Sterenn Le Maguer-Gillon
PhD in Archaeology, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CNRS "Islam Médiéval" UMR 8167.
RESEARCH
My research relates to trade, routes and circulation in the Arabian Peninsula in the Late pre-Islamic and the Islamic period (up to the 15th century).
I have been working as an archaeologist on pre- and Islamic sites in Yemen, the Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
I am a specialist of the material culture: incense burners, ceramic, and softstone objects.
My research also also focuses on the role of fragrances in Medieval Islamic society.
I am currently teaching ‘Arts, history and culture of the Arab-Persian world’ at the Institut Catholique de Paris.
EXPERIENCE
Within my area of interest, I have worked in Oman (Qalhât), Kuwait (The Kadhima Project), Emirates (Mleiha), Yemen (al-Shihr), as well as in Uzbekistan (Termez and Paykend).
I am also involved in museum and heritage projects in Saudi Arabia.
SPECIALIST SKILLS
- Archaeological assessment
- Heritage
- excavation supervising
- pottery study (typology, drawing, digitalizing)
- softstone specialist (Islamic period)
- archaeobotany and gum-resins studies (frankincense and myrrh trees)
RESEARCH
My research relates to trade, routes and circulation in the Arabian Peninsula in the Late pre-Islamic and the Islamic period (up to the 15th century).
I have been working as an archaeologist on pre- and Islamic sites in Yemen, the Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
I am a specialist of the material culture: incense burners, ceramic, and softstone objects.
My research also also focuses on the role of fragrances in Medieval Islamic society.
I am currently teaching ‘Arts, history and culture of the Arab-Persian world’ at the Institut Catholique de Paris.
EXPERIENCE
Within my area of interest, I have worked in Oman (Qalhât), Kuwait (The Kadhima Project), Emirates (Mleiha), Yemen (al-Shihr), as well as in Uzbekistan (Termez and Paykend).
I am also involved in museum and heritage projects in Saudi Arabia.
SPECIALIST SKILLS
- Archaeological assessment
- Heritage
- excavation supervising
- pottery study (typology, drawing, digitalizing)
- softstone specialist (Islamic period)
- archaeobotany and gum-resins studies (frankincense and myrrh trees)
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Thesis by Sterenn Le Maguer-Gillon
Papers by Sterenn Le Maguer-Gillon
Concerning the use of incense in a domestic context, Islam did not have such an important influence. Indeed, archaeology assesses the uses evolved slowly between the Pre-Islamic and the Islamic periods. Many incense burners have been found during archaeological excavations, highlighting the importance of burning incense in the Islamic society. Textual sources and iconography illustrate the use of burning incense in a secular context.
This paper aims to examine the sacred uses of incense in the Medieval Islamic world. What did the use of incense mean in the Islamic society? Was the domestic use of incense without any sacred meaning? We will try to answer these questions with the textual sources and using archaeological data.
Although archaeological research in the Sultanate of Oman began well before the accession to the throne of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, it became a real political and social issue during his reign. Archaeological excavations were first entrusted to Western researchers (mostly from institutions located in the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy or Germany), thus contributing to the country's emergence on the international scene. The Sultanate now has its own archaeological service and trains Omani archaeologists. This archaeological research will not only shed light on the Prehistory and history of this territory, it will also define a heritage that will mark the identity of the Sultanate of Oman.
The Omani heritage is highlighted by the inscription of five sites on the Unesco World Heritage List between 1987 and 2018. This heritage, unique in the Gulf region, is a response to the choice of high-end tourism development in order to diversify the country's economy. The Sultanate of Oman is thus building the image of an open and culturally rich country to which UNESCO, an internationally recognised institution, provides a choice guarantee. At the same time, university courses in the fields of culture and heritage are offered to encourage young Omanis to work in the tourism sector. The development of this sector has also contributed to the modernisation of the country and its infrastructure in order to link the most important sites to the capital, Muscat, thus opening up previously isolated regions.
d’utilisation des résines et bois aromatiques : religieux ou profane, riche ou modeste. Enfin, dans le cadre d’une étude anthropologique complète, la vente et l’usage de l’encens seront abordés du point de vue des pratiques actuelles en Oman, région productrice et consommatrice d’oliban.
The use of incenses like frankincense (lubān), myrrh (murr) or aloes wood (ʿūd) is well known from written sources (lexicographical works, Materiae Medicae, chronicles, geographs’ accounts, poetry or literature). These sources inform us on the different uses of these costly aromatics in wealthy and prestigious contexts. Archaeological data complete our knowledge on this topic, giving us important information on how these aromatics were used within lower classes for which no textual data are available. Several sites that have yielded resins are then presented to enable us to identify the contexts where incenses were used: religious or not, wealthy or humble. Finally, in the frame of an anthropological approach, the selling and the use of frankincense today will be evocated.
