P'awstos Buzandac'i's

History of the Armenians

Book Four

Chapter 53. (Continued from Previous Page)

Now when all the people of the country of Armenia saw this and heard about it, they pressured and forced their king Arshak to arise and go before Shapuh, the king of Iran. After that, willy-nilly, Arshak, the king of Armenia, arose and taking with him the general sparapet of Armenia his dayeak [Vasak], he left the country of Armenia and went to the king of Iran, Shapuh, in the country of Iran. He went into the presence of king Shapuh of Iran. As soon [181] as they saw them they threw both of them, king Arshak and sparapet Vasak, into chains and kept them at liberty among the azatagund p'ustipan troops. King Shapuh summoned king Arshak and threatened him as a servant, and [Arshak] recognized that he had been acting guilty toward him and was worthy of death. And once again they gave king Arshak back to the keeping of the same brigade of p'ustipans.

54.

How once again Shapuh consulted sorcerers, astrologers, and magicians to reveal the intentions of Arshak; how [Arshak] was imprisoned in Anyush fortress as punishment, and how [king Shapuh]ordered that the sparapet of Armenia be put to a wicked death.

Then king Shapuh of Iran summoned the sorcerers, astrologers, and magicians and spoke with them, saying: "Many times I have wanted to love king Arshak of Armenia, but he has always dishonored me. I made a covenant of peace with him and he vowed to me on the principal [authority] of their Christian faith—which they call the Gospel. First he broke that oath. Like a father to a son, I thought to do him many good turns, but he repaid my goodness with wickedness. So I summoned the priests of the church of city of Ctesiphon and thought that they had duplicitiously [g171] made him swear and break the oath. [I] threathened them as men condemned to death. But their chief-priest, Mari, said to me: 'We gave him the oath justly. [182] But if he violates it, that same Gospel will bring him to your feet.' I did not listen to them. Instead I ordered that seventy of them be executed in a ditch and their co-religionists I put to the sword. The Gospel on which king Arshak swore, which is the principal [authority] of their Christian faith, I bound with chains, and it remains in my treasury. But I remembered the words of the priest Mari, who said: 'Do not kill us. I know that the same Gospel will bring king Arhsak to you on his knees. And now, lo, the words that he said were fulfilled justly. But for these thirty years, king Arshak of Armenia has been waging war with the Aryans, and we have not triumphed for one year. He has arisen and come [here] on his own feet. If I knew that hereafter he would remain true to my oath and obedient, I would dispatch him in peace to his land with very great exaltation."

The magicians responded to him as follows: "Excuse us for today. Tomorrow we shall respond to you." The next day all the magicians and astrologers assembled there and said to the king: "Now that king Arshak of Armenia has come to you, how does he speak with you, what intonation, how does he hold himself?" The king replied: "He regards himself as one of my servants, and wants to be the ground under my feet." They said to him: "Do what we tell [183] you to do. Keep [the Armenians] here and send emissaries to the country of Armenia to bring soil from the borders of Armenia [equaling] two loads [of soil] and a pitcher of water. Then order that half the floor of the tent be spread with the earth brought from Armenia. After this, take Arshak, king of Armenia, by the hand taking him first to the area containing our native soil. Ask him questions. Then take him by the hand and lead him to the area spread with the soil from Armenia. Listen to what he says, and then you will know whether or not he will uphold your oath [g172] and treaty after you release him back to Armenia. Now, should he speak with a rough manner while [walking] over Armenian soil, be advised that as soon as he reaches the country of Armenia, he will address you with the same voice, will renew the same fight, war and hostility with you."

When the king of Iran heard this from the magicians, he sent tachik camels to Armenia led by men to go and bring the soil and water [so that he might work] the charm. In a few days they brought what they had been sent for. Then king Shapuh of Iran ordered that [184] half the floor of his tent be spread with soil brought from Armenia and that water be sprinkled on it, and half the floor be left with the soil of his own [Iranian] country of residence. He ordered that king Arshak of Armenia be brought before him, and he ordered the other people to stand back. Taking [Arshak] by the hand he strolled with him back and forth.

As they wandered around the tent [Shapuh] said to him, while they were on Iranian soil: "Arshak, king of Armenia, why have you been my foe? For I loved you like [you were] a son, I wanted to marry you to my daughter and make you my son. But you braced against me and by your own will, not by my wishes, you became my foe. It has been thirty years that you have been warring with me."

