History of the Armenians

...to obtain a greater profit.

For there are many who, in the face of such doubtful disasters, are willing to fall into the sufferings of the merchant's craft original: "վաճառականութեան արուեստս" (vacharakanut’ean aruests). In the ancient world, "craft" or "art" implied a specialized skill set requiring both physical endurance and intellectual cunning..

But there are many who, having established their own abundance, work for the benefit of the world. They adorn kings through the discovery of precious pearls original: "մարգարտին" (margartin). Pearls were among the most highly valued commodities in the Armenian highlands and the neighboring Sasanian and Roman Empires., and various precious stones, and fabrics of diverse and vibrant hues. Nay, they even elevate the poor with a measure of honor, and they crown the world with new and wonderful discoveries.

They satisfy the needy with the help of great profits; they provide for the desirable needs of men; they care for the lives of many. They fill the houses of physicians with various kinds of fragrant incenses and medicinal remedies Medicinal remedies: "դեղովք" (deghovk’). In this period, drugs and dyes were often the same substances, imported from the East (India/China) via the Silk Road.; and they bring the utility of the desirable roots of healing...