Philology, Documentary Research, and Channels of Cultural Diffusion from the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth Century

The purpose of this contribution is not to focus on any literary genre, but rather to examine a precise (although broad) time period in the history of Armenian culture and thought. This article will document the period covered in chronological order, setting out, in particular, the progression of scholarly and philological efforts (understood in the widest sense of the term), and the expressions of Armenian cultural life that occurred from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. At the same time, it will highlight which of these elements have received greater attention in recent studies on the period, and which areas deserve new and further exploration by philologists, linguists, and modern historians.

The purpose of this contribution is not to focus on any single literary genre, but rather to examine a precise (although broad) time period in the history of Armenian culture and thought. This article will document the period covered in chronological order, setting out, in particular, the progression of scholarly and philological efforts (understood in the widest sense of the term), and the expressions of Armenian cultural life that occurred from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. At the same time, it will highlight which of these elements have received greater attention in recent studies on the period, and which areas deserve new and further exploration by philologists, linguists, and modern historians.