A Contrastive Study of Kārnāme-e Ardešīr-e Bābakān with the Legends of the Book Attributed to Barsuma Based on the Movses of Khoren’s Report
Subject Areas : Research in Iranian classical literature
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Keywords: Cyrus Khorahbud Bārsuma Rāstsokhun Sāssānid historical epics Shāhnāmeh,
Abstract :
There exists important information about a Greek book on Persian history and legends recorded in the writings of Movses of Khoren, the first Armenian historian of the 5th century. Part of the book seems comparable to Kārnāme-e Ardešīr-e bābakān) or Book of the Deeds of Ardešīr, Son of Papag. In his short report, some of the legends relate to Ardešīr, and some relate to other Persian mythical and historical figures. However, most researchers, and among them Theodor Nöldeke, have attributed these legends exclusively to Ardešīr I, a mistake that caused some inaccurate conclusions particularly about the legend of Cyrus’s childhood and upbringing. Besides, Khorn’s report, including the author’s name, and the name of its Persian translator, has totally been ignored. The present paper explains our reasons for rejecting the false common claims, and tries to make a close analysis of Khoren’s report based on linguistic principles and the latest researches of the Armenian researchers, and then compare it with Kārnāme. Meanwhile, it clarifies the identities of the book’s author and the translator, giving their correct names already recorded disorderly and in just few resources. To make sure, legends in Khoren’s text is contrasted with its French and Armenian translations, Kārnāme, and Shāhnāme. The findings of the research can be used in studies on Kārnāme-e Ardešīr-e bābakān, the mythology and literature of the Ancient Iran, the ancient history of Persia and the West, and particularly the lost resources like Khodāy- Nāmak (Book of Kings). They can also be beneficial in evaluating Khoren’s style of historiography.