SLAEI - Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam – serie

This volume focuses on the problems researchers face when using (Byzantine) Greek, Syriac and Arabic sources together for the reconstruction of Near Eastern history from 400-c. 800. Contributions to the volume set the stage for a critical re-reading and revisionist interpretations of selected sources in the various cultural and literary traditions. The volume thus brings together neighbouring disciplines in ways that shed new light on this vitally important time in history. 1. MICHAEL WHITBY, Greek Historical Writing after Procopius: Variety and Vitality 2 . AVERIL CAMERON, New Themes and Styles in Greek Literature: Seventh-Eighth Centuries 3. JOHN HALDON, The Works of Anastasius of Sinai: A Key Source for the History of Seventh-Century East Mediterranean Society and Belief 4. G. J. REININK, Ps.-Methodius: A Concept of History in Response to the Rise of Islam 5. HAN J. W. DRIJVERS, The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles: A Syriac Apocalypse from the Early Islamic Period 6. Wadad Al-QADI Early Islamic State Letters: The Question of Authenticity 7. Stefan Leder, The Literary Use of the Khabar: A Basic Form of Historical Writing 8. Lawrence I. Conrad, The Conquest of Arwad: A Source-Critical Study in the Historiography of the Early Medieval Near East The need for such a project as this has been felt by students ... concerned with the birth of the new faith and the evolution of Islamic society. (C. Edmund Bosworth)

This volume revisits archaeological evidence from Syria, Palestine, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Egypt describing a variety of land-use patterns and the development of a particular type of settlement across the Near East. 1. Pierre-Louis Gatier, Villages du Proche-Orient protobyzantin (4eme-7eme s.): Etude regionale 2. Henry Innes Macadam, Settlements and Settlement Patterns in Northern and Central Transjordania, c. 550 - c. 750 3. Yoram Tsafrir and Gideon Foerster, From Scythopolis to Baysan - Changing Concepts of Urbanism 4. Ali Zeyadeh, Settlement Patterns: An Archaeological Perspective. Case Studies from Northern Palestine and Jordan 5. Robert Schick, The Settlement Pattern of Southern Jordan: The Nature of the Evidence 6. Donald Whitcomb, The Misr of Ayla: Settlement at al-'Aqaba in the Early Islamic Period 7. George T. Scanlon, Al-Fustat: The Riddle of the Earliest Settlement 8. G. R. D. King, Settlement in Western and Central Arabia and the Gulf in the Sixth-Eighth Centuries A.D. 9. Mikhail B. Piotrovsky, Late Ancient and Early Mediaeval Yemen: Settlement Traditions and Innovations 10. Michael G. Morony, Land Use and Settlement Patterns in Late Sasanian and Early Islamic Iraq 11. Alastair Northedge, Archaeology and New Urban Settlement in Early Islamic Syria and Iraq This volume presents a much needed addition to the history of the transit from Byzantine to Islamic administration and a welcome survey of recent archaeology of an understudied period (Gladys Frantz-Murphy)

A comparative analysis of Byzantine, Sasanian and Muslim armies and their impact on state resources. Contributions discuss the organization and financing of the army in the late Roman state, the transformations and continuities of the late Sasanid state and with authority and armies in the early Muslim state. Thus, the volume brings together perspectives from neighbouring fields, presents military issues in an intercultural manner and assembles important pieces of knowledge in a comprehensive manner. 1. Jean-Michel Carrie, L'Etat a la recherche de nouveaux modes de financement des armees (Rome et Byzance, IVe-VIIIe siecles) 2. Michael Whitby, Recruitment in Roman Armies from Justinian to Heraclius (ca. 565-615) 3. Benjamin Isaac, The Army in the Late Roman East: the Persian Wars and the Defence of the Byzantine Provinces 4. James Howard-Johnston, The Two Great Powers in Late Antiquity: a Comparison 5. Zeev Rubin, The Reforms of Khusro Anushirwan 6. Ella Landau-Tasseron, Features of the Pre-Conquest Muslim Armies in the Time of Muhammad 7. Fred McGraw Donner, Centralized Authority and Military Autonomy in the Early Islamic Conquests 8. Hugh Kennedy, The Financing of the Military in the Early Islamic State 9. John Haldon, Seventh-Century Continuities: the Ajnad and the "Thematic Myth" 10. Ralph-Johannes Lilie, Zum Einflua der arabischen Expansion auf die byzantinische Militarorganisation "Interdisciplinary enterprises such as [this] volume ... are to be applauded for getting us down to earth." (Patricia Crone)

