The next in our series of study weeks, Armenian Manuscripts Week, will run from Monday 7 - Friday 11 November. It has been designed to provide an opportunity to study original Armenian manuscripts from the Wellcome Library’s Asian Collections. This course is the latest in a series of lectures and workshops designed to enable students of Orientalist/Asian studies to learn about the manuscript cultures of Eastern and African peoples, and to examine handwritten works dating back many centuries.Based upon the rich manuscript holdings of the Wellcome Library, these lectures and workshops will also offer a taste of traditional Asian and African medical teachings. Each session will be led by an experienced tutor who is an authority in the field of manuscript research, or a specialist conservator. The course has been developed in association with the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
The sessions will be led by Dr Gohar Muradyan and Dr Aram Topchyan Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran) Yerevan, Armenia. Topics covered will include an introduction to Armenian manuscript tradition, practical sessions in reading Armenian manuscripts and visits to the exhibition galleries of the British Library.
Handouts and learning packs will be provided, and a certificate of attendance will be issued upon successful completion of the course. Participants should have completed at least two years of Armenian studies; final-year undergraduates, postgraduates and others with a good knowledge of Armenian (Grabar) are welcome.
The course is free, but pre-registration is essential and numbers are limited to 15. Please email Tracy Tillotson to book a place.
For further information about the course, please contact Dr Nikolaj Serikoff.
Image: Manuscript of the Mystery Book or Divine Liturgy, 1714. Copied by the scribe Eghiay Marzvantsi in Marzvan, a small village in historical Armenia Minor.
Frontispiece depicting 'Communion of the Apostles', The Last Supper, and title page with text in letters in the shape of birds 'Oh Jesus Christ our Lord who art clothed' 1714. (Armenian Manuscript 11)
