News
I Semester 2025-2026
LM-CULTURAL History of the Caucasus cod. 10612064
For any other information you can contact me: marco.bais@uniroma1.it
Link to join the Classroom on the Google platform: https://classroom.google.com/c/MjE2Mzc4MTIxOTha
This course aims to introduce students to the diverse natural landscapes and cultures of the Caucasus, with a particular focus on the Southern Caucasus during the ancient and late antique periods. The geographical and political boundaries of the region will be explored, alongside its orographic and hydrographic features, the variety of languages and religions, with an emphasis on how different natural landscapes have shaped human settlement patterns and social organization. The course will also highlight the political, cultural, and religious influence exerted by neighbouring great empires—particularly the Roman-Byzantine and Iranian empires—on the formation of the kingdoms of the Southern Caucasus (Iberia-Georgia, Armenia, Caucasian Albania). Finally, attention will be given to the rediscovery and valorization of their own past by the independent states of the Southern Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan). Throughout the course, we will read and analyze ancient texts, focusing on the challenges involved in using these sources to reconstruct the history of these territories.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will have a general understanding of the diversity of the Caucasian region, both from a geographical-physical and cultural perspective, and they will be aware of the interaction between these two aspects. This framework will help them grasp, on the one hand, the reasons behind the great diversity of political structures and cultural productions historically attested in the Caucasus, and on the other hand, the roots of the numerous conflicts that, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, have affected the region.
Prerequisites:
No specific prerequisites are required for enrolment in the course.
Teaching Method:
The course is structured around lectures, which, however, will include continuous interaction between the teacher and the students.
Assigned Readings:
In addition to the materials provided during lectures, students will delve into various aspects of Caucasian history according to their interests. To this purpose, they are required to agree with the teacher on a selection of readings from the following texts:
D.M. Dunlop, The History of the Jewish Khazars, New York: Schocken Books 1967.
R.G. Hovannisian (ed.), The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times: Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquity to the Fourteenth Century, Mazda 1993.
J. Gippert – J. Dum-Tragut (eds.), Caucasian Albania. An International Handbook, Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter 2023.
Examination Method:
The exam will consist of an oral examination based on the content covered in the lectures and the readings agreed upon with the teacher, based on the student’s interests.
Attendance Requirements:
In-person attendance is required.
For students interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the culture of the Caucasus, some introductory workshops will also be offered on Classical Armenian and Modern Georgian, as part of the AAF (Altre Attività Formative /Additional Educational Activities). These seminars will also take place during the academic year, at times to be determined based on classroom availability.
AAF WORKSHOPS 2025-2026
Introduction to Old Armenian (February 16 – March 2)
The workshop aims to introduce students to the study of Classical Armenian. First, a general and very concise overview of Armenia and its history will be presented to the students. The Armenian alphabet will then be introduced, including its creation and its relationship with other Caucasian alphabets. Finally, students will be provided with basic knowledge of phonetics, nominal, pronominal, and verbal morphology, as well as basic notions of syntax. The workshop will also involve the reading and analysis of simple texts in Classical Armenian. To achieve the set objectives, students are expected to attend classes regularly and to independently review the material explained during the lessons.
The code is: qeeblyyp
The seminary will be held in Aula Simonetti (Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, Third Floor, in front of the vending machines).
Schedul:
(Days and times confirmed)
February
Monday 16th 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Tuesday 17th 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Wednesday 18th 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Thursday 19th 5:00pm – 8:00pm
(Days and times to be confirmed)
February
Monday 23rd 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Tuesday 24th 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Saturday 28th 9:00am – 12:00pm
March
Monday 2nd 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Students will find the materials for learning the Armenian alphabet on Google Classroom shortly before the start of the workshop. For any other information you can contact me: marco.bais@uniroma1.it
Elementary Modern Georgian: (from 25 March)
The workshop aims to provide students with a foundation in the grammar system of modern Georgian, with particular emphasis on some distinctive features of the language, such as its agglutinative nominal declension, polypersonal verbal inflection, and ergativity. The seminar will begin with an introduction to the Georgian alphabet, followed by the fundamentals of phonetics, nominal and verbal morphology. Reading and comprehension exercises based on elementary texts will be included, with the aim of helping students acquire basic vocabulary and phrases useful for everyday communication. In order to achieve the set objectives, students will be required to attend classes regularly and engage in independent study of the material covered in the lessons.
The code is: b4iyrt2z
The workshop will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays, starting on Tuesday, March 16 and continuing until Saturday, April 28. Classrooms and schedules will be communicated at a later stage.
Please note that the starting and ending dates of the workshop may be subject to slight changes depending on room availability. For any other information you can contact me: marco.bais@uniroma1.it
Preserving Memory: Writing, Manuscripts, and Miniatures in the South Caucasus
The workshop aims to introduce students to the history of the spread of writing in the South Caucasus, exploring the origins of literary production and the various forms of its transmission. The traditions related to the birth of the ancient Caucasian alphabets will be examined, along with the flourishing Armenian and Georgian manuscript production, with particular attention to the Albanian palimpsests, the only witnesses to the written culture of the ancient Kingdom of Caucasian Albania. The evolution of different writing systems over the centuries will be explored, and basic concepts of codicology will be introduced, with a specific focus on manuscript production sites, their decorative elements, and the institutions currently involved in the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of this heritage.
Per qualsiasi altra informazione potete contattarmi: marco.bais@uniroma1.it
For any other information you can contact me: marco.bais@uniroma1.it
Lessons
| Lesson code | Lesson | Year | Semester | Language | Course | Course code | Curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10600337 | LINGUA E CULTURA ARMENA | 2nd | 2nd | ITA | Linguistics | 33550 | Curriculum unico |
| AAF2128 | TRAINING INTERNSHIP 1E | 1st | N/D | ENG | Cultural Heritage in the Near and Middle East, and in Africa | 33541 | Curriculum unico |
| 10621349 | STORIA E RELIGIONI DEL CAUCASO | 1st | N/D | ITA | Archaeology | 33540 | Archeologia orientale |
| 10611922 | INTRODUZIONE ALLA LINGUA E ALLA LETTERATURA ARMENA | 1st | 2nd | ITA | Cultures and Religions | 33552 | Curriculum unico |
| 10612064 | HISTORY OF THE CAUCASUS | 1st | N/D | ENG | Cultural Heritage in the Near and Middle East, and in Africa | 33541 | Curriculum unico |
| 10600337 | LINGUA E CULTURA ARMENA | 1st | 2nd | ITA | Philology, literatures and history of the ancient world | 33545 | Filologico e letterario |
| AAF2130 | TRAINING INTERNSHIP 2A | 1st | N/D | ENG | Cultural Heritage in the Near and Middle East, and in Africa | 33541 | Curriculum unico |
| 10600337 | LINGUA E CULTURA ARMENA | 1st | 2nd | ITA | Philology, literatures and history of the ancient world | 33545 | Storico e medievistico |
| 10611922 | INTRODUZIONE ALLA LINGUA E ALLA LETTERATURA ARMENA | 2nd | 2nd | ITA | Cultures and Religions | 33552 | Culture e religioni antiche e moderne |