Lecture in Athens Explores the Influence of Greek Education on the Development of Higher Learning in Armenia

26 September, 2026

As part of the series of events dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia, on September 25, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Greece, in cooperation with the Centre for Asia Minor Studies of the Academy of Athens, organised a special lecture at the Ioannis Sykoutris Library of the Academy of Athens entitled “The Influence of Greek Education on the Development of Higher Learning in Armenia in Late Antiquity.”

The lecture was delivered by Professor Peter Cowe of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Chair of the Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies.

During the lecture, Professor Cowe examined the adoption and development of the Greek educational tradition in Armenia from the 5th to the 8th centuries, tracing the process from the spread of the Alexandrian educational system and the translation into Armenian of major philosophical and scientific works to the formation of an independent Armenian scholarly and intellectual tradition. Particular attention was devoted to David the Invincible and Anania Shirakatsi, two prominent figures in the Armenian intellectual tradition who made significant contributions to philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy.

Welcoming remarks were delivered by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Greece, Tigran Mkrtchyan, and Professor Paschalis Kitromilides, Director of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies of the Academy of Athens.

In his remarks, Ambassador Mkrtchyan emphasised that a number of events marking the 35th anniversary of Armenia’s independence would highlight the centuries-old civilisational ties between Armenia and Greece.

The event highlighted the profound and longstanding intellectual connections between the Greek and Armenian worlds, as well as the importance of the two peoples’ shared historical and cultural heritage as a vital foundation for further strengthening relations between Armenia and Greece.

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