The episcopacy of Vanand was one of the ancient 12/13 dioceses of Armenia, which were confirmed by St. Gregory the Illuminator at the beginning of the 4th century. Some time later, with the second diocesan branch of St. Gregory the Illuminator, it became the 15th among the 30 (36) major dioceses of Armenia, occupying a central place. The episcopacy of Vanand played a decisive role in the national church affairs of the country in the early Middle Ages.

Keywordsepiscopacy diocese Vanand ancient main central place Middle Ages national church Catholicos.

On the basis of the manuscripts and other materials preserved in the archives of Tumanyan, one can make a rough idea of the tendency of the drama “Artavazd”, of its possible plot, ideology, psychological developments of the author, and symbols. By means of a comparative examination, not only several essential characteristics of the typological differentiation of Artavazd myth are highlighted, but possible hypotheses for revealing the contextual sub-layers of H. Tumanyan’s “Artavazd” drama are also suggested. While studying the issue, we applied the comparative, historical-comparative, interpretive methods, pointing out and analyzing the basis of tragical conflict between Artashes and Artavazd and the key features in Tumanyan’s notes and in the article “On the section of “Tenchair Satenik” by Khorenatsi”.

Keywords H. Tumanyan M. Khorenatsi legend Artashes Artavazd Satenik unfinished drama notes mythological map envy longing psychological domain.

In 428 AD, the Persian king Vram V Gor (420/421-438/439 AD), by the agreement of most of Armenian nakharars, abolished the Arsacid kingdom (66-428 AD) in Armenia. After that, up to the 630s AD, Armenia turns into a Persian border administrative unit – marzpanate. Armenia, although had the status of marzpanate, it still retained internal autonomy in the basis of the nakharar system. The Armenian princes-nakharars remained the hereditary landowners of their territories. The nakhararutyun (principality) was ruled by the nakharar, who was the hereditary landowner of his territory and the nahapet or tanuter of his clan. In the Arshakuni and later in marzpanian Armenia, the lands were owned by three groups 1) the king (after 428 AD – the Sasanian king), 2) the church, 3) the nakharars. The principalities of the marzpanian period was quantitatively inferior to the royal one.

KeywordsArmenian marzpanate nakharars Sasanians nakharar domains Mamikonyans Bagratunis Syunis Artsakh “Gahnamak”.

The census is an important source of accurate information about the population of a state. The first All-Union census in the USSR was held in 1926. This census differed from both previous and subsequent censuses in the principles used to determine the national composition of the population guided solely by the principle of self-determination. As a result, 191 nationalities were registered throughout the USSR. However, difficulties have also arisen in registering some ethnic groups.

KeywordsAll-Union census main nationalities determination of ethnic identity the Persians the Karapapakhs the Turks the Azerbaijani Central Statistical Office Agbaba Zangezur.

The article addresses general epic schemes of the three Armenian epics: ethnogonic, pagan, and medieval-Christian, as well as the Ossetian “Nart” epic. These folklore monuments received their final forms in different historical eras. The formation of the ethnogonic epic “Haikian” (Haikids) was completed in the 9th–8th centuries BC, the pagan epic “Ergk Vipasanats” (“Vipasank”) was composed from the 2nd century BC – 1st century AD, while the medieval epic “Sasna Tserer” was finally formed mainly in the 9th–10th centuries.

Keywordsepic four-branch structure thunder proto-character twins triplets “mithraic” hero main dragon-fighting hero dying and resurrecting hero.