The City of Brass and Alexander’s Narrow Grave: Translation and Commentary of Kafas added to Manuscript M7709 (Part 1)

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-351
Author(s):  
Alex MacFarlane
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Early Modern Literature ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Textual Relationships ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Alexander Romance ◽  
First Time ◽  
The City

The 17th-century manuscript M7709 (held in the Matenadaran, Yerevan, Armenia) includes an Armenian copy of the History of the City of Brass, to which an unknown scribe has added short poems about Alexander the Great. The first of three articles that together present the Alexander poems of M7709 in full, with English translation, for the first time, this article introduces the manuscript and considers the first six poems: the seduction of Olympias, and Alexander’s encounter with plant-men at the edge of the world. It adds commentary on the poems’ relationship to the corresponding part of the History of the City of Brass on each page, proposing textual reasons why the scribe added the poems where he did. Across the three articles, this commentary delves into textual relationships beyond the pages of M7709, linking the Armenian History of the City of Brass, Alexander Romance and other texts and traditions, to show how this manuscript is situated amid wider networks of circulating literature. As a microhistorical study, it seeks to provide illumination into the macrohistory of medieval and early modern literature in and beyond the Caucasus.

A History of Alexander the Great in World Culture

2022 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
World Culture ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Medieval Europe ◽  
The World ◽  
Gay Activism ◽  
History Of ◽  
Alexander Romance

Alexander III of Macedon (356-323 BC) has for over 2000 years been one of the best recognized names from antiquity. He set about creating his own legend in his lifetime, and subsequent writers and political actors developed it. He acquired the surname 'Great' by the Roman period, and the Alexander Romance transmitted his legendary biography to every language of medieval Europe and the Middle East. As well as an adventurer who sought the secret of immortality and discussed the purpose of life with the naked sages of India, he became a model for military achievement as well as a religious prophet bringing Christianity (in the Crusades) and Islam (in the Qur'an and beyond) to the regions he conquered. This innovative and fascinating volume explores these and many other facets of his reception in various cultures around the world, right up to the present and his role in gay activism.

Melancholy, Passionate Love, and the Coita d'Amor

PMLA ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 640-646
Author(s):  
Josiah Blackmore
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Early Modern Literature ◽  
Modern Literature ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Passionate Love ◽  
Marsilio Ficino ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Cultural Constructions

From (Pseudo-)Aristotle's reflections on wine, poetry, and heroes in problems, book 30, to modern psychoanalytic theory and depression, melancholy has claimed the attention of artists and thinkers throughout the history of Western culture. According to Jennifer Radden's historical analysis, melancholy was “a central cultural idea, focusing, explaining, and organizing the way people saw the world and one another and framing social, medical, and epistemological norms” (vii). It takes a number of forms: for ancient Greek physicians it was a somatic malady, an overwrought contemplativeness and moroseness rooted in the body's humors; for Aristotle it was this, too, but was also a fount of artistic inspiration; for the Italian humanist Marsilio Ficino it was the source of poetic and prophetic powers, a requisite for heightened intellect. Melancholy was, in short, a principle of relation between the interior and exterior realms and as such possessed a weighty hermeneutic charge as a lens through which to experience and read the world. In recent years, scholars in literary and cultural studies have begun to explore the perspectives that melancholy offers for understanding such broad topics as the formation of literary subjectivities and cultural constructions of gender. The persistent presence of melancholy in medieval and early modern literature, following Radden's observation, advocates for its many possibilities as an interpretive tool to shape diverse literary positionalities and socioepistemological modes of being.

scholarly journals Periodical Press of Kurgan City, Tobolsk Province of Late XIX — Early XX Centuries

2021 ◽  
pp. 399-412
Author(s):  
A. A. Mironova
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Periodical Press ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
The World ◽  
Source Component ◽  
Russian Literary ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time ◽  
The City ◽  
Revolutionary Period

The processes of development of mass media in the county city Kurgan, a large agricultural center of the Tobolsk province, in the late 19th — early 20th centuries are analyzed. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that for the first time in Russian historiography the system of mass media of the Kurgan district, which was known all over the world for its butter-making, is described. A brief description of the life of the city is given, typological and substantive features of periodicals are investigated. The main attention in the article is paid to the broadcast of events taking place in the county and the city by journalists. The novelty ofscientific work lies in identifying the directions of the formation of periodicals in the province. It is argued that in the province, the vector of development of newspapers and magazines is directed from specialized publications to mass ones. The history of interaction between publications created by professionals for professionals and mass-oriented newspapers and leaflets is traced. It is concluded that the materials of the regional periodicals allow expanding the source component on the history of the journalistic style in the Russian literary language and on the history of the economic growth of Russian provinces and counties in the pre-revolutionary period.

Sphagnum mosses (Sphagnaceae, Bryophyta) of South Ossetia (Caucasus)

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 232-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ya. Doroshina ◽  
E. Yu. Kuzmina ◽  
I. A. Nikolajev
Keyword(s):  
The South ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
South Ossetia ◽  
Sphagnum Mosses ◽  
Botanical Institute ◽  
Ecological Conditions ◽  
Komarov Botanical Institute ◽  
The World ◽  
First Time

Information on the Sphagnum mosses of the South Ossetia is generalized, the resulted list is presented. Nine species of Sphagnum are included in the list, whereabouts data and references to the publications are given, and the presence of a sample in the Herbarium of the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS (LE) is noted. The species Sphagnum platyphyllum (Lindb. ex Braithw.) Warnst. rarely occurring in the Caucasus is reported in the South Ossetia for the first time. The species was found in the Caucasus, South Ossetia, at the side of the Ertso Lake (42°28ʹN, 43°45ʹE), 1720 m a. s. l., among sedge thickets at the margin of the overgrowing lake. The peculiarities of its occurrence and ecological conditions are considered. Its distribution in the Caucasus and in the world is discussed.