King Arshak replied; "I sinned and transgressed against you for I came, destroyed and vanquished your enemies, and I looked forward to receiving the gift of life from you. But my enemies duped me, made me afraid of you, and they made me flee from you. Lo, the oath that I swore to you led me here, before you. Behold, I am a servant in your hand. Do with me what you will. Kill me, for I, your servant, am very guilty before you, worthy of the death penalty."

[185] King Shapuh, taking [Arshak's] hand, strolled with him, excusing him, but going over [that part] of the floor where the Armenian soil had been spread. As soon as [Arshak] reached the spot [g173], as soon as he set foot on Armenian soil, he became extremely arrogant and insolent, changing his tone. He began speaking, saying: "Away from me, evil-doing servant who has become master of your [former] lords. I do not forgive you and your sons the vengeance of my ancestors, and the death of [Parthian] king Artewan. For now you the servants have taken the station of us, your lords. I shall not excuse this until we again come to occupy our [rightful] places.

Now once again [Shapuh] took him by the hand and led him to the Iranian soil. Then [Arsak] lamented what he had said, bowed, grabbed [Shapuh's] feet and with great expiation apologized for what he had said. But when [Shapuh] took him by the hand and led him over to the Armenian soil, once again [Arshak] began to speak out even more harshly than before. Now again he was put on the other soil and began to speak of atonement. [Shapuh] thus tested him from [186] morning until evening. When [Arshak] was taken over the Armenian soil he harshly grew arrogant, but while going over the natural ground, he became penitent.

Now it became time for the evening meal of the Iranian king. There was a custom that the Armenian king would sit with him on the same couch of his taxt; there were laws that the king of Iran and the king of Armenia would sit on one level of the same taxt. But on that day, first they prepared all the couches of the kings there, and arranged them all. The last place and below all the others they set aside for Arshak's couch. They spread Armenian soil on the ground underneath it. After everyone had been seated according to his station, they brought in king Arshak and seated him. For a moment he remained seated there, proud and puffed up. Then he got on his feet and said to king Shapuh: "The place where you are sitting belongs to me. Get up and let me sit there, for that place belongs to our azg [g174]. When I reach my land, I shall seek very great vengenace from you."

Then king Shapuh of Iran ordered that chains be brought and cast around the neck of Arshak, and irons about his hands and feet, and that they should take him to Andmesh, which is called Anyush fortress, and keep him bound there until he died. The next day king Shapuh ordered that Vasak Mamikonean, the general sparapet of Greater Armenia, should be brought before him, and he began to threaten him. Now Vasak was personally small, and Shapuh, king of Iran said to him: "Hey, fox, it was you who obstructed things and so fatigued us. You are the one who destroyed the Aryans for so many years. Why? I will kill you with a fox's death." Vasak replied, saying: "Now that you see me as personally short, you are not [accurately] measuring, my size. For until now I was a lion to you, but now, I am a fox. While I was Vasak, I was a giant with one foot on one mountain and the other foot on another mountain. When I leaned on my right foot the mountain [under my] right would be brought to the ground. When I leaned on my left foot, the left mountain would be brought to the ground." King Shapuh of Iran then asked: "Pray tell me what were those two mountains that you brought to the ground?" And Vasak replied: "Of the two mountains, one was you and the other was the Byzantine emperor. While God allowed it, I brought you and the Byzantine emperor to the ground, since the blessing of our father Nerses was upon us, and God had not forsaken us. While we acted according to his word, and accepted his counsel, be aware, we could have taught you a lesson. But with our eyes open, we fell into the abyss. So, do what you want" [g175]. [188] Then the king of Iran ordered that the general of Armenia, Vasak, be flayed, that the skin be removed and filled with hay, and taken to that very Andmesh fortress (which they call Anyush) wherein king Arshak was being held.

55.


About the enslavement and devastation of the land of the Armenians; the taking into Iranian captivity of queen P'arhandzem; the ruin of Armenian cities, and the complete overturning of the land to its foundations.

