A Hypothesis on the Antiquity of the Armenian Alphabet

The Armenian nation has been formed 50-40 millenniums ago. The Armenian scripts (hieroglyphs, cuneiforms) have originated 25000 years ago.

The first Armenian alphabet had 19 letters, it has originated for approximately 15-12 thousand years ago.

The developed alphabet with its 34 letters has existed in the 6^th millennium B.C. (during the times of Karahunj).

According to the evidences brought in the book of Paris M. Heruni “Armenians and Old Armenia”, the basis of all Indo-European languages has begun approximately 7000 years ago. And that was the Armenian language.

The first Christian king was Trdat the Third and the Catholicos was Grigor Partev. They have totally abolished any pagan culture, writing, literature, temples (the only temple, which has been preserved is Garni temple and that was due to the fact that it was the king’s summer residence).

1. The letters engraved on the rocks in the 8-9^th centuries B.C.,  2. the Phoenician letters of the 12-11^th centuries B.C. and  3. The Aramaic letters of the 10th century B.C. are very similar to our alphabet.

Immediately after adopting Christianity as a state religion in 301, the Armenian alphabet was forbidden as Paganism.

In Armenia, during nearly a century, they used only Greek and Syrian alphabets and books, despite the fact that Greece, as well as Syria adopted Christianity after Armenia and their alphabets are borrowed from the Armenian alphabet (in the 9^th century B.C. or later).

In 406, Mesrop Mashtots restored the Armenian alphabet, not it is a new alphabet given by Jesus Christ (in which every Armenian believes, as this is what the church has taught us for centuries).

100 years after the adoption of Christianity, King Vramshapuh 389-417 A. D. and catholicos Sahak came to the conclusion that a state cannot function normally without its own alphabet. And they decided to restore the Armenian script. But they told everybody that it was given to the Armenians from above, by Jesus Christ.

Apparently it was the book of Agatangeghos “The Armenian History” (the only Armenian book preserved outside Armenia), which Mesrop Mashtots has found and with the help of which he restored the Armenian alphabet.

The opinion that he has lived in the fifth century A. D. is wrong. He has lived in the 3-4^th centuries and as he writes, he has witnessed the adoption of Christianity in 301.

This was also the reason why the Armenian Church has kept it during 1700 years and copies it once in 100 years and why it was translated into many European languages.

Source:  the book of Paris M. Heruni “Armenians and Old Armenia”