Nina G. Garsoïan (April 11, 1923 – August 14, 2022) was a French-born American historian specializing in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

and

Byzantine history The Byzantine Empire's history is generally periodised from late antiquity until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. From the 3rd to 6th centuries, the Greek East and Latin West of the Roman Empire gradually diverged, marked by Diocletian's (r. ...

. In 1969 she became the first female historian to get tenure at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and, subsequently, became the first holder of Gevork M. Avedissian Chair in Armenian History and Civilization at Columbia. From 1977 to 1979, she served as dean of the Graduate School of Princeton University.

Biography

Nina G. Garsoïan was born in Paris on April 11, 1923, to

parents from Nakhichevan-on-Don ( Rostov-on-Don) and

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. She moved to New York in 1933. She received a Bachelor of Arts in classical archaeology from Bryn Mawr College in 1943 and both Master of Arts degree and PhD from

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

, Near Eastern, and Armenian history. She received Fulbright Fellowship to study at the Mekhitarist monastery of San Lazzaro degli Armeni on San Lazzaro Island in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. Garsoïan began teaching at

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in 1956 and Columbia in 1962. In 1969 she became the first female professor to receive tenure at Columbia's Department of History. Garsoïan became the first female dean of the Princeton University Graduate School when she was appointed to the position in 1977. She served in that position until 1979. In 1979, she became the first holder of Gevork M. Avedissian Chair in Armenian History and Civilization at Columbia University. She retired in 1993 and was subsequently professor emerita of Armenian History and Civilization. Garsoïan was the director of the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

-based '' Revue des Études Arméniennes'' and a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America and a Corresponding

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in t ...

. She participated in a Byzantine Studies Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, twice serving as a co-director. Garsoïan died on August 14, 2022, at the age of 99.

Publications

Garsoïan published numerous books and journal and encyclopedia articles on Armenian, Byzantine, and Sasanian history. In her publications she emphasized the Iranian/Persian influence on Armenian history. ;Books *''The Paulician Heresy'': a study of the origin and development of Paulicianism in Armenia and the eastern provinces of the Byzantine empire. Mouton, 1968. *''Armenia between Byzantium and the Sasanians''. Variorum Publishing. 1985. *''The epic histories attributed to P'awstos Buzand: (Buzandaran Patmut'iwnk').'' 1989. *''L'Église arménienne et le grand schisme d'Orient''. Peeters Publishers. 1999. *''Church and Culture in Early Medieval Armenia''.

Ashgate Publishing Ashgate Publishing was an academic book and journal publisher based in Farnham (Surrey, United Kingdom). It was established in 1967 and specialised in the social sciences, arts, humanities and professional practice. It had an American office in ...

, 1999. *''De Vita Sua''. Mazda Publishers, 2011. (memoir) *''Studies on the Formation of Christian Armenia''. 2010. *''Interregnum: Introduction to a Study on the Formation of Armenian Identity (ca 600-750).'' 2012. ; ;Articles *"Byzantine Heresy. A Reinterpretation." '' Dumbarton Oaks Papers'' 25 (1971): 85–113. *"Secular jurisdiction over the Armenian church (fourth-seventh centuries)." ''

Harvard Ukrainian Studies Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher learn ...

'' 7 (1983): 220–250. *"Byzantium and the Sasanians." '' Cambridge History of Iran'' 3.1 (1983): 568–592. *"The problem of Armenian integration into the Byzantine empire." ''Studies on the internal diaspora of the Byzantine Empire'' (1998): 53–124. ;Translations *''The trade and cities of Armenia in relation to ancient world trade'' by Hakob Manandian. 1965 *''Armenia in the Period of Justinian'' by Nicholas Adontz.

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One of the wealthiest charitable founda ...

. 1970. *''The Arab Emirates in Bagratid Armenia'' by Aram Ter-Ghevondyan. Livraria Bertrand. 1976 *''The Epic Histories Attributed to Pʻawstos Buzand: (Buzandaran Patmutʻiwnkʻ)''.

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

, 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garsoïan, Nina 1923 births 2022 deaths People from Paris American historians Armenian studies scholars American Byzantinists American Iranologists Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Scholars of Byzantine history Historians of Armenia Historians of the Caucasus Women Byzantinists American women medievalists French emigrants to the United States French people of Armenian descent American people of Armenian descent Bryn Mawr College alumni Smith College faculty Columbia University faculty Princeton University faculty French Iranologists