Uniwersytet Warszawski, Wydział Chemii - Centralny System Uwierzytelniania
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Invisible conquests. Reassessing the Byzantine-Early Islamic Transition in the Levant and North Africa

Informacje ogólne

Kod przedmiotu: 2800-AKEIT
Kod Erasmus / ISCED: 08.4 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (0222) Historia i archeologia Kod ISCED - Międzynarodowa Standardowa Klasyfikacja Kształcenia (International Standard Classification of Education) została opracowana przez UNESCO.
Nazwa przedmiotu: Invisible conquests. Reassessing the Byzantine-Early Islamic Transition in the Levant and North Africa
Jednostka: Wydział Archeologii
Grupy: Zajęcia kierunkowe na studiach anglojęzycznych
Punkty ECTS i inne: 3.00 Podstawowe informacje o zasadach przyporządkowania punktów ECTS:
  • roczny wymiar godzinowy nakładu pracy studenta konieczny do osiągnięcia zakładanych efektów uczenia się dla danego etapu studiów wynosi 1500-1800 h, co odpowiada 60 ECTS;
  • tygodniowy wymiar godzinowy nakładu pracy studenta wynosi 45 h;
  • 1 punkt ECTS odpowiada 25-30 godzinom pracy studenta potrzebnej do osiągnięcia zakładanych efektów uczenia się;
  • tygodniowy nakład pracy studenta konieczny do osiągnięcia zakładanych efektów uczenia się pozwala uzyskać 1,5 ECTS;
  • nakład pracy potrzebny do zaliczenia przedmiotu, któremu przypisano 3 ECTS, stanowi 10% semestralnego obciążenia studenta.
Język prowadzenia: angielski
Rodzaj przedmiotu:

uzupełniające

Tryb prowadzenia:

w terenie

Skrócony opis:

This course delves into the transformative period of the Byzantine-Early

Islamic transition in the Near East and North Africa, challenging traditional, colonial-era

perceptions of urban decline and cultural destruction. By integrating case studies from these

regions, students will critically assess the complex and often subtle impacts of the Arab

conquests, which remain largely invisible in the archaeological record. The course

emphasizes the importance of material culture—pottery, glass, and numismatics—in

understanding shifts in communal identity and socio-economic structures. A key focus is the

exploration of the motivations and reasons behind the Arab conquests, juxtaposing textual

narratives with archaeological evidence to foster a holistic understanding of this crucial

moment in global history.

Pełny opis:

I. Introduction

 Defining the geographical framework of the Eastern Mediterranean, northern Africa

and adjacent regions.

 Examining various systems of chronology and periodization in historical and

archaeological studies.

 Historical overview: An analysis of primary and secondary sources for understanding

the Early Islamic period.

II. Deconstructing the Perception of the Arab Conquests in Historiography and Popular

Culture

 Byzantine historiography and its narratives on the Arab conquests.

 Arabic historiography: Emergent narratives and their contexts.

 Modern historiography: Reinterpreting traditional views.

 Deconstructing colonial discourse on the Arab conquests.

 Representations of the Arab conquests in modern popular culture.

III. The Eastern Mediterranean before Muhammad

 Political and social dynamics within the Byzantine Empire.

 Religious diversity.

 The Sasanian-Byzantine wars and their effects on the region.

 Pre-Islamic Arab culture and its role in the wider Near East.

IV. Arab Communities before Muhammad

 The Ghassanids and other Arab groups in the Levant.

 The first Arabic inscriptions and their significance.

 The growing Arab presence in the Levant.

V. Invisible Conquests: The Impact of Early Islamic Conquests on the material culture of the

Levant

 A historical outline of the early conquests.

 Archaeological evidence for the Arab conquests.

 Transformations in the urban structure of Late Antique cities.

 Continuities in material culture: Pottery, glass, and numismatics.

 Fiscal and administrative reforms under Islamic rule.

 Relationships between Muslims and indigenous Christian and Jewish communities.

VI. From Polis to Madina: Changing Urban Landscapes in the Byzantine–Early Islamic

Transition

 The decline of Late Antique public institutions.

 Shifts in aesthetic approaches to cityscapes.

 Continuities and transformations in sacred spaces.

 Encroachment on communication arteries in Late Antique cities.

