 |
Tadeos AvdalbegyanAn outstanding Armenian scholar and encyclopedist (historian-archaeologist, Marxist economist and philologist-linguist).
Date of Birth: 15.10.1885
Country:  Armenia |
Content:
- Tadéos Avdalbegyan: Armenian Polymath
- Career as a Revolutionary Scholar
- Linguistic and Economic Contributions
- Historical Insight
- Economic Theorizing
- Suppression and Legacy
Tadéos Avdalbegyan: Armenian Polymath
Birth and EducationBorn into a humble blacksmith family, Tadéos Avdalbegyan (1880-1936) was a renowned Armenian scholar of remarkable versatility. In 1907, he graduated from the Gevorkian Theological Seminary in Etchmiadzin, setting him on a path of academic pursuits.
Career as a Revolutionary Scholar
In 1913, Avdalbegyan's publication on the revolutionary writer Mikael Nalbandian led to his arrest by the Tsarist authorities on charges of inciting public unrest. Escaping abroad, he returned to Armenia in 1917.
As a member of the Social Democratic faction in the Armenian parliament (1918-1919), Avdalbegyan exhibited his political leanings. Subsequently, he headed the scientific department of the Armenian state publishing house and taught history at Yerevan State University (1922-1924).
Linguistic and Economic Contributions
Avdalbegyan's linguistic prowess manifested in the compilation of several Russian-Armenian dictionaries, introducing approximately 30,000 new terms into the Armenian language. His literary endeavors included the translation of seminal economic works by Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, Franz Mehring, and Karl Marx. Notably, he completed the first Armenian translation of Marx's "Capital."
Historical Insight
Avdalbegyan made significant contributions to Armenian historiography. His writings explored the country's history from the 5th to the 19th century, shedding light on its social, political, and economic evolution.
Economic Theorizing
Avdalbegyan developed innovative economic models, proposing schemas for simple and extended reproduction. His ideas influenced economic thought in Armenia and beyond.
Suppression and Legacy
According to art historian and translator Vardan Azatyan, Avdalbegyan and his fellow Marxist intellectuals fell victim to Stalinist purges or were vehemently criticized by nationalist Armenian scholars in modern Armenia as symbols of a nationalistic ideology counter to their agenda.
