Armenian Alphabet History

The Armenian alphabet is much more than a set of letters; it is a major part of Armenian culture, an important tool for recording numbers, and a key symbol of Armenian identity. Created in 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots-a linguist and church leader-with help from Isaac (Sahak) the Great and a Greek named Rufanos, the alphabet was carefully made to match the sounds of the Armenian language. Its introduction was a turning point. It allowed Armenians to translate the Bible and religious texts into their own language, helping Christianity take root in Armenia. For more than 1,600 years, this alphabet has represented the unity and pride of the Armenian people, even as they faced outside threats and foreign control. The alphabet has helped keep the Armenian language alive and is closely linked to the country’s spiritual and historical traditions.

The development of the Armenian alphabet over time shows how strong and flexible it is. The letter shapes have changed, new letters were added, and the alphabet even influenced nearby writing systems. UNESCO has recognized the Armenian alphabet for its cultural and artistic value. Today, it is still an active part of Armenian cultural life, known for its artistic look, its number system, and lasting importance.

What Is the Armenian Alphabet?

The Armenian alphabet, called Հայոց գրեր (Hayocʼ grer) or Հայոց այբուբեն (Hayocʼ aybuben) in Armenian, is a writing system made just for the Armenian language. Unlike some other alphabets that borrow or change existing letters, the Armenian alphabet was made from scratch to match the sounds of Armenian well. This careful matching is one of the alphabet’s key features, making it easy to write words exactly as they sound.

The Armenian alphabet is also used as a number system. Every letter is given a value depending on its place in the alphabet. So the letters are used for both writing and counting, as well as marking dates. This shows how important and useful the alphabet is for different areas of life in Armenia.

Key Features and Structure

• Originally had 36 letters, each for a different sound.
• Two more letters-օ (ō) and ֆ (f)-were added in the Middle Ages (the 11th century and 1037) to cover sounds from foreign words, making 38 letters.
• In modern (20th century) versions, the ligature և (ev) is treated like a separate letter, raising the total to 39 in some cases.
• The writing is left-to-right, like Greek and Latin scripts.
• Each sound usually has its own letter, making it very phonetic and straightforward to read and write.
• The Armenian word for “alphabet”, այբուբեն (aybuben), comes from the first two letters: Ա (ayb) and Բ (ben).

Origins and Creation of the Armenian Alphabet

In the early 5th century, Armenia needed its own writing system. Before this, people used Pahlavi for religion and Greek or Syriac for Christian texts. Translators were needed, and most people could not access religious teachings directly in their language. The new alphabet helped Armenians translate and understand these texts easily, strengthening national and religious unity.

Although the story is usually told as a one-time invention, some historians believe that Mashtots and his helpers may have used ideas from older Armenian scripts. No matter how it came about, Mesrop Mashtots is always seen as the founder of the Armenian alphabet.

Mesrop Mashtots’s Role

Mesrop Mashtots is known for inventing the Armenian alphabet in about 405 AD. His main goal was to help Armenians access Christian writings in their own language, instead of relying on Greek or Syriac translations. He wanted people to understand religious teachings directly.

He worked closely with Isaac (Sahak) the Great, who led the Armenian Church, and with a Greek named Rufanos. Some reports also credit Mashtots with creating the Georgian and Caucasian Albanian alphabets. The first sentence Mashtots wrote in Armenian was a translation from the Book of Proverbs: “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding.”

Historical and Cultural Context in the 5th Century

Armenia in the 5th century was caught between the Byzantine and Persian empires. It was the first country to make Christianity its state religion in 301 CE. But most people didn’t understand Greek or Syriac-the languages used in church-so religious life was disconnected from everyday people. Creating the alphabet was a matter of keeping Armenian identity alive and joining the Armenian people with their faith and traditions.

Earliest Inscriptions

The oldest known use of the alphabet is a stone inscription over the door of the Saint Sarkis church in Tekor, dated to the 480s. The earliest example found outside Armenia is a mosaic from the mid-6th century in Jerusalem, and a papyrus with Armenian script was found in Egypt. Complete manuscripts using the script come from the 9th-10th centuries, but earlier fragments show it was quickly put into use.

Developing the Armenian Alphabet Over Time

The Armenian alphabet has changed throughout the centuries. Different styles appeared as handwritten traditions grew and writing tools changed. Letter shapes and artistic features varied between periods, responding to cultural changes and practical needs.

Erkat’agir: The Oldest Style

• Called “ironclad letters”.
• Used from the 5th to the 13th century in major writings and stone carvings.
• Letters were big, upright, and round-like capital letters in Latin or Cyrillic.
• Later, Erkat’agir was used for titles and inscriptions, especially on stone.

Bolorgir: The Practical Script

• Means “rounded” or “cursive”, it likely started as early as the 10th century.
• Was more practical for copying manuscripts quickly.
• Though called “rounded”, it’s a mix of straight and curved lines.
• Became common from the 13th to 16th centuries and was used in the first Armenian printed books.

