LEONZIO. — An Armenian priest and historian who lived in the period 725–90, author of the History of the Appearance of Muhammad, written at the request of Prince Sciabuh Babrattuni.
In 33 chapters, it relates events from 632, briefly at first and then, from 774 onward, at length, describing the invasion of Armenia by the Arabs. The work is of interest because it is the only Armenian historical document of the eighth century, although it is not always accurate.
BIBL.: The history of L. was published in Paris in 1857 by Karapet Chahnazarian and by Karapet Jezianta in Petersburg in 1887; E. Filler, Quæstiones de L. armeni historio, Leipzig 1903; Z. P. Karekin, History of Ancient Armenian Literature, Venice 1932, pp. 497–99. Paolo Hamelian