Abstract The present study is an attempt to outline the process of the formation of the identity and “ideology” of Christian Armenia; that is of its Weltanschauung , of its self-consciousness and behaviour consequent to this overall perception and self-image vis-à-vis of the political, cultural, and social challenges originating from Armenia’s geographical location and its own inner reality, as they are reflected in Armenian historiography. The founding age of this historiography coincides with the very period (fifth through seventh centuries) in which the ideology of Christian Armenia takes shape and reaches its full strength of expression. This process goes back to the epoch-making creation of the Armenian alphabet in the early 5th century. Armenian historiography is analysed and classified in its various trends and different approaches both to the single historical event as well as to the succession of events. Special attention is paid to the peculiar collocation of Armenia, in this crucial period, between the two great cultural and political ecumenes of antiquity: the Hellenic Byzantine and the Iranian Sasanid ecumenes. This bipolar relationship between East and West, with changing forms and appearances, but reflecting the classical and specular Greco-Roman/Parthian and Byzantine/Sasanian bipolarities, will form a red thread throughout Armenia’s successive history.
Abstract This article provides at length a multifactorial innovative close analysis of a passage of the Gathas, Yasna 32.8, showing that it has nothing to do with eating meat, but it tells of Yima’s self-deification. Such a theme is also known from Ferdowsi’s Šāhnāme ( ŠN ), among other texts of the Islamic period, with regard to Yima’s Persian equivalent Jamšēd/Jamšīd. The article attempts to solve the difficult problem of the textual transmission of this motif.
Abstract Sanctions have affected all sectors of society, and universities and scientific centers have not been exempt from this rule. As a result, the scientific activities of universities and research centers have been reduced. An important part of Iran’s major universities and research centers is affiliated with the government, and when the country’s economy suffers due to sanctions, their effects are directly transferred to universities and research activities. The budgets of universities depend on the government, and a significant portion of the government budget is related to oil revenues. Although universities and research centers have made efforts to use their capacities to help the country in the field of research, research activities have largely been deprived of their programs due to the decrease in government income. The reduction of scientific exchanges between Iranian universities and universities in different countries around the world, especially in America and Europe, can be mentioned as one of the impacts of sanctions on higher education and scientific research. Many universities and research centers refuse to admit Iranian professors and students, and major international publishers refuse to print and publish their articles. Academics who were active in governmental scientific-research centers in the Islamic Republic of Iran have also been denied admission. The decrees of the US Treasury Department regarding refraining from cooperation with Iranian professors and students active in government sectors have been carefully implemented by major international publishers. Although the effects of sanction policies have been much broader in technical and medical fields, similar conditions have also existed in the social sciences and humanities. Many professors have international connections, but these have been challenged due to sanctions and foreign exchange restrictions, and their communication has faced serious problems. The main question of this paper is: “What effects have international sanctions had on the activities of universities and research centers, and how have they affected the international exchanges of academics?”. The author’s answer is based on a qualitative methodology and a descriptive-analytical approach. She uses official interviews, published statistics, the personal experiences of academics, and articles published about the consequences of sanctions on higher education.
Abstract In this study, we evaluate how well historical records and genetic evidence align in identifying the source populations of the diaspora community of Crimean Armenians. We also investigate when this population appeared in their refuge regions. Additionally, we explore the genetic effects of centuries-long migrations and potential reproductive interactions between this population and neighboring ethnic groups.
