Sebeos

Sebeos is a historian known for an Armenian historical text written in the seventh-century Christian world and traditionally attributed to him. The text in question is part of a larger chronicle (Volume 1, p. 78).

Narratives on Kurdish Geography

The text attributed to Sebeos is important for containing various information about the geography and peoples of Kurdish history. In one of the narratives, some nobles from Byzantium want to kill a Byzantine official, described as a curator, who entered a hot spring near Karin/Erzurum to find healing. This official becomes aware of the impending attack and manages to escape before being captured. The nobles then burned and destroyed everything they encountered in the region; they even attacked the country/mountains of Korduk, described as "inaccessible," and attempted to seize the castles there (ch. 17) (Volume 1, p. 79).

Peoples and Medes

In another section of the text, it is stated that the Kordrik people are "infidels" (ch. 24). The text also mentions the Medes, who no longer existed at that time. In the part where Sebeos describes the Arab-Persian conflict, he recounts that the Medes, under the command of a general named Rustem, took part alongside the Persians against the Arabs with an army of 80,000 people (Volume 1, p. 79).

Its Value as a Source

In this respect, the chronicle attributed to Sebeos is considered among ancient and Islamic period sources regarding the peoples and political-military movements in the region at the beginning of Late Antiquity and the Islamic period (Volume 1, p. 78).