To identify the main substances used as incense, medieval Arabic sources, like the Kitāb al-nabāt written by Al-AsmaΚī and Abū Ḥanīfa al-Dīnawarī, or Ibn al-Bayṭār’s Jāmiʿ li-mufradāt al-adwiyyah wa’l-aghdhiyyah are of great interest. These textual sources are then compared to modern botanical studies and chemical analyses of the substances found in archaeological contexts. This allows us to map the distribution of these materials in order to enlighten the main trade routes across the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Peninsula.
This research offers a new perspective on the commercial relations between the Eastern Mediterranean world and the Indian Ocean through the Arabian Peninsula and its bordering seas in the Medieval Islamic world.
Concerning the use of incense in a domestic context, Islam did not have such an important influence. Indeed, archaeology assesses the uses evolved slowly between the Pre-Islamic and the Islamic periods. Many incense burners have been found during archaeological excavations, highlighting the importance of burning incense in the Islamic society. Textual sources and iconography illustrate the use of burning incense in a secular context.
This paper aims to examine the sacred uses of incense in the Medieval Islamic world. What did the use of incense mean in the Islamic society? Was the domestic use of incense without any sacred meaning? We will try to answer these questions with the textual sources and using archaeological data.
Although archaeological research in the Sultanate of Oman began well before the accession to the throne of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, it became a real political and social issue during his reign. Archaeological excavations were first entrusted to Western researchers (mostly from institutions located in the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy or Germany), thus contributing to the country's emergence on the international scene. The Sultanate now has its own archaeological service and trains Omani archaeologists. This archaeological research will not only shed light on the Prehistory and history of this territory, it will also define a heritage that will mark the identity of the Sultanate of Oman.
The Omani heritage is highlighted by the inscription of five sites on the Unesco World Heritage List between 1987 and 2018. This heritage, unique in the Gulf region, is a response to the choice of high-end tourism development in order to diversify the country's economy. The Sultanate of Oman is thus building the image of an open and culturally rich country to which UNESCO, an internationally recognised institution, provides a choice guarantee. At the same time, university courses in the fields of culture and heritage are offered to encourage young Omanis to work in the tourism sector. The development of this sector has also contributed to the modernisation of the country and its infrastructure in order to link the most important sites to the capital, Muscat, thus opening up previously isolated regions.
d’utilisation des résines et bois aromatiques : religieux ou profane, riche ou modeste. Enfin, dans le cadre d’une étude anthropologique complète, la vente et l’usage de l’encens seront abordés du point de vue des pratiques actuelles en Oman, région productrice et consommatrice d’oliban.
The use of incenses like frankincense (lubān), myrrh (murr) or aloes wood (ʿūd) is well known from written sources (lexicographical works, Materiae Medicae, chronicles, geographs’ accounts, poetry or literature). These sources inform us on the different uses of these costly aromatics in wealthy and prestigious contexts. Archaeological data complete our knowledge on this topic, giving us important information on how these aromatics were used within lower classes for which no textual data are available. Several sites that have yielded resins are then presented to enable us to identify the contexts where incenses were used: religious or not, wealthy or humble. Finally, in the frame of an anthropological approach, the selling and the use of frankincense today will be evocated.
To identify the main substances used as incense, medieval Arabic sources, like the Kitāb al-nabāt written by Al-AsmaΚī and Abū Ḥanīfa al-Dīnawarī, or Ibn al-Bayṭār’s Jāmiʿ li-mufradāt al-adwiyyah wa’l-aghdhiyyah are of great interest. These textual sources are then compared to modern botanical studies and chemical analyses of the substances found in archaeological contexts. This allows us to map the distribution of these materials in order to enlighten the main trade routes across the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Peninsula.
This research offers a new perspective on the commercial relations between the Eastern Mediterranean world and the Indian Ocean through the Arabian Peninsula and its bordering seas in the Medieval Islamic world.
The PDF can be download on the HAL-SHS website (link below).
This is a review of the results from the Kadhima project at around the end of the 3rd season (2012/13). It was written during the 4th season for the general public. Note the publication date is 2014, even if it says 2013 on the attached pdf.
This poster aims to present an original botany fieldwork and proposes an interesting methodology for archaeologists, in order to redefine the studies concerning frankincense trade in the Arabian Peninsula, whatever the period.
L’emploi d’encens pour parfumer la maison est courant dans le monde musulman médiéval. Cet usage n’est pas seulement cosmétique : il sert à éloigner les mauvais esprit et, surtout, à recevoir les invités au cours d’un rituel domestique d’une grande importance. Plusieurs types de sources documentent ces usages : textes, documents iconographiques et archéologiques. Utiliser des encens exotiques dans des objets précieux permet à l’hôte de montrer son savoir-vivre et son rang social. Cependant, l’usage de l’encens dans des contextes sociaux moins élevés est également attesté grâce aux données archéologiques. Cette présentation offrira ainsi un bref panorama des usages de l’encens en contexte domestique au sein des différentes strates sociales.
