The Byzantine And Early Islamic Near East

The essays in this volume deal with the history of the Middle East from c.550 to 1000 AD. There are three main themes: Syria in Late Antiquity and the changes and continuities with the early Islamic period; relations between Muslims and the Byzantine Emp

Vol. 2 : papers of the 2nd workshop on late antiquity and early Islam. Vol. 3 : papers of the 3rd workshop on late antiquity and early Islam. Vol. 6 : papers of the 6th workshop on late antiquity and early Islam. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Problems in the literary source material / edited by Averil Cameron and Lawrence I. Conrad -- 2. Land use and settlement patterns / edited by G.R.D. King and Averil Cameron -- 3. States, resources, and armies / edited by Averil Cameron -- 6. Elites old and new in the Byzantine and early Islamic Near East / edited by John Haldon and Lawrence I. Conrad.

This volume series 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. Elite culture and elite strata in societies leave an unmistakable record in the literature and in the visual and material culture of the world. The contributors to this series set out to analyze aspects of these phenomena in the late ancient and early medieval eastern Mediterranean world. 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. The ways in which elites perceived themselves and how they created, maintained, and enhanced their identity, and the ways in which others both within and outside of their own society and culture saw them are important! themes. The structure of new Byzantine elites and the role of late Roman and Byzantine provincial elite society, the development of new elites in early Islamic society, the role played by pre-state elites and their fluctuating identities in the context of clan and tribal social organizations are all treated.

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._x000B_1. MICHAEL WHITBY, Greek Historical Writing after Procopius: Variety and Vitality _x000B_2. AVERIL CAMERON, New The.