Muḥammad's medieval biographies are not very generous when it comes to solid facts. This is also true of Muḥammad's hijra in 622 for which we have most detailed accounts but little that qualifies as significant background information.
The meaning and elaboration of Jihad (just-sacred war) hold an important place in Islamic history and thought. On the far side of its spiritual meanings, the term has been historically and previously associated with the Arab Believers’... more
The meaning and elaboration of Jihad (just-sacred war) hold an important place in Islamic history and thought. On the far side of its spiritual meanings, the term has been historically and previously associated with the Arab Believers’ conquest of the 7th–8th centuries CE. However, the main idea of this contribution is to develop the “sacralization of war” as a relevant facet that was previously elaborated by the Arab Christian (pro-Byzantine) clans of the north of the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant and secondarily by the Arab confederation of Muhammad’s believers. From the beginning of Muhammad’s hijra (622), the interconnection between the Medinan clans that supported the Prophet with those settled in the northwest of the Hijaz is particularly interesting in relation to a couple of aspects: their trade collaboration and the impact of the belligerent attitude of the pro-Byzantine Arab Christian forces in the framing of the early concept of a Jihad. This analysis aimed to clarify the possibility that the early “sacralization of war” in proto-Islamic narrative had a Christian Arab origin related to a previous refinement in the Christian milieu.
This is the first paper in the series describing the process of the Byzantinization of nomads in the middle of the 6th century AD. The model of Peter Schreiner has been applied. The paper is focused mainly on the Ghassanids.
This draft paper summarises recent scholarship on the Jafnids and the Nasrids, the client kings through which the Romans, Persians and Himyarites sought to dominate the inhabitants of Arabia. It seeks to situate the the development of the... more
This draft paper summarises recent scholarship on the Jafnids and the Nasrids, the client kings through which the Romans, Persians and Himyarites sought to dominate the inhabitants of Arabia. It seeks to situate the the development of the empire of Medina into the context of the influence of the great powers onto the peninsula. The paper was presented in the 2015 Nangeroni workshop and is scheduled to be published in an edited volume by Guillaume Dye. Comments are very welcome.
This paper will briefly complete an analysis of Arabian history in the 6th and 7th century and then consider the possible roots and development of Islam, viewing in further papers the traditional narrative of agentic, supernatural... more
This paper will briefly complete an analysis of Arabian history in the 6th and 7th century and then consider the possible roots and development of Islam, viewing in further papers the traditional narrative of agentic, supernatural beginnings along with here and later more recent viewpoints exampled by Patricia Crone, the American academic. This is an historical understanding that must avoid the pressures of belief; attempting to understand a pivotal period objectively.
The ancient agricultural landscapes of the Golan Heights were found to have been left relatively untouched by modern development at the time of an archaeology survey which was conducted there in the 1980s by the Golan Byzantine... more
The ancient agricultural landscapes of the Golan Heights were found to have been left relatively untouched by modern development at the time of an archaeology survey which was conducted there in the 1980s by the Golan Byzantine Expedition. During the 1988 season of survey, ancient field systems were investigated at Er-Ramthaniyye (map ref. 22570 26960) over an area with a radius of 1.5 km. Four stages of landscape transformation and land use were been recognized. Stage I is represented by a field of 86 dolmens and a protohistoric settlement. Stage II is characterized by a system of rectangular fields associated with scatters of Roman sherds and Golan Ware resulting from ancient manuring practices. In Stage III the area was used for pasturage. Tent encampments discovered to the east of the settlement were probably established by nomadic Ghassanid tribes attracted to Er-Ramthaniyye as a pilgrimage centre. Stage IV consists of the restoration of field boundaries from the Ottoman period to 1967.
Cet article analyse le rôle de la dynastie jafnide dans la défense de la frontière orientale de l'Empire. Il met en évidence la cohérence de la politique de réorganisation de la défense de l'Orient par Justinien, aussi bien au nord, en... more
Cet article analyse le rôle de la dynastie jafnide dans la défense de la frontière orientale de l'Empire. Il met en évidence la cohérence de la politique de réorganisation de la défense de l'Orient par Justinien, aussi bien au nord, en Arménie, qu'au sud. L'auteur met en exergue le fait que les Jafnides ont acquis un statut de puissantes élites locales, mais sont ainsi devenus impopulaires auprès de leurs rivaux qui ont orchestré leur chute. Ils ont aussi pris le risque de trop gagner en puissance et d'échapper ainsi au contrôle de l'administration romaine. C'est pour ces raisons qu'ils ont été démis de leurs fonctions au début des années 580, tout comme l'ont été de nombreuses autres dynasties locales avant eux.
Irfan Shahîd, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Volume Il, part 1: Toponymy. Monuments, Historical Geography. and Frontier Studies. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2002. ISBN 0884022145·[Book... more
Irfan Shahîd, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Volume Il, part 1: Toponymy. Monuments, Historical Geography. and Frontier Studies. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 2002. ISBN 0884022145·[Book review]
