The Byzantine-Islamic transition in Palestine : an archaeological approach /

Using a comprehensive evaluation of recent archaeological findings, Avni addresses the transformation of local societies in Palestine and Jordan between the sixth and eleventh centuries AD. Arguing that these archaeological findings provide a reliable, though complex, picture, Avni illustrates how t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Avni, Gideon (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2014.
Series:Oxford studies in Byzantium.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:Using a comprehensive evaluation of recent archaeological findings, Avni addresses the transformation of local societies in Palestine and Jordan between the sixth and eleventh centuries AD. Arguing that these archaeological findings provide a reliable, though complex, picture, Avni illustrates how the Byzantine-Islamic transition was a much slower and gradual process than previously thought, and that it involved regional variability, different types of populations, and diverse settlement patterns. Based on the results of hundreds of excavations, including Avni's own surveys and excavations in the Negev, Beth Guvrin, Jerusalem, and Ramla, the volume reconstructs patterns of continuity and change in settlements during this turbulent period, evaluating the process of change in a dynamic multicultural society and showing that the coming of Islam had no direct effect on settlement patterns and material culture of the local population. The change in settlement, stemming from internal processes rather than from external political powers, culminated gradually during the Early Islamic period. However, the process of Islamization was slow, and by the eve of the Crusader period Christianity still had an overwhelming majority in Palestine and Jordan.
Physical Description:1 online resource (xvi, 424 pages) : illustrations, maps
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 365-414) and index.
ISBN:9780191507342
0191507342
9780191765001
0191765007