Mkhitar of Ani (Mkhitar Anets'i [1] , Mxit'ar of Ani [2] ) was an Armenian historian and priest of the second half of the 12th to the beginning of the 13th century. [3] He studied at the monastery of Horomos, near Ani. [3]
Demonstrating a strong enthusiasm for astronomy, Mkhitar translated a Persian text on the zodiac and eclipses and accompanied it with illustrative diagrams. [4] No copy of the work, however, exists today. [4]
Mkhitar is the author of Universal History, of which only the introduction survives. [5] His work was patronized by Grigor, abbot of Harich. [3] Like Samuel Anetsi, Mkhitar begins his work with a succinct summary of the patriarchs from the Old Testament. [4]
A missing segment of Mekhitar's "Universal History" was found in a copy of Vardan Areveltsi's Historical Compilation. [5] The segment consisted of information on the Ghaznavids and Seljuqs. [5] From the fragments of Mkhitar's work it is clear he used Aristakes Lastivertsi, Hovhannes Imastaser, and Samuel Anetsi, while the information on the Seljuqs was translated from Persian. [6]