Т. 1. «Азия и Африка: Наследие и современность»

Asia and Africa: their Heritage and Modernity. Vol. 1 17 Источниковедение и историография  Ближнего Востока best depictions of the sewn boats (whose main characteristic is the stitching of the outside planks instead of fastening them with iron nails) are those illustrated in the well known manuscript known as “Hariri’s Maqamāt ” 1 . No doubt more iconographic evidence can be found; for example I noticed the illumina- tion of a sewn boat in another Arabic manuscript (Fig. 1) 2 . It is hoped that more attention will be paid to the research concerning the archaeological finds of the sewn boats 3 . (b) Hagiographical Works within a Legendary Frame: The Narration of the Discovery of the Relics of Saint Valerius, the Bishop, Vincentius, the Deacon, and Eulalia, the Virgin (P. Peeters, Analecta Bollandiana 30.1 (1911), 301–304) I have repeatedly suggested that hagiography should not be neglected as a his- torical source and should be used properly taking into consideration that its main aim is didactic 4 . Needless to say, legendary digressions frequently appear which 41.1 (2012), 148–157; L. Paine, “The Indian Ocean in the Seventh and Eighth Centuries”. P. 48–51. 1 This manuscript is found in the National Library of Paris (Arab MS 5847). 2 Zakariyā al-Qazw ī n ī ’s illumination of an Arab ship of the Indian Ocean with a clear depiction of the stern rudder. From his work ‘Adjā’ib al-Makhluqāt, MS B-370 (fol. 23r). Courtesy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg. 3 For a comparison of the construction of the two types of ships, i. e. the Mediterranean and the sewn boat, and the superiority of the latter in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, see V. Christides, “What Went Wrong in the Long Distance Roman Naval Power”. P. 80–81. 4 V. Christides, “The Martyrdom ofArethas and the Days after: History vs. Hagiography”, Graeco Arabica 7–8 (2000). P. 51–91 ; idem, “The Himyarite Kingdom on the Eve of and Fig.1. Zakariyā al-Qazwīnī’s illumi- nation of an Arab ship of the Indian Ocean. Clear depiction of the stern rudder. From his work: ‘Adjā’ib al-Makhluqāt, MS B-370 (fol. 23r). Courtesy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, St Petersburg