"In February I received an unexpected email. The letter's author wrote that he has an old silver cross with an inscription in Armenian. He asked a priest in Aleppo to translate the inscription, and asked me to check the translation of the priest. I offered to show me the original inscriptions in Armenian, and that's when I saw the pictures of the cross. It was just amazing, and I realized its importance for the history of Armenian art, "- says Greenwood.
Scholar argues that the inscription, the form of letters, as well as the shape of the cross confirmed that it was made in 6-7 centuries. This period historians call the late Middle Ages. From the inscription only known that the cross was made by order of a certain Nersega Horhorunyats province, but details of its history and to whom it belonged, not yet known.
As a result of research conducted after this first discovery, in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum in Greenwood finds 2 more of the cross, which also date back to 6.7 centuries.
"Information about one of these crosses have been published, but it was a book on Byzantine art. About the other is still generally not been known. I wrote to the leadership of the museum, asking permission to conduct a study of crosses, but so far no reply received. The photos I managed to get only by being in Turkey's friend ".
Tim Greenwood says that his grandfather during World War I lived in Georgia and the Caucasus he had heard since childhood. After studying history at Oxford University, Greenwood has specialized in studying the history of the Middle East, and now focuses mainly on the history of Armenia and the Caucasus. Today, he is not only very good command of an excavator, but also teaches the language to his students at the University of St. Andrews.
"In their research, studying the Greek sources, I often come into contact with the Armenian material, and more and more became interested in Armenian history. Now it seems to me that I have researched so far only the surface, and under this layer of the rich hide more treasures, "- said the historian.
Scientists plan to publish their research in the spring of 2011. According to him, but then will show the first cross, which is a private person. The owner of the cross while unwilling to stay anonymous. Greenwood confident that this discovery is extremely important for the study of history and art of Armenia, and hoped that the importance of the crosses and make the Turkish Archaeological Museum present held by him in the game crosses the public.
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