Written Monuments of the Orient

Manuscript 378 (Ms. 378), housed at the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran in Yerevan, is the oldest illustrated manuscript to have reached us from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), dating back to the 13th c.[1] Although the colophons do not specify the exact location where the manuscript was created, the information they contain suggests that it was written either in an ancient sanctuary on the site of the current St. John the Baptist Church in Gandzasar, or in the nearby Khokhanaberd fortress, which was the residence of princes.[2] This hypothesis is substantiated by the fact that the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Gandzasar was constructed after the creation of the Gospel, and the territories were already the princely domains of the Hasan-Jalalyans.[3] The study is structured in two main parts. The initial section presents a codicological and artistic analysis: the miniature system of Ms. 378 (comprising canon-tables, title pages, marginal ornaments and iconographic features) is considered in the context of the continuity of the Armenian tradition and regional interactions. These observations are complemented by manuscript colophons, which act as a significant source for the study of the history and cultural environment of Artsakh in the 13th c. The codicological and artistic analysis of the first part is complemented by the chemical and material study presented in the second part, which allows for an assessment of the technical basis of the manuscript’s creation and the exclusivity of the materials used. The study revealed the presence of high-value dyes, including cochineal, ultramarine, safflower, lead white and high-purity gold. The results obtained permit a new and comprehensive evaluation of the artistic and historical merits of the manuscript, emphasising its exceptional material basis. Consequently, the Ms. 378 is regarded not only as an artistic treasure and historical source, but also as a significant material for interdisciplinary research, which occupies a substantial place in the study of Armenian medieval codicology and cultural history.

[1] Main catalogue of Armenian Manuscripts of Mashtots Matenadaran II 2004: 139.

[2] Minasyan 2015: 13–15.

[3] Gandzakets‘i 1961: 269–270. The Hasan-Jalalyan princely house, which traces its lineage to the Aranshahik noble family of eastern Armenia, experienced a period of significant growth and expansion during the 12th c., specifically in the 1160s. This expansion coincided with the reign of Vakhtang the Great (late 11th c. and early 12th c.). He was succeeded by his son, Hasan the Great, in the 12th c., after which the throne was passed to Hasan’s son, Vakh­tang-Tangik, who died in 1214. During the reign of these princes, the political and economic foundations for the subsequent rise of Nerkin Khachen were established, which later enabled Hasan-Jalal Dola to ensure an unparalleled economic, cultural and political rise in Nerkin Khachen during his reign. After him, the princely branch of Nerkin Khachen came to be known as Hasan-Jalalyans, with the principal spiritual and political centre being the Gandzasar monastery. This monastery functioned as a princely and Catholicosate centre for centuries (Ulubabian 1975: 135–141).

In the present article the author examines some distinctive features of the veneration of the Sabaean goddess Dhât Ḥimyam in the temple Raḥbân located at the site Raybūn in the western part of inland Hadramawt. The article is based on a selection of inscriptions discovered during the excavations of the above-mentioned sanctuary by the Soviet‑Yemenite Complex Expedition in 1984, 1988–1990. Special attention is given to: the syncretism of Dhât Himyam and the Qatabanian goddess Dhât Ṣahrân, some of the functions of secondary deities subjugated to Dhât Ḥimyam, a re‑interpretation of a votive object called bḥt dedicated to her, and the connection of this goddess with land property.

Letters of the 19th c. famous Ceylonese Buddhist priest Subhuti to the Indologist I.P. Minayev are a valuable historical source. Addressed to the Russian scholar, these relatively brief messages touch on a range of topics essential for understanding both I.P. Minayev’s scholarly interests and the state of Buddhist manuscript culture and Buddhism in Ceylon in the 1870s. Subhuti’s letters are kept in I.P. Minaev’s personal collection at the Archives of the Orientalists at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This is the first time they have been published with commentary.