Author: Arash Zeini

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Articles

A half century of Syriac studies

Image source: http://www.syri.ac/chronicles

Brock, Sebastian. 2016. A half century of Syriac studies. Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies 40(1). 38–48.

In 1964, when Anthony Bryer and I both started teaching at Birmingham University, Syriac studies were generally considered to be little more than an appendage to Biblical Studies, and any idea of a journal or a conference specifically focused on them was unthinkable. Fifty years later the situation has changed dramatically for the better, although the number of universities (at least in Britain) where Syriac is taught has lamentably decreased.

A half century of Syriac studies
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BiblioIranica

Closure of ‘small Humanities programmes’!

Stop the Cuts
Image source: http://3909.cupe.ca/files/2013/05/Stop-the-Cuts.jpg

At BiblioIranica, we usually do not  comment on issues beyond our academic interests in ancient Iran.  However, it would be wrong, if we did not express our disappointment after hearing the news of the closure of ‘small Humanities programmes’ at the University of Copenhagen. As the University Post reports, the “Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen will shut down five smaller study programmes permanently”. A full list of the threatened programmes, and the university’s plans are published here.

Oriental Studies have a long tradition in Denmark, and Danish scholars have made and continue to make significant contributions to Oriental and Iranian Studies. It is very distressing to read that some of the ‘small’ programmes will be closed, among which are Indology and Tibetology.

See the following links for the history of Iranian Studies in Denmark:

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Events

The concept of Iran

Sasanian SilkThe Concept of Iran in Zoroastrian and Other Traditions

Professor François de Blois (AHRC Research Fellow, UCL)

Date: 21 April 2016Time: 6:00 PM
Finishes: 21 April 2016Time: 8:00 PM
Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings
Room: Khalili Lecture Theatre

Series: Dastur Dr Sohrab Hormasji Kutar Memorial Lecture Series

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Books

Richard Frye and the Tajiks

Foltz, Richard. 2016. Richard Frye and the history of the Tajiks (Ancient Iran Series 4).

This series is published by the Jordan Center for Persian Studies, University of California, Irvine.
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Books

From Oxus to Euphrates

Daryaee, Touraj & Khodadad Rezakhani. 2016. From Oxus to Euphrates: The world of late antique Iran (Ancient Iran Series 1). H & S Media.

For a long time, Sasanian studies were mainly cultivated by linguists and historians of religion, and the only standard work on the history of the Sasanian Empire was Arthur Christensen’s L’Iran sous les Sassanides (Copenhagen 1936; second revised and expanded edition 1944). Only in recent years, Christensen’s authority was challenged: Several new syntheses eventually allowed Late antique scholars to better understand the history and the structure of the great rival of the Roman Empire. However, we still lacked a handy, student-friendly introduction to Sasanians studies. Now, Daryaee and Rezakhani provide us with this very welcome booklet, which I highly recommend to students, to an educated audience, but also to Classical scholars (it’s never too late). Giusta Traina, Sorbonne University

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Books

An historiographical Study of Sasanian Iran

Jackson Bonner, Michael Richard. 2016. Al-Dinawari’s Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal. An historiographical Study of Sasanian Iran (Res Orientales 23). Peeters Publishers.

This book is a study of the pre-Islamic passages of Abu Hanifa Ahmad ibn Dawud ibn Wanand Dinawari’s Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal. It is intended for scholars of Late Antiquity. Special emphasis is placed on Dinawari’s exposition of the rule of the Sasanian dynasty and questions relating to the mysterious Khudaynama tradition which are intimately connected with it. Beginning with a discussion of Dinawari and his work, the book moves into a discussion of indigenous Iranian historiography. Speculation on the sources of Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal follows, and the historiographical investigation of the most substantial portion of Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal‘s notices on the Sasanian dynasty comes next. The findings of the book are set out in a narrative of Sasanian history at the end.
This book was written with one main question in mind: what does Dinawari’s Kitab al-Akhbar al-Tiwal have to say about pre-Islamic Iranian history? A host of other questions arose immediately: who was Dinawari; when did he live; what did he do; how was his work perceived by others; where did Dinawari get his information and how did he present it; is Dinawari’s information reliable?

About the Author: Michael Bonner was an undergraduate classicist who took an MPhil and DPhil in Sasanian history at the University of Oxford. He is a former policy adviser within the Canadian government, and now works as a communications consultant in Toronto.‎ He also teaches Latin and English part-time at the Ontario Academy of Technology. His personal website is www.mrjb.ca.

Categories
BiblioIranica

A new beginning!

I am delighted to announce that Bibliographia Iranica will soon resume its activities.  We are now proudly sponsored by Bytemark, which means that we will also be able to tweak our server for further experiments. I am personally very excited about this and would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Bytemark for their support and generosity.

I would also like to thank my friends Sajad, Shervin and Yazdan for their patience, ideas and support. One cannot wish for better collaborators and friends.

As the renewal of Bibliographia Iranica coincides with the Iranian new year, we would also like to wish all our readers and those who celebrate Norouz a healthy and happy new year.

دوستان و همراهان گرامی، بیبلیوگرفیا ایرانیکا کار خود را به زودی از سر خواهد گرفت. خوشحالیم که این فعالیت دوباره با آغاز بهار و نوروز مصادف شده و فرا رسیدن این روز نو را به همه دوستان و همراهان خود صمیمانه شادباش میگوییم.
از دوستان و همکاران خوبم سجاد، شروین و یزدان برای صبر و کمکشون سپاسگزارم. امیدوارم که بتونم مهر و دوستی این عزیزان و خوانندگان گرامی بیبلیو ایرانیکا رو روزی جبران کنم. این همه دوستی مایه افتخار و دلگرمیست.

Arash Zeini

Categories
BiblioIranica

The End

BiblioIranica ends here. It may be back sometime soon in a new format, but that is not guaranteed. I apologise in advance, if the website goes off-line. I am grateful to my friends Shervin, Yazdan and Sajad for their help and contributions. Thank you very much to everyone else for your support and interest.
 
Arash
Categories
Articles

Syriac Historiography

Image from http://www.syri.ac/chronicles

Wood, Philip. Forthcoming. Syriac historiography VI: Historiography in the Syriac-speaking world, 300–1000. In D. King (ed.), Routledge Companion to the Syriac World. Routledge.

Survey of historical writing by and about Syriac-speaking peoples. It aims to lay equal stress on West Syrian and East Syrian contributions. And it emphasises the fact that both groups wrote as subjects of larger imperial systems (Roman, Persian, Arab), of which they were just a part.

This is a draft article posted with the author's permission.
Categories
Events

Calendars in Antiquity and the Middle Ages

ERC Project ‘Calendars in Antiquity and the Middle Ages’, Workshop 7

Al-Biruni and his world

15 February 2016

Calendars in Antiquity and the Middle Ages’

Source: ERC Project ‘Calendars in Antiquity and the Middle Ages’, Workshop 7

Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, who flourished at the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th century CE, was a famous Central Asian astronomer, mathematician and polymath. His book known in English as “The Chronology of Ancient Nations” is probably the most important book ever on the history of calendars and technical and historical chronology. In our workshop we will be examining different aspects of this work, and also of his great astronomical compendium “al-Qanun al-Mas’udi”.

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