Culture

Ankle Bells

Children are rambunctious and difficult to keep track of, and we all know that silence can sometimes be worse than a ruckus! Today we have Baby Bjorns, harnesses, and cameras to help us keep track of our kids, but what would you do if these weren’t available? Join Collections Curator Gary Lind-Sinanian as he discusses the ingenious (and beautiful) means by which Armenian parents monitored their children’s whereabouts.

Armenian Ceramic Eggs

Churches are filled with beautiful art that come from rich traditions. In Armenia, ceramic eggs decorated with crosses and seraphim (angels) adorn the lamps suspended from the ceiling. They are lovely to behold, but are they just there to please worshippers or honor God? Why eggs and not some other shape? Listen as Collections Curator Gary Lind-Sinanian discusses the origin of the symbolism and use of these eggs.

Armenian Alphabet Chart

Have you ever wondered how languages and their use spread and change? Trade, travel, religion, scholarship, and war are some of the ways we see the dissemination and influence of language and other aspects of culture reach out from their origin communities. It is different for all languages and there is no one path, but in this week’s video, Collections Curator Gary Lind-Sinanian shows us one of the many means by which Europeans of the 18th century were exposed to the Armenian alphabet and language, including a unique use for Armenian letters.