parthia. Tigran’s greatness lay in his attempt to forge an independent and powerful state and to break away from the constraints imposed upon Armenia by its geography as he tried to free Asia Minor from Persian military and political threats in the east and those of Rome in the west.


Making Available Work of An Important Scholar

According to Bournoutian, “the inspiration for this book came from Dr. Nina Garsoian’s translation of Manandyan’s The Trade and Cities of Armenia in Relation to Ancient World Trade, which is the only other work of his in English.” Bournoutian continues, “Manandyan’s scholarship is great and he has numerous important works. I felt students could benefit from such a translation. It may encourage others to translate more of his works.”

NAASR Board Chairman Nancy R. Kolligian stated that “NAASR is very pleased to have helped make this important publication possible. Dr. Bournoutian continues to make important works accessible to the English-language reader, which has always been an important part of NAASR’s mission. The fact that this is the first scholarly book on its subject in English makes it all the more significant.”

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April 11, 2008

NAASR Headquarters
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