Members of the public and students are welcome to this term's Armenian Studies Seminars hosted by Dr David Zakarian. All seminar dates can be found here.

Week 6 | Tuesday, 15th November | 5:00-6:30 pm

The Allen & Overy Room, Pembroke College, Oxford 

Curses in Colophons

Maledictions and anathemas often appear in the colophons of Armenian manuscripts as a practicable means mainly to prevent any damage to them. These were written warnings invoking the divine and its various manifestations, which promised misfortune to perpetrators. The frequency, with which such curses appear in the colophons, as well as their formulaic nature evince not only the familiarity of the members of the larger community with these ritual performances, but also the ostensible existence of a belief in their effectiveness. The present lecture examines different types of curses found in Armenian colophons and epigraphic inscriptions. Similarities with Greek, Syriac, and Georgian maledictions will also be examined. 

Lecture followed by 30-45min discussion

Conveners: Dr David Zakarian & Prof Theo M. van Lint