Harmatta János (szerk.): From Alexander the Great to Kül Tegin. Studies in Bactrian, Pahlavi, Sanskrit, Arabic, Aramaic, Armenian, Chinese, Türk, Greek and Latin sources for the history of pre-Islamic Central Asia - Collection of the sources on the history of Pre-Islamic Central Asia. Series 1. 4. (Budapest, 1990)

edited by J. Harmatta FROM ALEXANDER THE GREAT TO KÜL TEGIN Volume IV of Series I in the Collection of the Sources for the History of Pre-Islamic Central Asia comprises philological analysis and histori­cal interpretation of some literary and epigraphic texts, written in Bactrian, Pahlavi, Sanskrit, Arabic, Aramaic, Armenian, Chinese, Türk, Greek and Latin, and giving valuable evidence for the historical period ranging from Alexander the Great to Kül Tegin. The geographical horizon of the sources, discussed in the volume, extends from Iran to China. The historical interest of some studies focusses on the Parthians and their relations to Armenia and to Elymais and a particular interest is paid to the Armenian sources concerning the Sasanian Age as well as to the Iranian apocalyptic literature. Special emphasis is laid on the Sources for the history of the Chionites and Hephthalites and on the political relations between Arabs and Türks on the one hand, and the Türks and Chinese on the other hand. The study on D.G. Messerschmidt, the pioneer of Siberian archaeol­ogy, elucidates the beginnings of archaeological research in the northern zone of Central Asia. From the sources, discussed in the volume, the historical role of Central Asia as the cross-road of nomadic and sedentary cultures and as a mediator between the highly developed civilizations of the Graeco-Roman West, the Indian South, and the Chinese East clearly manifests itself. Hereby, the critical analysis of the literary and epigraphic texts, included into the volume, furnishes a valuable contribution to the historical research of Pre-Islamic Central Asia. AKADÉMIAI KIADÓ BUDAPEST

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