Notrgir and Shghagir: Speed and Modern Style

• Notrgir (“minuscule”) was made for quick, informal writing. It has smaller letters and was popular in the Armenian diaspora, moving later into print.
• Shghagir (“slanted writing”) is the standard form today. Examples go back to the 10th-11th centuries, but it became most used in the modern era.
• Both styles allowed for faster writing and show how the script changed over time to meet different needs.

Changes and Adjustments Through the Years

The Armenian alphabet mostly stayed the same in terms of matching letters to sounds. Still, there were some important changes to add new letters and update spelling.

New Letters and Spelling Updates

• The alphabet first had 36 letters. Later, օ (ō) and ֆ (f) were added for foreign words, making 38 letters.
• Between 1922-1924, Soviet Armenia made spelling changes-turning և (ev) and ու (u) into separate letters, raising the total to 39 in the reformed version.
• Many Armenians outside the former Soviet Union-especially Western Armenians and communities in Iran-still use the traditional spelling system instead.

Effects of Politics and Religion

The creation of the alphabet was closely linked to religion and national survival. It gave Armenians their own way to pass on Christian teachings and protect their culture from being absorbed by powerful empires. Even during foreign rule, Armenian writing helped keep literature, history, and traditions alive. Spelling reforms in the 20th century also reflected deeper divisions in the Armenian community about culture and identity.

Use with Other Languages

The Armenian script was sometimes used to write other languages. For example:

• More than 2,000 Turkish-language books were printed using the Armenian alphabet from the 18th century until about 1950.
• The first Turkish novel in the Ottoman Empire (Akabi Hikayesi, 1851) was written in Armenian script.
• Kurdish was sometimes written in Armenian letters-especially in Soviet Armenia from 1921-1928.
• In multi-ethnic areas, Armenian letters were used for Syriac or Kipchak literature, and Armenian itself was sometimes written in the Western Syriac alphabet.

The Armenian Alphabet in Writing and Art

The Armenian alphabet is not just functional-it’s often used in art, including books full of decorations and fancy handwriting. In 2019, UNESCO listed Armenian script and its cultural expressions as part of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Handwritten Styles and Calligraphy

• There are four main handwritten styles: Erkatagir, Bolorgir, Notrgir, and Sheghagir.
• Erkatagir is bold and formal-used in early monuments and important texts.
• Bolorgir, more flowing, became standard for manuscripts and early printed books.
• Notrgir allowed quick and efficient handwriting, useful for everyday notes and letters.
• Sheghagir, the “slanted” style, is common in handwriting today.

Handwritten Armenian letters often look quite similar in both their uppercase and lowercase versions, especially compared to other scripts.

Ligatures and Artistic Design

• Armenian manuscripts often have ligatures, where two or more letters are joined into a single symbol for faster and prettier writing.
• One of the most famous ligatures is և (made from ե and ւ).
• Books and handwritten documents were also decorated with fancy borders and pictures, adding meaning and beauty to the text.

Numerical and Symbolic Meanings

The Armenian letters are also used as numbers, adding another layer of meaning. Each letter has a number value based on its order in the alphabet.

Armenian Numerals: Letter-Number Chart

Dates were often marked by the letters ԹՎ (“in the year”) followed by these letter-numbers. The Armenian calendar starts at July 11, 552 AD. To find the corresponding year in the modern calendar, simply add 551 to the Armenian year.

Symbolism and Sacred Meanings

• The alphabet is sometimes connected to sacred meanings or secret codes.
• Some people arrange the alphabet in shapes like equilateral triangles, with certain letters at the corners representing religious ideas such as the Christian Trinity.
• It can also spell out special words or names when arranged in certain ways-like spelling “ՀԱՅՔ” (Hayk, an ancient name for Armenia).
• There’s also an idea that the number values of letters can be added up to match atomic numbers of certain elements, like combining the values in ՈՍԿԻ (voski, “gold”) to get 79-the atomic number for gold.

Legacy and Cultural Importance

The Armenian alphabet is not just history; it is still active and meaningful. It represents the strength, creativity, and survival of the Armenian people.

Shaping Armenian Identity and Literacy

• The alphabet has kept the Armenian language and writing alive through centuries of foreign rule and wars.
• It allowed Armenians to record their own history, religion, and stories without relying on outside languages or scripts.
• Armenia built an “Alphabet Park” in 2005, where large stone letters commemorate its 1,600th anniversary.

The Matenadaran-Library of Ancient Books

One place that shows the value of the Armenian alphabet is the Matenadaran, or Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, in Yerevan. This large building contains thousands of old Armenian books and manuscripts, as well as ones in other languages. Many of these texts are more than a thousand years old and show the different ways the alphabet developed. The Matenadaran is both a library and a research center, helping to protect and study Armenia’s rich written heritage for future generations.