Anthony Alcock also has a rough English translation, which may be found online. I'm mostly looking forward to the notes to the new edition. Philip's monograph on the Chronicle is terrific, and Open Access. library.oapen.org/handle/20.50...

His painting of the arch is really lovely too. It appears Svoboda made several of the same subject, with some changes in the foreground.

I've never seen Alexander Svoboda's photos of the Ṭāq Kasrā Sasanian Palace at al-Madāʾin, Iraq. Taken before the 1887–88 collapse of the north half of its east façade. Really spectacular. #Sasanian

Thanks! So it appears to be photo taken August 17th 1937 by La 39e Escadre d'Observation, based in Rayak, Lebanon. That should help. This photo on the Princeton Excavation archives seems to be part of the same sequence.

This stucco winged horse from a Sasanian-era house at Umm al-Za'tir, al-Madāʾin, Iraq is gorgeous. I wonder if it's on display at the Iraq Museum?

Does anyone happen to know where I might find a higher resolution scan of this aerial photo of Antakya from the 1930s (probably 1937)? It's supposed to be archive of the Princeton Excavation of Antioch-on-the-Orontes, but I've been through about 2000 images online and haven't found it.

I wonder if the designers of the current MacBook screen realized they were making the greatest cat head scratcher?

Contemplating spending a ruinous amount on The General Councils of the Eastern Christian Churches, if Brepols offers a discount at the International Congress of Byzantine Studies in Vienna: www.brepols.net/products/IS-... I need my critical edition of the the synodal acts of the Church of the East.

It really isn't art unless it's tattooed on a fat guy.

I'd really like to know more about silver talers. This "Wild Man" taler from the principality of Braunschweig-Lüneburg-Calenberg is pretty snazzy.

I like how the Artuqids of Mardin (1101–1409) looked at Islamic numismatic tradition and said, "yes, and..." #numismatics

Two more Sasanian-style throne images. The Strelka plate in the State Hermitage Museum (throne supported by winged horses), and a silver plate from the British Museum (griffins).

On either side of the enthroned king are vegetal motifs, generally interpreted as Tree of Life imagery, which Gasparini (2020) links to the flowers in the king's hands. She also discusses the David Collection textile as a whole, and the textiles it depicts in some detail. 5/

The king's throne is interesting. It is similar to other images of Sasanian thrones, depicting a rather wide couch held up by zoomorphic supports like winged horses, eagles, etc. In this case the throne is supported by ibexes, also associated with Verethragna. 4/

The king's caftan features a clover pattern, with some charming little heart shapes on the trim. He also holds two flowers in his hands. Depictions of holding and smelling flowers were a common royal and aristocratic motif in Sasanian art, as Touraj notes in his article. 3/

The king has a pearled nimbus around his head and wears a winged crown, likely modeled on the crown of Ḵusrō II (590, 591–628), the last great Sasanian monarch. Wings are associated with Verethragna/Wahrām, god of victory. He has a typical late Sasanian beard and mustachios. Also pearl earrings. 2/

The recent article by Touraj Daryaee, "A Fragrance for Every Woman, Man, and Child: The Smell of the Sasanian Empire" brought this wonderful silk textile in the David Collection of Copenhagen (inv. 23/2011) to my attention. It features a pattern of enthroned Sasanian kings. 1/

That same year (484), Pērōz, his primary heirs, and much of the Sasanian fighting elite died in battle against the Hephthalite Huns. For the next decades, the empire faced much political and cultural instability, and its kings grudgingly adopted more conciliatory approaches to Christian leaders. 11/

The Catholicos wrote a letter to the Roman Emperor Zeno (r. 474–91) asking for aid in defending "orthodoxy" in Iran. He also indiscreetly criticized King Pērōz. Sealing the letter (finally, back to the seal!), he sent it on. Unfortunately, the letter was intercepted by Barṣaumā's partisans. 9/

Bābōy fiercely resisted Barṣauma's initiatives, but pitted against the School of Nisibis and the king, Bābōy was sidelined. In April 484, Barṣaumā assembled a synod at Bēt Lāpaṭ (Gondēšāpūr) in Ḵūzestān to canonize the ideas of the school of Nisibis. And then Bābōy made a fatal error. 8/

However, other contemporary writers describe more pleasant relations between Pērōz and the Church of the East. In particular, the letters of Barṣaumā, Bishop of Nisibis (on the Roman frontier), speak of Pērōz and his officials in a positive tone, and the bishop touts his value as a royal advisor. 6/

After Pērōz (r. 457–84) defeated his brother, Bābōy had a tense relationship with his king. Accounts describe Pērōz's persecution of Christians and imprisonment of Bābōy. Bābōy's support of asceticism and celebrations of martyrs played a role in this friction, as they were seen as un-Iranian. 5/

This seal appeared in Christie's Auction 1583, Lot 26 (it sold for USD 1440). It is a flat banded agate ring stone in a modern gold setting, featuring the image of a man shouldering a ram. It is inscribed in Syriac: bbwy/ršʾ ʾnʾ ("Bābōy the leader/head"). 2/

A Sasanian-era seal of a Bābōy "the head" with an image of the Good Shepherd on it. Christelle Jullien, et. al. argue in a recent (2023) article that it might be the seal of the late 5th century Church of the East Catholicos Bābōy. If it actually is, then there's a hell of a story attached to it 1/

I picked up this very text-heavy denarius to give my students a chance to puzzle out the meanings of Latin imperial titles and offices. Domitian really put it all out there on this little coin. 1/

I love tetradrachms. Here's one in the collection minted by Tigranes II the Great of Armenia (r. 95–55 BCE). Love his spiky tiara with eagles and ear flaps, and the Tyche of Antioch and the river god Orontes on the reverse, commemorating his assumption of power over Syria from the Seleucids.

The museum of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) is small but amazing. Many of the French royal treasures found their way into its collection. Probably the densest collection of show-stopping antiquities I've ever seen in person.

The GWU Textile Museum's online catalog is a real treasure trove. The vaguely worried eyes of the figures on this Coptic tunic decoration are great.

I really want some knock offs of these medieval socks from Egypt (12th century CE?) at the GWU Textile Museum. collections-gwu.zetcom.net/en/collectio...

I love this Sasanian/Kushano-Sasanian silver dish from the Afghan National Museum (from Mes `Aynak). The king holding a lion cub pizza pie style…*chef’s kiss*