A collection of critical analyses of the structure, historical development, and composition of the elite strata of late Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic societies in the eastern Mediterranean basin. Culture change, economic foundations, political roles and function, social composition, and background and origins of old and new elites are the focus of the contributions by scholars who deal with the fate of the later Roman elite and its successors. 1. Hugh Kennedy, Elite lncomes in the Early lslamic State 2. William Lancaster and Fidelity Lancaster, Concepts of Leadership in Bedouin Society 3. Lelsie Brubaker, Elites and Patronage in Early Byzantium: the Evidence from Hagios Demetrios at Thessalonike 4. Averil Cameron, Democratization Revisited: Culture and Late Antique and Early Byzantine Elites 5. Nadia Maria El Cheickh, Byzantine Leaders in Arabic-Muslim Texts 6. Elizabeth Jeffreys, Notes Towards a Discussion of the Depiction of the Umayyads in Byzantine Literature 7. Claudia Rapp, Bishops in Late Antiquity: a New Social and Urban Elite? 8. John Haldon, The Fate of the Late Roman Senatorial Elite: Extinction or Transformation 9. Zeev Rubin, Nobility, Monarchy and Legitimation under the Later Sasanians 10. Michael G. Morony, Social Elites in Iraq and Iran: After the Conquest ... the articles collected in this volume ... are without exception of a very high calibre and make a very useful contribution to our understanding of the elites of this fascinating epoch. (Robert Hoyland)

An assessment of the nature and social continuity of Christian communities in Palestine from 602-813. By synthesizing literary and archeological evidence, it provides a detailed discussion of disparate historical and archeological data. In the first part, the Sasanian, Byzantine and early Muslim invasions of southern Syria and the changing of government policies towards Christians are discussed. Topical studies about church use, conversion and iconoclasm, are also included. The second part offers a useful alphabetical list of more than 500 sites that document Christian and Muslim presence and settlement in the area. ... the book does a great service to those interested in the area and its Christian population... (John Haldon)

Collection of all of Martin Hinds' (1941-1988) full-length articles which appeared in journals as well as one of his articles for the Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd Edition. Most of the articles have to do with the early period of Islamic history, while two others deal with the early 'Abbasid caliphate. The volume is especially important in light of the fact that all of the articles were revised by the editors based on Hinds' own corrected copies: 1. Kufan Political Alignments and Their Background in the Mid-Seventh Century A.D 2. The Murder of the Caliph 'Uthman 3. The Siffin Arbitration Agreement 4 . The Banners and Battle Cries of the Arabs at Siffin (A.D. 657) 5. Sayf ibn 'Umar's Sources on Arabia 6. A Letter from the Governor of Egypt Concerning Egyptian-Nubian Relations in 141/758 7. Maghazi and Sira in Early Islamic Scholarship 8. The First Arab Conquests in Fars 9. Mihna Hinds' articles are essential reading for any specialist in early Islamic history (Michael Bates)

This work investigates available early Arabic hadith and exegetical literature in order to determine the great complexity of how Arabs, Muslims and Arab-Muslims viewed themselves and members of other communities. In particular, it focuses on the relation between definitions of Arabness and otherness with Islamic ascriptions of believers and nonbelievers and endeavors to trace the changing of these views over time. Moreover, this is an in-depth analysis of a series of hadiths and isnads that discusses when, where, why, and by whom traditions were circulated during the 8th and 9th centuries. I. Bedouins and Non-Arabs II. The Impact of the Arab Polity in Retrospect III. The Great Fusion IV. Ambivalent Attitudes V. Apocalyptic Insecurities VI. Summary Discussion and Concluding Notes

A complete facsimile edition of the previously unedited Samaritan sequel to the Kitab al-Ta'rikh by Abi l-Fath Ibn Abi l-Hasan al-Samiri al-Danafi (d. ca. 1355). The edition of this chronicle photographically reproduces Paris BN Ms. Samaritain 10 (pp. 203-264), which, written in Middle Arabic, seems easily readable but poses a plethora of editorial problems. The editor entitled the work a Continuatio, and translated it into English with full editorial and explanatory annotation. The work describes the local history of the Samaritan people in Palestine up to the 10th century and contains valuable information about major political events presented, according to caliphates up to al-Radi (d. 934). "Il appert que la Continuatio est une important source historique" (Claude Gilliot)

Josef Horovitz (1874-1931) wrote this classic monograph a century ago in two parts in German. The editor added footnotes, corrections and the preface, and it is now a book in its own right. The translation was prepared by Marmaduke Pickthall (d. 1936). Lawrence I. Conrad, who re-edited the articles also presents a slightly corrected textual version, expanding and updating the notes and bibliography and adding a new introduction dealing with Horovitz's and other orientalists' work on early Islam in the early 20th century. Horovitz deals with thirteen early scholars who transmitted traditions or compiled sira or maghazi works, such as 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr (d. ca. 713), Ibn Ishaq (d. 767) and al-Waqidi (d. 823). 1. Maghazi Authorities among the Tabi'un 2. The Early Medinans 3. The Students of al-Zuhri 4. Maghazi under the Early 'Abbasids

