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Early Armenian Printing and UC Berkeley

Bible. Gospels. Armenian (Ms. UCB 113) Description 209 leaves : paper ; 207 x 150 (140 x 97) mm. bound to 205 x 159 mm. Note Ms. codex. Title supplied by cataloger. Collation: Paper (heavy, waxed), fol. ii (parchment) + 209 + ii (parchment); 10¹² (-1) 2-17¹² 18⁶; each quire is numbered at beginning and end. Layout: 2 columns of 22 lines; columns of text enclosed in decorative, long, closely-spaced double red lines, with arches at top which serve as vertical bounding lines; horizontal lines ruled in dry point; present also are shorter vertical lines rules in lead in margins which serve as guidelines for decorative, symmetrical patterns; first few opening lines of each pericope in red; section numbers in margins against text and concordances in lower margins. Script: Written in bolorgir script by one hand. Decoration: 4 full-page illuminated miniatures of the four Evangelists: Matthew (fol. 3v), Mark (fol. 61v), Luke (fol. 101v), and John (fol. 161v); opening page of each gospel has ornate, intricate decoration with floral motifs; other illustrations are marginal ornaments and decorative initials; all decoration is characterized by bright colors including orange, magenta, blue, purple, and pink, with generous application of gold. Binding: Worn velvet binding over boards, flush with book-block; stiff fore-edge flap attached to bottom cover; trace of large cross in middle of top cover, and other ornament on both covers; traces of 8 bosses, one in each corner of top and bottom covers; red edges with decoration on upper and lower edges toward the spine; 4 raised bands; sewn end-bands laced in. Origin: Surviving fragment of colophon states that the scribe was a cleric named Nicholas. According to Sanjian (see 510 note) he is probably the same scribe who wrote the Four Gospels at Kafa in the Crimea (1656) now in the Case Memorial Library at Hartford (Armen. 4). Shelfmark: Berkeley, CA, The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, MS UCB 113. Former shelfmark: Berkeley, CA, The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, 2MS BS2554.A7. Contents Fol. 1v-2v: Index to Gospel of Matthew; fol. 3r: blank; fol. 4r-59v: Gospel of Matthew; fol. 60r-60v: Index to Gospel of Mark; fol. 61r: blank; fol. 62-98v: Gospel of Mark; fol. 99r: blank; fol. 99v-101r: Index to Gospel of Luke; fol. 102r-160r: Gospel of Luke; fol. 160v-161r: Index to Gospel of John; fol. 162r-204r: Gospel of John; fol. 204v: [reading on the woman taken in adultery (lacking title)]; fol. 205r-205v: [colophon (end missing)]; fol. 206r: ruled vertically in red but blank; fol. 206v-209v: blank.
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References: Sanjian, A.K. Cat. med. Armenian mss., p. 49-53
De Ricci, p. 4, no. 5
Pearson, J.D. Oriental mss., p. 173
Rhodes, E.F. Armenian N.T. mss., p. 131, no. 1021
Nor Ktakaran Srboy Awetarani Teaṛn Meroy Hisusi Kʻristosi. Description 934 pages : illustrations (woodcuts) ; 17 cm (8vo) Note First separate edition of the New Testament in Armenian (title translated as "New Testament of the Sacred Gospel of our Lord Jesus"), following the printing in 1666 of the first complete Bible in Armenian. Woodcuts: portraits of each of the four Evangelists, St. Paul holding a sword, and scene of the disciples at the Descent of the Holy Spirit; 20 full-page woodcut scenes of the Apocalypse, twelve of which are after Dürer's Apocalypse and signed with the initials "A.D.;" all woodcuts executed by Christofel van Sichem, whose monogram "C.V.S." appears in lower right corner of the cuts; woodcut head-piece of a multi-lobed arch at head of text on opening page of the Gospel of Matthew; below are four drawings of a bird motif typical of Armenian illuminated letters; the bird letters spell "Girk" or "Book", and, in conjunction with the word directly underneath, read "Girk Tsnndean" or "Book of the Birth" [of Jesus]. Text printed in Armenian type. Catalog description from a Sotheby's 2006 auction sale of a copy of Nor Ktakaran notes that "The establishment of Armenian printing in Amsterdam owes its origin, much as does the printing of Hebrew books, to the necessity of escaping from the clutches of the Roman Inquisition, which in Italy controlled the making of type as well as the printing of books. The Armenian Matte'os Carec'i came from Italy to the "heretical Dutch" and used Christoffel van Dijck....to provide the material for casting two sizes of Armenian type, one Great Primer, and the other smaller, both meant for printing a Bible, each made up of 170 punches and 240 matrices, and in 1660 some material was received. Matte'os however died before the first book was printed and the whole matter nearly folded but the press was saved by another Armenian merchant Awetis Llicenc', who bought the press and paid all debts but insisted that all proceeds went to the two monasteries in Armenia after whom the press is named - St Ejmiacin and St Sargis. The press was run by his brother Oskan Erewanc'i, who came originally from New Julfa (Isfahan) where there was a large Armenian community." References: Historical catalogue of the printed editions of Holy Scripture in the Library of the British and Foreign Bible Society, no. 1780 Neressian, V. Catalogue of early Armenian books, 1512-1850, no. 32 Brunet, J.-C. Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres (5éd.), V:761 Binding Vellum with gilt-edged pages. CU-BANC Place of Publication Netherlands Amsterdam. Added Author Oskan, Erewantsʻi, 1614-1674, editor, printer. Sichem, Christoffel van, approximately 1546-1624, engraver. Dürer, Albrecht, 1471-1528. Apocalypse. Press of St. Ejmiacin and St. Sargis, printer.
[Արմենիան պսալտեր անդ սերվիcե բոոկ].; [Armenian psalter and service book]. approximately 1800 Description [5]-149, [1] p. illus. 22 cm. Note T.-p., p. 1-4 wanting. Initials; head and tail pieces. Local Note BANC; BS1425.A7 1565: Slightly mutilated.
[The New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ. Published in the year of our Lord 1766 ... during the primacy of His Holiness Simon the catholicos of Armenia. Local Note BANC; BS1995 1766: Bound in red morocco, gilt, gauffered edges. Place of Publication Italy Venice Added Author Bortoli, Antonio. Book producer.

