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Ani Honarchiansaky, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Theological Studies

Office Hours

By appointment

Courses Taught

Christian Tradition I, Introduction to Islam

Education

Masters, Translation Studies, University of Kharazmi, 2008
Masters, Iranian Studies, University of California Los Angeles, 2014
Ph.D., Armenian Studies, University of California Los Angeles, 2018

Research Interests

  • History of Early Christianity
  • Oriental Orthodox Christianity
  • Armenian and Syriac Traditions
  • Hagiographies and Martyr Acts
  • Empires and Religions
  • Taxation and Violence
  • Religious Communities of Sasanian Iran and Early Islamic World
  • Languages and Writing systems of the world
  • Women in Early Church

Publications and Media Placements

  • On the Threshold: The Social History of two Churches in Late Antiquity, in progress.
  • “Relics and their Movement from Sasanian Iran to the Eastern Roman Empire: The case of Martyropolis and Singar,” in Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 21 (2021), 55-77.
  • “Of Gods and Letters: A Study on the Creation of the Armenian Alphabet in Late Antiquity,” in Reflections of Armenian Identity in History and Historiography, Edited by Houri Berberian and Touraj Daryaee (UC, Irvine, CA. 2018), 45-55.
Book Review:
  • Ani Honarchian and Kate Franklin, Women, Too, Were Blessed: The Portrayal of Women in Early Christian, David Zakarian, Brill Armenian Texts and Studies Series Vol. 4. 2021. Journal of Society of Armenian Studies, 28, 1-10.
Selected Invited Lectures
  • “Pious Bodies and Dangers of Pollution: Relics and Their Movement out of Sasanian Iran”, Presentation at Relics and Continuities in Europe Workshop, Princeton University, March 2022.
  • “Demanding Conversion in Late Antique Iran: Views from Armenian, Syriac and Middle Persian Sources,” Presentation at Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, (Zoom) University of Toronto, Ottawa, Canada, November 2020.
  • “The Lasting Impact of Peace: Sasanian Iran and Armenians,” Presentation at Iran at the Crossroads of Civilizations Conference, Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton, January 2020
  • “The Story of Martyropolis: Relics and Their Movement From Sasanian Iran to the East Roman Empire,” Hellenic Studies Center, Princeton University, October 2019.
  • “Covenant with Gods before War: Yazdgerd II and his Christian Soldiers,” Presentation at Ērānšahr in Transition: West and Central Asia: Between the Sasanians and Islam, 550-800 CE, Princeton University, May 2019.
  • Ani Honarchian and Cristina Politano, “Of Saints and Rulers: The Ideology of Hagiography in Late Antiquity,” Presentation at Medieval Ages in the Wider World Conference, April 2018.
  • “Lifting the Yoke of Taxation by Holy Cross: Taxation and Resistance in Sasanian Iran,” Presentation at the Workshop on Late Antiquity and Byzantium, University of Chicago, Illinois, April 2017.
  • “Transferring Relics in the Borderlands of the Sasanian and Roman Empire,” University of Chicago, Persian Circle, University of Chicago, Illinois, November 2016.
  • “And Moses becomes hayaxos (Armenian-speaking): Orality and literacy
in the Fifth century Armenia,” Presentation at the Conference on Armenian Identity Though the Ages at UC-Irvine

Honors and Awards

  • Postdoc Research Fellow, University of Utah
  • Postdoc Research Associate, Princeton University
  • Mediaeval Ages in the Wider World Fellowship, 2018
  • Dumbarton Oaks and Harvard joint Fellowship for Studying Syriac, 2016
  • AGBU-(Armenian General Benevolent Union) - $8000 , 2015-2017
  • Mangasar Mangasarian Fellowship - $10.000, 2014-2015
  • Travel Fund from UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies - $1000, 2015
  • UCLA program for Late Antiquity, Middle Ages, and Renaissance (LAMAR) Fellowship - $5000, 2014
  • Roshan Fellowship - $21.000, 2012-2013
  • Metghalchi Foundation Fellowship - $8000 , 2011-2012

Professional Organizations and Associations

  • American Academy of Religion
  • American Oriental Institute