How and why did Muslims first come to write their own history? The author argues in this work that the Islamic historical tradition arose not out of idle curiosity, or through imitation of antique models, but as a response to a variety of challenges facing the Islamic community during its first several centuries. In the first part, the author presents an overview of four approaches that have characterized scholarship on the literary sources, including the source-critical and the skeptical approaches, then it discusses historiographical problems raised by the Qur'an and hadith. In the second part, the work analyzes major themes in historical narratives and presents formal and structural characteristics of early Islamic historiography. The monograph concludes with the proposition of a four-stage chronology regarding the evolution of historical writing in Arabic. ... this book ... deserves to become the first that teachers introduce to students. (Richard Bulliet)

Ibn 'Asakir's massive Ta'rikh madinat Dimashq (TMD) is a veritable gold mine of information for our understanding of the first five and one-half centuries of Islamic history. This book offers important insights on the mechanics of Arabic historiography, in particular on biographical sources from the Middle period. Moreover, two contributions show that Ibn 'Asakir pursued a political and sectarian agenda within his TMD. 1. James E. Lindsay, Ibn 'Asakir, His Ta'rikh madinat Dimashq and its Usefulness for Understanding Early Islamic History 2. Suleiman A. Mourad, Jesus According to Ibn 'Asakir 3. Fred M. Donner, 'Uthman and the Rashidun Caliphs in Ibn 'Asakir's Ta'rikh madinat Dimashq: a Study in Strategies of Compilation 4. Marianne Engle Cameron, Sayf at First: the Transmission of Sayf ibn 'Umar in al-Tabari and Ibn 'Asakir 5. Steven C. Judd, Ibn Asakir's Sources for the Late Umayyad Period 6. Paul M. Cobb, Community versus Contention: Ibn 'Asakir and 'Abbasid Syria Appendices: Publication History of TMD; Studies Addressing TMD; Major Lacunae in TMD; Pre-Islamic Sacred Biographies in TMD; Muhammad, the Rashidun, and the Umayyad Caliphs in TMD.

A detailed study on the nature of Muslim apocalyptic material in Islam, both Sunni and Shi'i. Taking a transcultural perspective by also discussing Christian and Jewish apocalyptic traditions, it offers in eight studies and three appendices a typology of apocalypses and many new insights into the matter. For instance, historical apocalypses as well as apocalyptic figures, like the Dajjal, the Sufyani and the Mahdi are discussed. Moreover, apocalyptic hadith literature, in particular Nu'aym b. Hammad's (d. 844) Kitab al-Fitan, and apocalyptic material in tafsir works are presented. The author argues for a comprehensive understanding of this important feature of the Islamic religious tradition. ... a reference tool and a starting point for students in their study of early Islam (Sajjad Rizvi)

This book offers a number of innovative studies on the three main communities of the East Mediterranean lands--Muslims, Jews and Christians--in the aftermath of the seventh-century Arab conquests. It focuses principally on how the Christian majority were affected by and adapted to their loss of political power in such arenas as language use, identity construction, church building, pilgrimage, and the role of women. Attention is also paid to how the Muslim community defined itself, administered justice, and regulated relations with non-Muslims. This book will be important for anyone interested in the ways in which the cultures and traditions of the late antique Mediterranean world were transformed in the course of the seventh to tenth centuries by the establishment of the new Muslim political elite and the gradual emergence of an Islamic Empire.

This work focuses on the intellectual and educational history of Baghdad in the early 'Abbasid and Bayid periods (8th-10th centuries). It covers a wide range of disciplines taught in the metropolis before the institutionalization of the madrasa system. Among these fields of knowledge are Arabic poetry and literature, the transmission of prophetic reports, Arabic historiography and astronomical-astrological teaching. Christian learning in the city is highlighted by two contributions, while two more papers focus on Jewish practices of knowledge production. The volume seeks to promote a better understanding of Baghdad's multi-cultural circles of learning, the transmission of knowledge, and common patterns of patronage during this period. With Contributions by E. Abate, A. Borrut, Y. Dehghani Farsani, D. Janos, E. Martin Contreras, L. Ossenbach, C. Ott, H.-P. Pokel, J. Scheiner, N. K. Schmid, N. Schmidt, K. Szilagyi, J. Thomann, I. Toral-Niehoff, J. Watt, C. Wilde, M. Zakeri

Volume 1: Problems in the Literary Source Material focuses on the problems researchers face when using (Byzantine) Greek, Syriac and Arabic sources together for the reconstruction of Near Eastern history from 400-ca. 800. Volume 2: Land Use and Settlement Patterns revisits archaeological evidence from Syria, Palestine, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Egypt describing a variety of land-use patterns and the development of a particular type of settlement across the Near East. Volume 3: States, Resources and Armies focuses on a comparative analysis of Byzantine, Sasanian and Muslim armies and their impact on state resources Volume 4: Elites Old and New presents a collection of critical analyses of the structure, historical development, and composition of the elite strata of late Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic societies in the eastern Mediterranean basin. Taken together, these studies offer clear guidance to novices and invaluable points of reference for all students of the Byzantine and Islamic worlds in this period. (Jonathan Shepard)