FRENCH RESEARCHERS OF THE 19th CENTURY ON THE ELUCIDATION OF SOME QUESTIONS OF THE HISTORY OF ARMENIA OF THE VAN (ARARAT- URARTU) KINGDOM’S PERIOD
In French Oriental studies of the 19th century a considerable attention was paid to research of ancient and medieval history of Armenia; it was important for development of Armenology. M. Brosset made great contribution to this field juxtaposing Egyptian, Assyrian and Babylonian cuneiform inscriptions’ data with some information contained in the medieval Armenian sources (in his translation) relating to ancient history. Along with the Armenian sources’ translation M. Brosset researched the works of Jean-François Champollion (1790- 1832), J. Oppert (1825-1905), Fr. Lenormant (1837-1883) and others devoted to the studies of the problems of history of the countries of Western Asia and Egypt based on the decipherment of hieroglyphic and cuneiform inscriptions. French orientalists touched also some topics of the history of ancient Armenia.
The significance of Movses Khorenatsi’s work in discovery of the Van cuneiform inscriptions is determined by their important place in the historical cultural heritage of Armenia. The comments on the country name Armenia and the ethnic name Armenian, on the basis of the decipherment of the Assyrian and Van cuneiforms are an important contribution by the European and particularly French Armenologists of the 19th century to the studies of the history of the Van (Ararat-Urartu) Kingdom as an integral part of ancient Armenian history.
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