Agathangelos

Agathangelos is the author of the first Armenian History, written in Armenian and attributed to an anonymous writer known by the epithet "good messenger". The work is considered among the sources of pre-Islamic Kurdish history due to its narration of early Sasanian history and the Christianization process of Armenia, and its inclusion of records regarding the Korduk geography (Volume 1, p. 73).

The Importance of Armenian Sources

One of the source groups that researchers attempting to write pre-Islamic Kurdish history should consult is Armenian sources. Especially after the fourth century AD, that is, with the development of Armenian historiography parallel to the Sasanian period, the importance of these sources for early Kurdish historiography increases. Armenians produced their first written works in the fourth century AD (Volume 1, p. 22).

Content and Dating of the Work

The work of this anonymous author, known by the epithet Agathangelos, meaning "good messenger," begins its narrative with the founding phase of the Sasanian empire and extends to the period before Saint Gregory's death in the first quarter of the 4th century. The earliest surviving manuscript of the work predates the tenth century, but its exact date is uncertain; other fragments are copies from after the tenth century. The Armenian version of the text is dated to after the second half of the fifth century. The work as a whole focuses on Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the fourth century through the efforts of King Trdat (Volume 1, p. 73).

Early Sasanian History

Agathangelos begins his work by narrating how Ardashir I ended the Parthian rule and established the Sasanian state, and also touches upon the events that occurred between the Armenians and Sasanians during this period; in this respect, the text contains striking information regarding early Sasanian history (Volume 1, p. 73).

References to Korduk

The work stands out for its two references to the Korduk geography, especially in terms of Kurdish history. In the first, while narrating that Trdat (250-330), the king of Armenia known as "the Great," gathered soldiers from all of Armenia against the Persians, Korduk is mentioned as the sixth principality (chap. 11. 795). In the second, while recounting Saint Gregory's travels to preach, it is stated that he traversed Armenia from one end to the other, and in this section where Armenian principalities are listed, he passed through the country of Korduk, and from there reached the "safe" country of Media and Azerbaijan (chap. 13. 842) (Volume 1, p. 73).