Sharing Myths, Texts and Sanctuaries in the South Caucasus: Apocryphal Themes in Literatures, Arts and Cults from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Description

This volume is one of the few collections of studies that look at the South Caucasus-from the Black Sea in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east-as a shared cultural space. It explores contacts between Armenians, Georgians, Kurds and Muslims of the former Caucasian Albania, as expressed in texts, figurative arts and rituals. While focusing on the ancient Christian civilisations of Armenia and Georgia, it also investigates the interactions of Christianity with the ancestral religions of the South Caucasians, with Zoroastrianism, Islam and Yazidism. Apocryphal traditions represent a particularly convenient lens through which to observe cultural exchanges and blending. The first two chapters analyse the perception of sacred objects and sanctuaries in Armenia and Georgia and the representation of fabulous animals in the iconography of both countries. The next six investigate the contacts between Armenians and Georgians in the transmission of hagiographic texts relating to Christ's Nativity, the early Christian saints and their images, as well as the Evangelisation of the Armenian and Georgian kingdoms. The penultimate two chapters study places of worship shared by diverse religions, the role of religious syncretism in the Islamisation of the south-eastern Caucasus and the function of apocrypha in the resistance to Islam. The final chapter examines the contextualisation of Islamic legends of Biblical origin in the topography of the Caucasus. The volume ends with a detailed index. Cover Title Page Table of Contents List of Figures List of Abbreviations Notes on Contributors Preface Introduction I. The Holy Cross of Aparank‛ II. Beyond the Canon III. The Old Georgian Version of the Miracle of St George, the Princess and the Dragon IV. Through the Eyes of Armaz V. The Protevangelium of James in Georgian VI. The Tradition and The Cult of Saint Stephen in Armenia VII. A Possible History VIII. Saint Thecla IX. The Admonitory Exhortations of Dawit̔ of Ganjak (†1140) X. Note on the Sanctuaries Shared by Yezidis and Armenians in the Armenian Highlands XI. The Wall of Iskandar in the Medieval Muslim Tradition in the East Caucasus XII. Apocryphes et partage Postscript Select Prosopographical Index