Late Antique Historiography

History of Heraclius and the holy cross

Title(s):
  • History of Heraclius and the holy cross
  • ի հերակլայ պատմութեանց
    (i heraklay patmut‘eanc‘, From the histories of Heraclius)
  • Հերակլն ի Սեբիոսէ եպիսկոպոսէ ասացեալ
    (Heralkn i Sebiosē episkoposē asac‘eal, The Heraclius, which was said to be by bishop Sebios)
  • History of Heraclius
  • ի պատմութենէ հերակղի
    (i patmut‘enē herakłi, From the history of Heraclius)
  • պատմութիւն հերակլի ի Սեբէոսի եպիսկոպոսէ ասացեալ
    (patmut‘iwn herakli i Sebēosi episkoposē asac‘eal, The history of Heraclius, which was said to be by bishop Sebēos)
Author:
Period covered:
610-641
Language:
Armenian
State of Preservation:
Fragmentary
Genre:
  • Secular history (ethnic history)
  • Secular history (general)
Remarks:
No author is preserved in the extant excerpts. Its author has been identified with Pseudo-Sebeos, the anonymous author of a History of Armenia from the seventh century, but that work is  a different one by a different author.  The work might be identical with the one attested for Sebeos (Mahé 1984), although this is not unproblematic (see there). It has also been identified with a source mentioned by Uxtanes. Extant excerpts relate to the Heraclius' recovery of the holy cross. Hence, to avoid confusion, it may be best to reference the work as Anonymous history of Heraclius and the holy cross.
Edition - Translation:
  • J.-P. Mahé (1984) 'Critical remarks on the newly-edited excerpts from Sebeos'. In: Medieval Armenian culture, ed. T.J. Samuelian - M.E. Stone. Berkeley: 218-239.
Fragments:
  • Uxtanes of Sebastia, History 35
Users:
Sources:
Bibliography:
  • G. Abgaryan (1979) Patmut‛iwn Sebēosi. Yerevan: 421-433.
  • Z. Arzoumanian (1982) 'A critique of Sebēos and his History of Heraclius, a seventh-century document'. In: Classical Armenian culture, ed. T.J. Samuelian. Berkeley: 68-78.
  • Z. Arzoumanian (1985) Bishop Ukhtanes of Sebastia: History of Armenia. Part II. Fort Lauderdale.
  • A.J. Hacikyan, G. Basmajian, E.S. Franchuk, N. Ouzounian (2002) (eds.) The heritage of Armenian literature. Volume Two: From the sixth to the eighteenth century. Detroit: 81-93.
  • J. Howard-Johnston (2002) 'Armenian historians of Heraclius: An examination of the aims, sources and working-methods of Sebeos and Movses Daskhurantsi'. In: The reign of Heraclius (610-641): Crisis and confrontation, ed. G.J. Reinink - B.H. Stolte. Leuven: 41-62.
  • R.W. Thomson (1999) The Armenian History attributed to Sebeos: Historical commentary by James Howard-Johnston, with assistance from Tim Greenwood. Part I: Translations and notes. (Translated texts for historians, 31). Liverpool: xxxiii-xxxviii.
  • G. Traina (2018) 'The Armenian Primary history: a source of Procopius?' In: Le monde de Procope. The world of Procopius (Orient et Méditerranée 28), eds. G. Greatrex, S. Janniard, J. King. Paris: 173-182.