Subsequently Shapuh, king of Iran, dispatched against Armenia a certain two of his princes, one named Zik, the other, Karen, to come to the land of Armenia with 5,000,000 [troops] and to dig up and demolish it. They reached the country of Armenia. Now when the tikin of the land of Armenia, king Arshak's wife, P'arhanjem, saw that the troops of the king of Iran had come and filled up the land of Armenia, she took with her 11,000 select armed azat warriors and with them she went and entered the fortress of Artagers in the Arsharunik' country—to get away from the Iranian troops. But later all the Iranian troops arrived and they invested the fortress, held and besieged it. Those on the inside were depending on the security of the place. [But those on the outside] pitched camp and waited.

[189] [The Iranians] besieged the fortress for thirteen months, but were unable to take it, for the place was very secure. They ruined and demolished the entire country. They took booty from the entire country and arose into the surrounding districts and lands, taking people and animals captive and bringing them to their own encampment. They brought their victuals from elsewhere, and remained there besieging the fortress [g176].

Now Arshak's son Pap it happened, was not at that time in the land of Armenia, but had gone to see the emperor of Byzantium. When the azatagund banak of Armenia heard all this they went to seek help. The head of their [delegation] was Musegh, the son of sparapet Vasak. And [the delegation] went to its crown-prince. While they were still talking with the Byzantine emperor and convincing him to help them, they sent emissaries to the country of Armenia frequently, [messages] to the tikin of the land, to P'arhanjem, to withstand, to uphold the fortress and not surrender it to the Iranians. [P'arhanjem] was also receiving emissaries frequently, every week, one after the next from her son Pap. Somehow they would secretly enter the fortress through a secret door and give the tikin encouragement. The siege [190] stretched into its thirteenth month. [The messengers] who were constantly going and coming would tell her: "Hold tight, your son Pap is coming with an inperial brigade to help." The encouragement prolonged things. "A moment more," they would say, "Hold out a little longer and lo, help will arrive."

After the fourteenth month, the blow of God fell upon the fugitives at the fortress, for death was visited upon the people who were in the fortress, and it was punishment from the Lord. In the presence of tikin P'arhanjem, those who were in the tachar were eating and drinking and merry-making. But then suddenly, in one hour, 100 people [died], the next hour, 200 [died] and it happened that 500 people died on the seats they were sitting on. And day after day they perished. No more than a month after [the sickness] began, practically all of them were dead, some 11,000 men and 6,000 women—they did not last a month. [Almost] everyone in the fortress perished.

However tikin P'arhanjem and two waiting-maids remained [alive] in the fortress. Now the eunuch Hayr mardpet secretly entered the [191] fortress and greatly insulted the tikin as a whore. He started to insult the azg of the Arsacids [saying that they were] wanting in judgement and disgraceful and lost the land, besides. He said: "What has already befallen you was just, and so is what will happen." Then [Hayr] secretly fled. Now when tikin P'arhanjem saw that she was alone, she opened the fortress gates and let the Iranian troops enter. They came and seized the tikin and lowered her from the fortress. The Iranian troops entered the fortress and captured the treasures of the king of Armenia which were there. They started to gather and lower down all the treasures in the fortress. For nine days and nine nights they were continuously lowering down what they found in Artaragers fortress. They took this, with the tikin.

After this, they came to the great city of Artashat which they captured, destroying its walls. They took all the treasures which they found stored there and they enslaved the entire city. From the city of Artashat they took 9,000 households of Jews (who had been brought into captivity from the country of the Palestinians by king Tigran Arshakuni), and 40,000 households of Armenians. They burned [191] down the wooden structures in the city, and they demolished the structures built of stone. They tore down the wall and all buildings in the entire city, right to their foundations, and they did not leave stone upon stone. They left it desolated and barren of all population.

When they had assembled all the captives taken from the city in one place, they crossed the T'ap'er bridge and proceded to count the captives, keeping them among troops bearing spears. The Iranian military commanders said to Zuit', priest of the city of Artashat: "Leave the ranks of the captives and go wherever you must." But the presbyter Zuit' did not agree to this, saying: "Wherever you take the flock, take the shepherd. For it is impossible for the shepherd to leave his flock; rather, he must give his life for his sheep." So saying he entered captivity, and went into slavery to the country of Iran, together with his people [g178].

