Ancient and Medieval Armenian Literature (5th–18th Centuries)
The Golden Age and after
The 5th century produced the core canon: Koryun's Life of Mashtots, Yeghishe's History of Vardan and the Armenian War, Movses Khorenatsi's History of Armenia, Agathangelos, Pavstos Buzand's Epic Histories, and the philosophical works of David the Invincible. Know the genres: վարք (saints' lives), պատմություն (historiography), ճառ (oration), տաղ (hymn), ողբ (lament). The 10th century is dominated by Grigor Narekatsi and his Book of Lamentations, a cycle of prayers. The 12th century brings Nerses Shnorhali; the 13th–14th centuries, Frik and the Erznka school; the 16th–17th, Nahapet Kuchak's hayren poems; the 18th, Sayat-Nova's ashugh poetry.
Traps
Examiners test attribution and century. Do not assign Narekatsi to the 5th century or Khorenatsi to the 10th. Distinguish a հարանց վարք collection from an individual vita. Note that Sayat-Nova wrote in Tbilisi in several languages, and that Kuchak's hayren is a four-line syllabic form.
Worked example
«Մատյան ողբերգության» - Grigor Narekatsi, 10th century, 95 prayers. If a question asks for author, century and genre, answer all three: Narekatsi, 10th century, a prayer cycle (ողբերգություն in the title does not make it a tragedy).
Rule of thumb
Build a mental timeline with one anchor per century; when unsure, date by the author's teacher or patron rather than guessing.