1999_12 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper December 1999

              December 1999
Hye Sharzhoom
3
Ancient Papyrus Reveals Earliest Armenian Writing
By Arakel Arisian
Staff Writer
Among the many sources of
ancient history, one that is
often overlooked is the
study of papyri or papyrology. On
Three students from Dr. Kouymjian's Arts of
Armenia class, left to right: Julian Galsco and
Jameil Haddad from San Jose, Bayan Harris
from Los Angeles ask Dr. CJackson questions after the lecture.
photos by Michael Harutinian
Thursday, Nov. 4,1999, Dr. James
Clackson, a Fellow of Cambridge
University, gave a lecture titled,
"An Armenian Learning Greek in
Late Antique Egypt." Clackson
spoke about a papyrus (the ancient
equivalent of paper) from the 6th or
early 7th century found in Egypt
written in Armenian. Dr. Dickran
Kouymjian who has a personal interest in the papyrus introduced him.
The lecture was co-sponsored by
the Armenian Studies Program, the
Classics Program, the History Department, the Smittcamp Honors
College, and the Armenian Students Organization.
This ancient papyrus is not only
of interest to Armenian historians
but also to classical scholars. The
papyrus is written with Armenian
script, but the entire text is in Greek.
Among the hundreds of thousands
of papyrus fragments discovered
during the past century, it is the
only one written with Armenian
letters. It brings together a number
of disciplines.
The papyrus was first reported
by Professor A. Carri in Paris in the
1890s. It then disappeared and as
Dr. Clackson pointed out, was rediscovered at the Bibliotheque
Nationale du France in 1992 by
Kouymjian who has published three
preliminary
studies on it.
Clackson and
Kouymjian
met through
the internet in
1996 and have
been collaborating ever
since.
Most papyri are written in Greek
and Egyptian;
they contain
literary texts
and information about everyday life.
They are
found almost
exclusively in
Egypt, where
the climate is dry, thus preserving
the documents. For decades, ar-
cheologists have been digging up
papyrus. Clackson pointed out this
particular papyrus was found
through an Arab papyrus dealer,
thus it has no archeological context. Everything known about the
papyrus comes from document itself.
The papyrus has writing on
' both sides, but some parts are cut
off or missing. It was found broken
into many pieces and those pieces
had to be put together like a puzzle.
Originally, it was organized and
photographed incorrectly.
Clackson, a specialist in Greek and
Armenian linguistics, was able to
translate the text and rearrange the
pieces   correctly.
The front side ofthe document
has Greek phrases, questions and
answers, declensions and lists of
words. In a very detailed manner,
the writer wrote all of the body
parts, words for military equipment
and other lists of common words.
The back side contains three tales
about the philosopher Diogenes,
more lists of words and other
phrases and sayings. The sentences
are crammed together and are very
messy in some places.
Although Clackson has deciphered what the papyrus says, he is
not certain of the identity of the
person who wrote it or its purpose.
Since it is written in Greek with
Armenian letters, there are a limited number of possible uses ofthe
papyrus. It was most likely used as
some sort of tool to learn Greek.
There are similar documents written in Greek and other languages,
but they had both the words and
their translations like a glossary.
This text had only the words.
Even though the exact purpose is unknown, the document
does give historians some concrete
facts. It shows an Armenian presence in Egypt and in the Greek
world. It also has linguistic value
for both the Greek and Armenian
languages. As the studies of
Kouymjian have pointed out, the
Armeno-Greek papyrus is also the
oldest example of written Armenian we have, predating by several
centuries the earliest surviving
manuscripts.
Clackson has written a couple
of major articles analyzing the language ofthe document and its importance to both Greek and Armenian language studies.
Dr. James Clackson
These, along with a complete transcription and translation, are in
press. The lecture was an eye-
opening experience to a different
way to learn about history.
ASO Enjoys Busy, Exciting Semester
By Shayla Srabian
ASO Historian
T
he Armenian Students
Organization   was
filled with hard
work and fun.
The Armenian
Students Organization held general
meetings every two
weeks. The meetings consisted of an
overview of the
budget and upcoming events. Most
importantly, students were able to
be together and
work together.
In the month
of October there was a shish-kebob
sale, Halloween party, and two lectures hosted by the Armenian Studies Program.
ASO members cooked the pi-
laf, made the salad and barbecued
the shish-kebob for the sale on Oct.
24. The sale was held as part of the
Tower Theatre Kef Time in the
Tower District. Not only was a
traditional Armenian meal pro-
ASO members at Kef Time at the Tower.
vided, but there was also Armenian
dancing. Richard Hagopian and
his band played magically as people
danced together. Cory Zamora and
her dancers entertained the audience with their colorful costumes
and authentic Middle Eastern Belly
Dancing.
The ASO ended the month of
October with a Halloween party at
Armen Karlozian's home. It was a
festive evening beginning
with a visit to the Haunted
House followed by the
Halloween party.
With the semester
coming to a close students
are busy getting ready for
finals and the holidays.
The ASO will be having a
party to celebrate Christmas and the end of the.
semester.
The ASO worked
hard this semester. They
hoped to achieve student
involvement and build
friendships. Chad
Kirkorian, who is the
president of the ASO this fall semester, led the organization with
energy. He is graduating this semester, we will miss him and wish
him well. Thank you for all your
hard work and dedication.
Armenians and the Internet £|
By Ara Mekhitarian
Staff Writer
Parseghian Records Online
Address: http://www.armenianmusic.com
Contact: 4900 Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90029-2538
Email: Parseghian@ParseghianRecords.com
Categories: CDs, Tapes, Videos, Top Ten, Coming Soon, New Releases, Special ofthe Month.
How to use: Links are all listed in center of page.
Brief Summary: Now you can order your favorite Armenian album
online and have it shipped directly to your house. Parseghian Records
Online has classical, traditional, pop, instrumental and contemporary
Armenian music in both CD and tape. They also offer a variety of
different videos and a list ofthe newest releases. You can browse the site
and listen to samples of songs before you buy. They offer a 128-bit
encryption connection so you are secure and safe to order online. If for
some reason you can't find the album you're looking for, email the
company and they will find it for you. Parseghian Records Online makes
it easy and convenient to find and purchase Armenian music.
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Armenian History Quiz
By Michael Harutinian
Staff Writer
1) Which Armenian Dynasty emei
ged after the
Arab invasions?
a) Mamikonian
c) Bagratuni
b) Arstruni
d) Artashesian
2) What is the name of the Church
on the island of
Aghtamar?
a) St. Gayane
c) St. Varvar
b) St. Hripsime
d) Holy Cross
3) Who was the first President of an independent
Armenia?
a) Hovhannes Kachaznuni     c) Aram Manukian
b) Levon Ter- Petrossian        d) Armen Garo
4) What city was the Armenian National Council first
held in?
a) Yerevan c) Garin
b) Tiflis d) Kars
5) How many delegates voted in the 1999 election of a
Catholicos?
a) 325 c)452   •
b)250 d)425
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