[The Iranians] also took Vagharshapat city which they demolished and dug through, overthrowing it to the foundations. From that city they took 19,000 households. They did not leave a single building in the entire city, for they overturned and demolished all of them. [193] They spread out raiding throughout the entire country, killing all the mature males, and taking the women and children into captivity. They seized all the fortresses of the king of Armenia, and filling them with many provisions, they left fortress-keepers in them. They took the great city of Eruandashat and took thence 20,000 Armenian households and 30,000 Jewish households, then they levelled the city and dug through it. They also took the city of Zarehawan in Bagrewand, leading away from it 5,000 Armenian households and 8,000 Jewish households. They demolished the city to the foundations. They took the great city of Zarishat, which was located in the district of Aghiovit, leading off 14,000 Jewish households and 10,000 Armenian households, and destroying the city to its foundations. They took the secure city of Van, in the district of Tozb, burned it, pulled it down to its foundations and leading from it 5,000 Armenian households and 18,000 Jewish households.

This entire multitude of Jews [were descendants of] those whom the great king of Armenia, Tigran, captured and brought to the country of Armenia from the country of the Palestinians, at the time when he captured and brought to Armenia Hiwrkandos the chief-priest of the Jews, in ancient times. And the great king Tigran brought all [194] of this Jewry and settled it in the cities of Armenia, during his era. But now [the Iranians] destroyed the cities and enslaved the people living there. They took the entire country of Armenia captive and all the district they took into slavery, the districts, the regions, cavities, the lands, were assembled at the city of Naxchawan. For that was the assembling place for their troops. They took [Naxchawan] and demolished it as well. They took thence 2,000 Armenian households and 16,000 Jewish households and then departed [g179] with all of the captives. [The Iranians] left in the country of Armenia, ostikans and overseers to bring the survivors of the land into service. Then, taking the tikin P'arhanjem, with treasures and a multitude of captives, they went to the country of Iran. The captives were taken to king Shapuh of Iran, in the country of Iran.

When they took to Iran the tikin P'arhanjem, and all the captives of Armenia, and placed the treasures and tikin P'arhanjem before the king, the king of Iran greatly thanked his generals. Now since king Shapuh of Iran wanted to greatly insult the azg of [195] the land of Armenia, and the kingdom he ordered all of his troops, his grandees, and the lesser ones, and all the men in the country where he ruled to assemble and to have the tikin of Armenia in the midst of the mob. He ordered that in the concourse a contrivance be placed, and that the woman be affixed to it. Then he subjected the tikin P'arhanjem to abominable, bestial intercourse. So they caused the tikin P'arhanjem to perish. But they took all the other captives and settled them, some in Asorestan, some in the country of Xuzhastan.

56.

The martyrdom of the priest Zuit', from the city of Artashat, in the country of the Iranians.

Now when all the Armenian captives had been taken to the country of Iran, they took the presbyter of the city of Artashat, Zuit' before king Shapuh of Iran, in shackles. King Shapuh of Iran looked and saw the priest Zuit', a tall and attractive man, but [g180] a youth, The hair on his head was grey, but his beard was still black. When [the king] began to speak, he said: "Do you see that he is a man of evil? It is clear from his hair that he is a witch, for [196] his hair is white though his beard is black." The priest replied: "Say what you want to do, and do it. But as for [the question of the hair] know that the hair on my head was justified in turning white first, for it was at least fifteen years earlier than the beard in sprouting." The king ordered that he should be held until the next day. Now the next day he ordered that [Zuit] be brought to the concourse in chains. Then ostikans of the court arose and inquired whether he would consent to accept the worship of the Mazdean faith; otherwise, he would be put to death. But [Zuit'] refused. On the contrary he was delighted and wanted to die for the name of God. Going to the place of execution, he requested of his overseers that he be allowed to pray a little. Going forward, he kneeled and said [g181]: [We omit the translation of ch. 57, Zuit's prayer] [197]

58.

The coming of the Iranian king Shapuh to the country of Armenia and the complete destruction of the remnants left alive.

After this Shapuh, the king of Iran, went to the country of Armenia with all the troops under his authority. He had as guides Vahan, from the Mamikonean tohm, and Meruzhan, from the Arcrunik' tohm. They reached the country of Armenia and began raiding. They took all their captives and assembled them in one place. Many of the Armenian naxarars left their women, children, and families and fled here and there. The marauder gathered all the women whom the Armenian naxarars had left when they fled, and brought them to king Shapuh of Iran.

