Cultural Entanglements across Medieval Armenia. Photo Exhibition: 9 April – 12 June 2026, University of Florence, Palazzo Fenzi-Marucelli

The 27 subjects that form this exhibition bear witness to cultural interactions that took place in and around medieval Armenia. These testimonies come from multiple sources: small pieces of pottery and coins; majestic monuments and abandoned ruins; legendary narratives and visual arts; historiographical and juridical texts; lapidary inscriptions and handwritten manuscripts; and even tiny marginal notes that were intentionally erased in medieval times. Collectively, these sources and artefacts narrate a story of medieval Armenia and Armenians that spans a multitude of interconnections across Eurasia. Differences in language, religion, confession, ethnicity, and political systems were not always obstacles, but also reasons to seek contacts. Long distances were not an insurmountable problem either, if contacts were necessary. Interactions have always been an integral part of the human experience, with consequences that are rarely insignificant. Cultural Entanglements across Medieval Armenia explores these consequences across 27 illustrative case studies.