Islam
Explorations in Islamic Archaeology
Material Culture, Settlements, and Landscapes from the Mediterranean to Western Asia
This volume presents contributions by leading scholars on various topics and aspects of Islamic Archaeology a discipline which has recently seen the development of exciting new approaches to the study of the material culture of the Muslim world. This material culture was produced by and/or for Muslims as well as by and/or for non-Muslims living under Islamic rule from the 7th century onward in an expanding and ultimately vast area reaching from southern Europe to West Asia.
The contributions in this book focus on Jordan Oman Spain Turkey Lebanon as well as Israel and cover a timespan from the 7th century through the Mamluk period to the early 20th century. They highlight the archaeology of large Islamic centers in the past but also of the material culture in smaller sites and peripheral regions. Special emphasis is paid to pottery as one of the main artifacts that carry information on past societies but other finds and materials are discussed as well. The aspect of Islamic material culture which receives particular attention is ‘production’ specifically the production of clay vessels glaze mercury and crops.
What unites the new approaches presented here is that Islam is understood as both a ‘religion’ and a framework for economic cultural and social networks and influence. In this perspective the volume aims to offer students of Islamic archaeology historians of Islam and archaeologists of different disciplines a glimpse of the state-of-the-art in current Islamic Archaeology
The Co-production of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Artefacts, Rituals, Communities, Narratives, Doctrines, Concepts
Judaism Christianity and Islam have always formed re-formed and transformed themselves in conversation. That is these religions have come to exist in all their varieties by interacting with thinking about and imagining each other. In this sense they are co-produced linked by a dynamic and ongoing inter-dependence. The fifteen essays collected in this volume explore moments of such religious coproduction from the second to the twenty-first century from early pilgrimage sites to social media. The case studies range across textual and material cultures showing how a variety of artefacts coins rituals communities narratives theological doctrines and scholarly concepts were all co-produced across the three religious traditions. In so doing they present a panorama of possibilities from the past as well as a taxonomy that can help us think about the future of religious co-production. An introductory essay describes the advantages of approaching the past present and future of these religions through the lens of co-production and reflects on crucial methodological issues related to the understanding of Judaism Christianity and Islam as co-produced religions.