The banak of king Shapuh of Iran was then located in the district of Bagrewand, at the ruins of the city of Zarehawan (which had been ruined previously by the Iranian troops). They brought before the Iranian king all the slave remnants of the land of Armenia. King Shapuh of Iran ordered that all mature males be trampled by elephants, and that all the women and children should [g182] be put under the blades of threshers. They killed thousands upon thousands, myriads upon myriads, there was no counting the slain. [198] [Shapuh] ordered that the women of the fugitive azats and naxarars should be taken to the horse-arena in the city of Zarehawan. He ordered that all the azat women should be stripped and seated here and there in the arena. Then king Shapuh himself, mounted on a horse quickly rode around the women. Those who caught his eye he took with him, one by one, to rape. For he had pitched a tent near the arena and he would go there to commit impiety. Thus he spent many days with the women. They killed all the mature males of the azg of the Siwnik' tohm, killed all the women, and [Shapuh] ordered that all the young boys should be made eunuchs and sent to the country of Iran. He did all this to get vengeance on Andovk, [as a result of whom] there was war with Nerseh, king of Iran.

Shapuh, king of Iran, commanded that fortresses should be built in the very secure places of Armenia, and that fortress-keepers be designated. He divided the azat women among the fortresses and left them there. For if their husbands did not come to him in service, the women in the fortresses would be killed by the fortress-keepers with whom they had been left. And he left Zik and Karen in the land as princes for them, with many troops. Authority over the remainders was entrusted to Vahan and Meruzhan. Then Shapuh himself went to Atrpayakan [g183]. [199]

59.

How Meruzhan and Vahan remained in the land of the Armenians and what great evils they wrought there; how Vahan and his wife were slain slain by their own son.

Vahan Mamikonean and Meruzhan Arcruni, two abominable and impious men, had rebelled from the oath of worship of [the Christian] God and agreed to worship the non-gods of the Mazdean sect. Thereafter they began to destroy the churches in the country of Armenia (the places of prayer for the Christians), in all parts of Armenia, in all the districts and regions. And they harassed many people whom they seized to abandon God and turn to the worship of the Mazdeans. Then Vahan and Meruzhan ordered that all the women whom the fugitive naxarars had left and abandoned should be harassed in the fortresses so that they turn to the Mazdean faith. If they did not agree [to convert], all of them would be put to death wickedly. When the fortress-keepers received this command, each one oppressed whoever was by him, as the command ordered. But when not a single one of them agreed to apostasize Christianity, all of them were wickedly killed in the fortresses where they were being held.

Now Vahan had a half-sister of the Mamikonean tohm (Vardan's sister) [named] Hamazaspuhi. She was the wife of Garegin, lord of Rhshtunik' district. When Shapuh, king of Iran, had come to the country of Armenia, her husband Garegin left her and fled. The tikin of [200] Rhshtunik' [was being kept] at the citadel in the fortress of Van, which is a city in the district of Tosb. The impious Vahan and Meruzhan ordered the fortress-keeper to harass the woman. The order was given that if she did not accept the Mazdean faith, she should be [g184] hanged from a lofty tower and killed. When Hamazaspuhi did not consent to hold the faith of Mazdaism they took her to a high tower which was located over a high rock precipice. They stripped her naked, tied her feet and suspended her upside down from the height. Thus she died from the hanging. She had a white body and a dazzling appearance, and remained hanging there, a wondrous sight. Her body on high gleamed like white snow and many people came there every day to see it, as though it were a miraculous phenomenon. Seeing the sight of the tikin Hamazaspuhi, a woman, a dayeak of hers stood with an apron called anakiwghs tied around her waist, under the high precipice from which her pupil hanged. She waited until the entire body decomposed. She gathered to her bosom alI the bones of her pupil as they fell, and then went to her own people.

The two men [Vahan and Meruzhan] were so wicked that they did not even pity their own. Rather, without mercy they judged [201] strangers as well as their own families. They built atrushans in many places and made people obedient to the Mazdean faith. They built many atrushans on their own sep'hakan [property] and had their children and relatives study Mazdaism. But one of Vahan's sons, named Samuel, struck and killed his father, Vahan, and his mother, Ormizduxt (who was the sister of king Shapuh of Iran). Then [Samuel] fled to the Xaghteac' country. [Translator's note: Pages 186-90 of the grabar text contain chapter headings for the Fifth Book] [g185].



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