approximately half a century after the collapse of the artaxiad dynasty armenia was under the rule of the arshakunis, the armenian branch of the parthian arsacids. next, in 314, under king tiridates (trdat) the great and through the apostolate of st. gregory the illuminator, armenia, nearly simultaneously with the roman empire, officially accepted christianity, a turning point in its history. an event of importance in the arshakuni period was the invention, on the threshold of the fifth century, of the armenian alphabet by st. mesrop. with this armenian became the language of the educated; it was introduced into the liturgy; and national literature was born (under hellenistic and syrian influences). armenia’s identity and individuality were thus saved and an absorption by either byzantine or iranian civilization was precluded.