While the relations between the Greco-Roman world and India are well-known (the example that spontaneously comes to mind is the encounter—real and/or imaginary—between Alexander the Great and the gymnosophists), those that developed during the Byzantine era need further exploration. The guiding principle of the present thematic session is to highlight the continuity of political, commercial, and cultural exchanges from Late Antiquity to Byzantium. This session is designed to establish a dialogue between textual sources (Nonnus of Panopolis, Procopius of Caesarea, Cosmas Indicopleustes, Barlaam and Josaphat) and the disciplines of Art History, Sigillography and Numismatics, Material Culture, and History of Religions.
La péninsule arabique a joué un rôle très important dès l’Antiquité dans la transformation des saveurs culinaires en permettant l’arrivée des épices venues d’Inde et d’Asie orientale. La cuisine du sud de la péninsule arabique a été très tôt influencée par les traditions culinaires et l’usage des épices venues de l’Inde et de Sri Lanka,…
The Christian Topography of Cosmas Indicopleustes, beyond its well-known cosmographical theories, also includes brief descriptions of plants and animals observed by the author during his journey to the East. In the passage on the Indian yak (ἀγριόβους), Cosmas refers to the toupha as the animal’s tail, whose hairs were said to adorn military standards and…
Au début du chant 37 de son grand poème épique des Dionysiaques, Nonnos de Panopolis mentionne en quelques vers la croyance des Indiens dans la doctrine de la transmigration des âmes. Trois filtres de lecture doivent être pris en compte pour évaluer le degré de connaissance que l’auteur avait de son sujet. Premièrement, l’expression poétique…
Various inscriptions in different manuscripts of BkI point to India as the origin of the story. In addition to this factual evidence, readers of the BkI have been naturally led to think of India as the origin of the narrative of the BkI because of its indulgence in fables and because of its Buddhist elements….