The Royal Historical Society first book prize has this year been won by a book on the medieval Caucasus, MCN co-convenor John Latham-Sprinkle’s The North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, 850–1240.
John’s book covers the formation and appropriation of Christianity, its ideas and iconography, in the north Caucasus from the ninth century onwards, both emphasising the depth and utility of the expanding religious tradition. He also charts the importance of foreign materiality and mobility and the ways things were translated into the region as ways of constructing and legitimising power, before arguing that the collapse of the Alan kingdom was in part driven by an aristocracy increasingly able to access these forms of legitimation directly without reference to a monarchical centre. A recent review by Nikoloz Aleksidze provides a more in-depth overview of the contents.
This prize recognises both John’s exceptional work as a scholar, and the importance of the medieval Caucasus in wider historical studies – putting the medieval Caucasus in dialogue with and alongside other new book releases and areas of historical study both helps bring more scholars and possibilities into the field, and helps emphasise the importance of not overlooking Caucasian history within Eurasian and world contexts. Congratulations to John!