General Sources on Armenia and Armenian Studies

Armenian Genocide Materials on Archive.org
ArmenianHouse.org
An electronic library featuring books and documents on Armenian literature, history, religion, and anything else Armenia-related. In English, Armenian, and Russian.
Armenica
History of Armenia from the Armenian perspective. Includes a chronology of American history, historical maps, and biographies. This site is in English.
Center for Armenian Research
The Armenian Research Center of the University of Michigan-Dearborn maintains a homepage of materials on the Armenians, their history, the Armenian Genocide, and the current struggle of Nagorno-Karabagh, literature, etc. as well as links to other important Armenia-related sites.
Genocide Resource Project
GenEd is a nonprofit organization assisting educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, as the predecessor of the pattern of genocides that followed. GenEd develops instructional materials and provides workshops, consultation and presentations.
Gomidas Institute
The Gomidas Institute is a non-profit organization that promotes and disseminates research, scholarship, and analysis on the modern Armenian experience. The Institute publishes books, documents, monographs, and memoirs, as well as the journal Armenian Forum, a quarterly journal of contemporary Armenian affairs. Some full text articles from the journal can be found here.
History of Armenia: Primary Documents
Created by BYU's Eurodocs project.
National Archives of Armenia
National archive of Armenia is a state non-profit organization and 11 regional (including Yerevan) branches. There are approximately 5759 funds with 3419353 maintenance units. In Armenian, English and Russian.
National Library of Armenia
The NLA is the largest repository of printed Armenian materials in the world. Site includes a digital collection and access to the catalog. In Armenian and English.
TITUS
TITUS (Thesaurus Indogermanischer Text - und Sprachmaterialien) is an international effort to gather old texts relevant to Indo-European study. The project's site includes texts in Old Church Slavic, Old Czech, Old Polish, Old Slovenian, Old Russian, and Old Baltic languages including Prussian and Armenian.

USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive This link opens in a new window
Repository of over 54,000 primary source video testimonies of the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the Guatemalan Genocide, the Nanjing Massacre, the Cambodian Genocide, the South Sudan Civil War, and more.
* More than 54,500 video testimonies at an average of two hours each
* Roughly 116,000 hours of film (equal to 13 years’ continuous streaming content)
* Over 900 German transcripts and almost 1,000 English transcripts (NEW).
* Almost 65,000 index terms in English, applied at the one-minute segment
* Over 719,000 images (photographs, documents, works of art, artifacts from war, etc.)
* Filmed in 63 countries; Testimonies given in over 40 languages
* 1.9 million names of family members and prominent figures; Roughly 49,000 locations referenced
* 2,500 recitations of literary works (poems, letters, diaries)
* Over 2,100 musical recitals; 2,300 interviewers; 1,000 videographers

Selected Armenian Studies Related Items at the Bancroft Library

The purpose of Armenian Studies Collections at UC Berkeley is to support the research and teaching about Armenia, Armenian Diaspora on campus. The Bancroft Library holds special collections on Armenian Studies.

In the late 1980’s, a group of Bay Area Armenian- American visionaries decided to introduce the concept of Armenian Studies to one of the most renowned universities in the world – the University of California, Berkeley. Within a few years, under the leadership of the UC Berkeley Armenian Alumni, the William Saroyan Visiting Professorship in Modern Armenian Studies was established, thanks to the remarkable mobilization of the community and generosity of a number of major donors. The Krouzian Endowment, established in 1996, provided important additional support.

In the fall of 1998, the William Saroyan Visiting Professorship became a full-time position. Professor Stephan Astourian was appointed Executive Director of the Armenian Studies Program and Assistant Adjunct Professor of History in July 2002. The William Saroyan position was no longer dependent on temporary appointments.

The program is further enriched by visiting lectures, academic conferences, symposia, and public speaking engagements organized or delivered by Professor Astourian.

St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church, Yettem, California : 1911-1986.
Description 160 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm.Subject St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church (Yettem, Calif.) -- History.Yettem (Calif.) -- Church history.Place of Publication United States California YettemAdded Title Saint Mary Armenian Apostolic Church, Yettem, California.
Papers relating to the Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church in Los Angeles, 1969-1970.
Description 1 portfolio.Summary Also included: letter to Mahdesian from M.G. Papazian, pastor of the Armenian Presbyterian Church in West New York, New Jersey, Mar. 17, 1936.Subject Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.). United Armenian Congregational Church.Armenians -- California.Fresno (Calif.)Added Author Pʻapʻazean, M. K. Correspondent.
William Saroyan papers, 1923-1999.
Description 2 cartons, 3 boxes (3.7 linear feet)Organization Carton 1: Typescripts of The Adventures of Wesley Jackson and short pieces of fiction (in alphabetical order A-F); some legal documents and miscellany. Carton 2: Typescripts of short stories and miscellaneous writings (F-W); biographical information; correspondence. Box 1: Correspondence and photocopies of typescript entitled More Obituaries. Box 2: Audiovisual materials including readings of Saroyan's work; speeches by Saroyan and interviews. Box 3: Phonodiscs including readings of Saroyan's work.Summary Collection includes personal and business correspondence, typescripts, annotated drafts, original drawings, family photo albums, and audio materials.Cite As: Preferred citation: William Saroyan papers, BANC MSS 2011/195, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.Source Gift; of Jacqueline Kazarian; 2010.Language In English and Armenian.Location Related collection: David Kherdian collection o

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Early Armenian Printing and UC Berkeley

General Sources on Armenia and Armenian Studies

Selected Armenian Studies Related Items at the Bancroft Library

Off-campus Access to Library Resources