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Fun fact: inscriptions appear in the Armenian script in 5th cent, but the earliest extant Armenian *handwriting* was not written in Armenia. It’s a papyrus (BnF arm 332) from Fayyūm, Egypt. And it is not actually in the Armenian language. It’s a study guide to learn Greek.
Dating of the papyrus is still contested. probably 6-7th cent? The Armenian tradition claims that the Armenian alphabet was revealed to Mesrop Maštoc‘ in the early 5th cent, so that’s an easy terminus post quem.
the papyrus predates all manuscript evidence of the Armenian script, so the best comparisons are epigraphic. most early inscriptions don't look like handwriting but it’d be neat to pair with the 5th-cent Armenian graffito in Nazareth:
Most have gone with a loose “6-7th century” dating for the papyrus, claiming that it likely predates the Arab conquest. however, we can’t assume ppl in Egypt flipped a switch and stopped speaking Greek immediately as soon as Arabs showed up.
The papyrus includes basic bargaining phrases, body parts, supplies, family members, medical words, months, weapons, religious phrases, conjugations. It’s hard to choose a fav line. Maybe it’s the realization that one of the top 100 words to know is “snot” (միւքսար for μυξάριον)?
assuming he was learning useful words, the papyrus might have been for a soldier. possibly an Armenian in the Byzantine army? he learns how to admit to his own incompetence should he lose a prisoner. poor guy.
I stumbled across this when I was supposed to be doing something else entirely (naturally), but ended up flipping through Arménie: la magie de l’écrit, which is a beautiful book.
So this is tonight’s rabbit hole for me. the text of the papyrus is published in James Clackson, “A Greek Papyrus in Armenian Script” (2000).
