Byzantine-Iranian Relations with Reference to 4th-Century Armenia

FAIN: FA-10231-70

Nina G. Garsoian
Columbia University (New York, NY 10027-7922)

Study of relations between Byzantium and Iran and their effect on Armenia and the intermediate world straddling the imperial frontiers from Syria to the Caucasus. Politically this border zone was incorporated into the two neighboring empires but culturally it maintained its autonomy for centuries and preserved its local hybrid traditions agains the domination of either Hellenic or Iranian culture. Many earlier studies based on generally narrative sources (Greek, Syriac or Armenian) often suffer from an overly narrow national approach or from over-simplification which obscrue the complex hybrid character of the border regions. Study to concentrate on varied aspects of this society--its degree of internal cohesion and its integration into or alienation from the powers of the day--to investigate the form in which native traditions, particularly in Armenia, adapted or perpetuated themselves in a generally hostile setting. Necessary to consider not only dominant ruling structure but also significance of other manifestations such as the flowering of literature in native languages after disappearance of political autonomy, survival of social institutions, and particularly and complicated pattern of religious alliance linking Armenia and Mesopotamia to the two major powers. Fellow already completed considerable research on some of the questions involved for her book The Paulician Heresy (1967) and her revisions of N. Adontz's work on Armenia in the Period of Justinian.