Arshavir (Armenian: Արշավիր (reformed); Արշաւիր (classical), pronounced [ɑɾʃɑˈviɾ]) is an ancient Armenian name of Iranian origin. Philologist Heinrich Hübschmann interprets the name as being composed of the Avestan words aršan 'man, male' and vīra 'man'.[1] According to another interpretation, the name means 'virile' and comes from Persian.[2]
This name is related to the family of the 9th-century Patriarch of Constantinople, Photius. Photius' mother Irene was the sister of Arshavir, who had married Calomaria, the sister of Caesar Bardas and the empress Theodora.[3] Arshavir, Photius' uncle, is often confused with Arshavir, the brother of John the Grammarian.[4]
John the Grammarian, Photius, Caesar Bardas and Leo the Philosopher seem to have been the prime movers. All four were, at least in part, of Armenian descent. [...] as for Photius, the fact is that his mother Irene, was the sister of Arshavir, the Arshavir who had married Calomaria the sister of Bardas and the empress Theodora.