Abstract
The use of incense to perfume the house is common in the Medieval Muslim World. It not only has a cosmetic function as it also serves in magic to take the evil spirits away and, above all, during receptions. It is then a domestic ritual of great importance. Different kinds of documents give us information about these customs: texts, iconography and archaeological data. The use of exotic incense inside precious objects is a way to show off its social prestige as well as its good manners. However, the use of incense in lower social contexts is also documented by archaeology. Therefore this talk aims to provide a short insight of the uses of incense in domestic context and for different social contexts.
Déjà, bien avant l’Islam, Oman est au cœur des échanges maritimes avec la Mésopotamie, la Perse, le Makran et l’Inde. Le rôle commercial et maritime du territoire d’Oman s’accroît dès la période abbasside et de nombreux ports, de plus ou moins grande envergure, étaient réputés comme de grands centres du commerce dans l’océan Indien. Étapes incontournables pour les marins qui doivent se ravitailler, elles le sont aussi pour les commerçants qui y trouvent des produits de grande valeur comme l’encens oliban ou les chevaux.
Les villes portuaires ont été décrites dans des récits de voyage et de navigation non seulement arabes mais aussi occidentaux et chinois. La présentation s’attachera à relater les descriptions des ports de Ṣuḥār, de Qalhāt et de Ẓafār à travers les témoignages d’auteurs arabes comme Ibn Ḫurradāḏbih, Ibn Ḥawqal, al-Muqaddasī, al-Iṣṭaḫrī, Ibn al-Mujāwir, Ibn Baṭṭūṭa (XIVe siècle). Ces auteurs ont livré des descriptions de ces ports et nous renseignent sur les produits du commerce. Nous mettrons en parallèle les descriptions établies par Ibn Baṭṭūṭa et celles de Marco Polo, les deux voyageurs étant contemporains (ca. fin XIIIe – début XIVe s.). Enfin, quelques sources administratives chinoises permettront d’évoquer le commerce avec l’Extrême Orient.
« Perfumes in the Muslim Orient: uses and products »
This talk aims to present a short overview of the use of perfumes in the medieval Muslim world. This use dates back to Pre Islamic times and is later validated by the Holy Koran and others religious authoritative texts such as the hadiths. Therefore, it represents a significant aspect of the daily life in the Islamic world. I will present under what circumstances aromatic substances were used and in what form: incense, liquid or solid perfumes, oils, etc. Finally, the importance of perfumes in the Islamic world can be seen through the wide variety of goods that are employed, whether produced locally or imported from the Far East.
In the course of 2022, an archaeological team commissioned by the Heritage Commission carried out a centimeter-level survey using a drone calibrated by a topographical survey of twenty archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia. Beside mapping the sites, the drone imagery allowed us to precise their topography and to apprehend their close environment.
A multidisciplinary study of the Darb Zubayda, bringing together historians, field archaeologists, remote sensing specialists and geographers, offers new perspectives on our understanding of the history, occupation, and relationship of this road to its environment.
Based on the study of four stations, this presentation aims to shed a new light on the archaeology of the Darb Zubayda through the understanding of water management on this route crossing desert regions.
Frankincense, the resin exuding from Boswellia trees, was a sought after substance in the Indian Ocean since early Antiquity. In order to reconstruct the frankincense trade routes, the identification of the production areas is a key point. Indeed, there are twenty-two species of Boswellia trees. Among them, the resin of Boswellia sacra is the most expensive and sought after, according to textual sources. This resin can only be found in the South of the Arabian Peninsula. However, resins of other species were also traded, either because they were cheaper or because they could be sold as fake frankincense. Different methods have been set up to avoid fraud by the muḥtasib i.e. the authorities in charge of trade control.
This sought-after substance is sometimes described in medieval textual sources by geographers and botanists, but many errors occur identifying the species or the geographical origins, due to the lack of knowledge at the time. Moreover, resins are scarcely ever found in archaeological contexts because of preservation issues and also because being of great value, they were not wasted. When they are exhumed on site, archaeologists are challenged with the identification of the resins. Therefore, how can we reconstruct the trade routes without residues? To address this matter, we will investigate the containers and the objects designed to burn incense or use perfumes, especially incense burners. Indeed, these objects testify to the use of aromatic substances outside their areas of harvesting or production.
Cette intervention montrera ainsi comment le don de brûle-parfums précieux permet non seulement la diffusion d’un objet mais aussi la diffusion d’une pratique en lien avec l’hospitalité.
Coordinators: Maho Sebiane (EHESS-CEFAS), Sterenn Le Maguer-Gillon (CEFAS) and Marion Breteau (CEFAS).
This issue of Arabian Humanities proposes to offer a multidisciplinary overview of the Sultanate of Oman contemporary period by bringing together old and recent works.
It will focus as much on its history as on the major social and cultural changes that have taken place in its society.
The aim is to explore the different aspects that can be observed today and which contribute to a better understanding of this country over time.
For more information, please visit :
https://journals.openedition.org/cy/5291