Alexander and the Mongols

1979 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Andrew Boyle
Keyword(s):  
Eighth Century ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
The North ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Four Corners ◽  
Book Of Genesis ◽  
First Time

The association of Alexander the Great with the Mongols begins with the identification of the latter with the peoples of Gog and Magog. The evolution of this legend, which has its origin in the Book of Genesis, is curious in the extreme. In Genesis Magog is mentioned as one of the sons of Japhet, his name occurring between those of Gomer and Madai. Since Madai is clearly intended as the eponym of the Medes and Gomer has been located in Cappadocia and Phrygia it has been plausibly suggested that Magog at this stage corresponded to the territory in between, i.e. the region immediately south of the Caucasus in Eastern and Northern Armenia. In Ezekiel we hear for the first time of Gog “of the land of Magog”, who will come from his place out of the uttermost parts of the north, he and many peoples with him, “all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.” It will be seen that the “land of Magog” can no longer be located south of the Caucasus, and indeed Ezekiel's prophecy of the invasion of Gog has been interpreted as an echo of the invasions of the Cimmerians, who came southwards from the steppes through the Darial pass towards the end of the eighth century B.C.; or more probably of the invasion of the Scythians which took place in the following century by way of Darband. Finally we are told in Revelation that “when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea”.

Rudolf Otto: Parallelen und Wertunterschiede im Christentum und Buddhatum

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-350
Author(s):  
Thomas Linke
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Religion ◽  
Main Work ◽  
Detailed Explanation ◽  
Christian Perspective ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Rudolf Otto ◽  
First Time

Abstract This is a new (and for the first time complete) edition of a speech about Buddhism by Rudolf Otto from 1913. This speech is his first academic reflexion of his journey around the world and his most detailed explanation of his view on this religion. In the first part of his speech Otto compares Buddhism with Christianity and finds a lot of parallels. In the second part he defines differences between these two religions and proclaims – from a Christian perspective – Christianity as more valuable than Buddhism. The preface puts the speech into its context: Otto’s relationship to and his knowledge of Buddhism (1), the history of publication of this speech (2), Otto’s specific view on Buddhism in comparison to his contemporaries (3), the meaning of this speech in his œuvre (4) and explanations about the edition (5). The editor has the opinion, that this speech is an important transition from Ottos philosophy of religion to his main work The Idea of the Holy. It further is a good example of what Otto means when speaking about the comparison of religions.

Puccini's La Bohème

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Music Drama ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
La Boheme ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
The Many ◽  
The City

La bohème is one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. But how did it come to be so adored? Drawing on an extremely broad range of sources, Alexandra Wilson traces the opera’s rise to global fame. Although the work has been subjected to many hostile critiques, it swiftly achieved popular success through stage performances, recordings, and filmed versions. Wilson demonstrates how La bohème acquired even greater cultural influence as its music and dramatic themes began to be incorporated into pop songs, film soundtracks, musicals, and more. In this cultural history of Puccini’s opera, Wilson offers a fresh reading of a familiar work. La bohème was strikingly modern for the 1890s, she argues, in its approach to musical and dramatic realism and in flouting many of the conventions of the Italian operatic tradition. Considering the work within the context of the aesthetic, social, and political debates of its time, Wilson explores Puccini’s treatment of themes including gender, poverty, and nostalgia. She pays particular attention to La bohème’s representation of Paris, arguing that the opera was not only influenced by romantic mythologies surrounding the city but also helped shape them. Wilson concludes with a consideration of the many and varied approaches directors have taken to the staging of Puccini’s opera, including some that have reinvented the opera for a new age. This book is essential reading for anyone who has seen La bohème and wants to know more about its music, drama, and cultural contexts.

The Strait of Magellan—a Gateway to New Worlds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Onetto Pavez
Keyword(s):  
Global Scale ◽  
Modern World ◽  
American Continent ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Strait Of Magellan ◽  
The World ◽  
The Strait Of Magellan ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

The year 2020 marks the five hundredth anniversary of the “discovery” of the Strait of Magellan. The unveiling of this passage between 1519 and 1522 allowed the planet to be circumnavigated for the first time in the history of humanity. All maritime routes could now be connected, and the idea of the Earth, in its geographical, cosmographic, and philosophical dimensions, gained its definitive meaning. This discovery can be considered one of the founding events of the modern world and of the process of globalization that still continues today. This new connectivity awoke an immediate interest in Europe that led to the emergence of a political consciousness of possession, domination, and territorial occupation generalized on a global scale, and the American continent was the starting point for this. This consciousness also inspired a desire for knowledge about this new form of inhabiting the world. Various fields of knowledge were redefined thanks to the new spaces and measurements produced by the discovery of the southern part of the Americas, which was recorded in books on cosmography, natural history, cartography, and manuscripts, circulating mainly between the Americas and Europe. All these processes transformed the Strait of Magellan into a geopolitical space coveted by Europeans during the 16th century. As an interoceanic connector, it was used to imagine commercial routes to the Orient and political projects that could sustain these dynamics. It was also conceived as a space to speculate on the potential wealth in the extreme south of the continent. In addition, on the Spanish side, some agents of the Crown considered it a strategic place for imperial projections and the defense of the Americas.

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