The Mamikoneans claimed to be of royal Čenkʿ descent, a people traditionally associated with China (Primary History, B; BP-G, 5.4.37, pp. 194, 218-19; MK, 2.81, pp. 229-31). Although this origin is disputed by scholars, who have not yet reached a final conclusion, the Mamikoneans have been thought to have come from Central Asia or from the region of Darband. Adontz and especially Toumanoff considered that their ancestry should be linked with Georgia (Adontz, 1970, p. 312; Toumanoff, 1963, pp. 209-10).