- North Africa Studies, Middle Eastern and North African Archaeology and History, Islamic Art History, Architecture, and Urbanism, Medieval Historiography and Historical Geography, Contemporary Islamic Societies of North Africa, E-Heritage (use of Information and Communication Technologies in cultural heritage), and 2 moreArabic Manuscripts and Arabic Palaeographyedit
- Ph.D., Anthropology, 2001
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A.edit
Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Islamic Archaeology, Moroccan Studies, Medieval Archaeology, Morocco, Islamic History, and 5 moreArchaeology, Historical Archaeology. Medieval Archaeology, Anthropology, Social Identities, Material Culture, Artefact Studies, Diaspora Studies, Trade and Exchange, Political Economy and History, Moroccan cities urbanism, Qayrawan, and Sijilmasa
ABSTRACT The political economy and settlement systems of medieval Morocco witnessed major transformations between the ninth and fifteenth centuries A.D. Based on a recent theoretical framework, it was postulated that medieval Moroccan... more
ABSTRACT
The political economy and settlement systems of medieval Morocco witnessed major transformations between the ninth and fifteenth centuries A.D. Based on a recent theoretical framework, it was postulated that medieval Moroccan political economy changed from a reliance on agricultural surplus to a reliance on long-distance sub-Saharan gold trade. Furthermore, change in political economy has triggered a shift in settlement patterns from a multitiered hierarchy of settlement size to a “primate” one.
This study utilizes multiple lines of evidence, including documentary sources, numismatic evidence, and compositional data (instrumental neutron activation analysis). These data were used to examine (1) the sources of state finance systems, (2) the material impact of changing political economies on the size, location, and distribution of settlements, and (3) local exchange and community interaction.
The results of textual and numismatic analyses support the premise that the transition from the Idrisid to later dynastic periods was accompanied by a major transformation in the political economy and settlement systems. During the Idrisid period, agricultural surplus was the primary source of state finance. The distribution of Idrisid settlements within a number of micro-regional settlement systems was meant to maximize the amount of agricultural surplus levied from hinterland communities. The Idrisid settlement system was multitiered and hierarchical. It was composed of the state capital (Fez), a number of provincial capitals (e.g., al-Basra), and several smaller towns and villages.
During subsequent dynastic periods, sub-Saharan gold became the primary source of state finance. The concern to control, protect, and facilitate long distance gold trade gave rise to a “primate” settlement system with two anomalously large cities (the dynastic capitals of Fez and Marrakech)—both major hubs for long-distance gold trade—and a number of urban centers of much smaller size.
Local exchange and community interaction between Idrisid provincial capitals and their hinterland communities is a central, yet poorly understood aspect of the Idrisid political economy. Using instrumental neutron activation analysis, this study provides the first archaeological evidence in this regard. The results of instrumental neutron activation analysis indicate that the city was the major production and distribution center of pottery vessels in the region.
The political economy and settlement systems of medieval Morocco witnessed major transformations between the ninth and fifteenth centuries A.D. Based on a recent theoretical framework, it was postulated that medieval Moroccan political economy changed from a reliance on agricultural surplus to a reliance on long-distance sub-Saharan gold trade. Furthermore, change in political economy has triggered a shift in settlement patterns from a multitiered hierarchy of settlement size to a “primate” one.
This study utilizes multiple lines of evidence, including documentary sources, numismatic evidence, and compositional data (instrumental neutron activation analysis). These data were used to examine (1) the sources of state finance systems, (2) the material impact of changing political economies on the size, location, and distribution of settlements, and (3) local exchange and community interaction.
The results of textual and numismatic analyses support the premise that the transition from the Idrisid to later dynastic periods was accompanied by a major transformation in the political economy and settlement systems. During the Idrisid period, agricultural surplus was the primary source of state finance. The distribution of Idrisid settlements within a number of micro-regional settlement systems was meant to maximize the amount of agricultural surplus levied from hinterland communities. The Idrisid settlement system was multitiered and hierarchical. It was composed of the state capital (Fez), a number of provincial capitals (e.g., al-Basra), and several smaller towns and villages.
During subsequent dynastic periods, sub-Saharan gold became the primary source of state finance. The concern to control, protect, and facilitate long distance gold trade gave rise to a “primate” settlement system with two anomalously large cities (the dynastic capitals of Fez and Marrakech)—both major hubs for long-distance gold trade—and a number of urban centers of much smaller size.
Local exchange and community interaction between Idrisid provincial capitals and their hinterland communities is a central, yet poorly understood aspect of the Idrisid political economy. Using instrumental neutron activation analysis, this study provides the first archaeological evidence in this regard. The results of instrumental neutron activation analysis indicate that the city was the major production and distribution center of pottery vessels in the region.