Medieval Nubia : a social and economic history /
This book explores the history of medieval Nubia through the Old Nubian documentary archives excavated at Qasr Ibrim in southern Egypt. It focuses in particular on a single archive of land sales from the late twelfth century ad. It argues that the evidence from this archive alters our understanding...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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New York ; Oxford :
Oxford University Press,
2012.
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| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | This book explores the history of medieval Nubia through the Old Nubian documentary archives excavated at Qasr Ibrim in southern Egypt. It focuses in particular on a single archive of land sales from the late twelfth century ad. It argues that the evidence from this archive alters our understanding of medieval Nubian society and economy. We should no longer see medieval Nubia as an isolated society with a primitive, demonetized economy. Nubian sales and accounts show wide levels of monetization. The accounts reveal gold-to-silver exchange rates in keeping with those of neighboring Egypt, thus tying Nubia's economy to the wider Mediterranean. The documents from Qasr Ibrim also reveal medieval Nubia's deep ties to Roman and Byzantine civilization. Old Nubian land sales have Greco-Roman Egyptian land sales as their historical basis. These land sales also suggest the existence of land purchase for investment by high-ranking officials who carried the expenses of the state, much like late antique landholders in Egypt. But the documents from Qasr Ibrim also reveal Nubian cultural practices along side this Roman cultural inheritance. In particular, we see evidence for public feasts as a widespread practice: Communal eating is a way for medieval Nubians to confirm the legitimacy of their legal transactions and their social hierarchies. Thus our records for medieval Nubia reveal a hybrid civilization with African and Byzantine characteristics. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (295 pages) : illustrations |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780199980048 0199980047 9780199891641 0199891648 |