The Armenian alphabet is one of the most significant accomplishments of the Armenian nation. It was invented in 405 AD by Armenian linguist, theologian, statesman and hymnologist Mesrop Mashtots. Armenians appreciate and respect their alphabet and consider it a cultural miracle.

But the most astonishing thing about the alphabet is its link with the periodic table of chemical elements published by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869.

That is, the sum of the alphabetical characters’ indexes in the old Armenian name of an element is equal to the atomic number of that element, although this is applicable to 7 elements known at the time of the invention of the Armenian alphabet. Those elements are gold, copper, silver, iron, tin, lead, mercury.

It is unlikely that Mesrop Mashtots was aware of certain atomic numbers of that elements back then. It is unknown what rule Mashtots followed creating the Armenian alphabet. Whether it is just a coincidence, some kind of a “miracle” or Mashtots had some logic on his mind is unknown to this day.

The Armenian alphabet