Book brings Anania Shirakatsi’s works to contemporary schools

Book brings Anania Shirakatsi’s works to contemporary schools

by Gohar Marikyan
Published: Saturday September 27, 2014

Anania Shirakatsi statue at Yerevan’s Matenadaran. Wikimedia

Anania Shirakatsi, in his 7th century manuscript Tvabanutiun
(Arithmetic) describes the methods he has developed for teaching
arithmetic to beginners and to first grade children. This manuscript
is the world’s oldest extant manuscript on arithmetic.

It contains interesting detailed explanations. Shirakatsi’s method
does not use any fancy visual aids, it does not require memorization,
and it eliminates learning by rote. Shirakatsi’s method builds strong
mathematical long-lasting knowledge. This method has been successfully
used in Armenia for centuries. The net effect has been the acquisition
of higher levels of arithmetic knowledge by children, setting a strong
foundation for achievements in scientific research in their adult
years. Even though times have changed Shirakatsi’s 7th century
methodology continues to be as effective in the contemporary
environment as it has been since the 7th century.

The book is a synopsis and a brief introduction to Anania Shirakatsi’s
genius methodology in teaching arithmetic. The book can be useful for
elementary school teachers to adopted and effectively use Shirakatsi’s
methodology in the 21st century diverse classroom. This book can also
be useful for parents who wish to help their children master the art
of counting and to teach them the fundamentals of mathematics. For
those who are interested in the history of education this book is an
excellent introduction to Anania Shirakatsi, the author of the oldest
extant textbook on arithmetic.

There is much more to research and to talk about this fascinating
topic and about the beauty of Anania Shirakatsi’s work.

The book can be found at , and is also available in
Kindle version.

Gohar Marikyan is an Associate Professor and an advisor of Mathematics
and Technology at the Empire State College of State University of New
York. For more info visit