 Debating trade and economic prosperity during the transition.

VII. Settling the Desert: The New Umayyad Foundations in the Southern Levant

 The emergence of Islamic and mosque architecture

 Desert castles in Jordan and Palestine: Functions and significance.

 Palaces and residential architecture.

 The foundation of new cities and settlements.

 Late Antique art in the context of Early Islam: Continuity and change.

 Iconoclasm and iconophobia in Early Islamic art.

 The fate of Christian communities and churches under Umayyad rule.

VIII. From Africa to Ifrīqiya

 The new administrative and urban foundations in North Africa.

 The fall of Carthage and its repercussions.

 Challenges in defining the Early Islamic period archaeologically.

IX. Al-Andalus

 The establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate in al-Andalus.

 Migration and material culture evolution.

 Innovations in aesthetic and architectural traditions.

X. Early Islamic Conquests in Global History

 Situating the conquests in the broader framework of global historical transitions.

XII. Summary and Discussion

 Reflections on key themes and final discussions on historiographical and

archaeological perspectives.

Literatura:

Avni, G.

2011 From Polis to Madina - Revisited. Urban Change in Byzantine and Early Islamic

Palestine. Journal of Royal Asiatic Society 21, 301-329.

2014 The Byzantine-Islamic Transition in Palestine. An Archaeological Approach [=Oxford

Studies in Byzantium], Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Carvajal-López, J. C.

2021 After the conquest: Ceramics and migration. In H. Fancy amd A. García-Sanjuán (eds.),

What was the Islamic conquest of Iberia? Understanding the new debate (pp. 55–73).

Abingdon: Routledge

2023 Islamization and archaeology: Religion, culture and new materialism. London:

Bloomsbury

Donner, F.

1981 The early Islamic conquests. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Fenwick, C.

2013 From Africa to Ifrīqiya: Settlement and Society in Early Medieval North Africa

(650–800). Al-Masāq 25(1), 9-33

2020 Early Islamic North Africa. London: Duckworth.

Hoyland, R.

2015 In God’s path: The Arab conquests and the creation of an Islamic empire. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

Kennedy, H.

1985 From Polis to Madina: Urban Change in Late Antique and Early Islamic Syria. Past &

Present 106: 3-27.

2007 The great Arab conquests: How the spread of Islam changed the world we live in.

London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson.

Nol, H.

2022 Settlement and Urbanization in Early Islamic Palestine, 7 th -11 th centuries. Texts and

Archaeology Contrasted [Studies in the History of the Ancient Near East]. Abington,

Oxon, New York: Routledge.

Magness, J.

2003 The Archaeology of the Early Islamic Settlement in Palestine. Winona Lake, IN:

Eisenbrauns.

Milwright, M.

2010 An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Taxel, I.

2018 Early Islamic Palestine: Toward a More Fine-Tuned Recognition of Settlement

Patterns and Land Uses in Town and Country. Journal of Islamic Archaeology 5(2):

153-180.

Walmsley, A.

2007 Early Islamic Syria: an Archaeological Assessment. London, Bristol: Duckworth.

Efekty uczenia się:

The student understands key terminology related to the chronology and periodization of the

Byzantine and Early Islamic Near East and North Africa (KW02).

Upon completing the course, the student can identify and describe the primary political,

economic, and socio-cultural impacts of the Arab conquests in the mid-7th century. This

includes a foundational understanding of changes in the social structure of Early Islamic

societies, settlement patterns, and land use during the Byzantine-Islamic transition (KW03).

The student gains knowledge of how to recognize, interpret, and contextualize various

categories of material culture from this period. This enables an exploration of communal

identities and social structures within Early Islamic societies (KW06, KW08).

The student can independently select, analyze, and evaluate information from academic

literature, internet resources (KU01), and other sources, applying critical thinking to

archaeological subjects related to the Early Islamic Near East (KU02).

The student develops the ability to classify and contextualize material culture, particularly

ceramics, and identify appropriate analytical methods to interpret their archaeological

context. Furthermore, they can present these findings effectively (KU03, KU12).

The student recognizes the subjectivity inherent in traditional historiography of the Arab

conquests and understands the influence of colonial discourse on historical interpretation

(KK02, KK03).

The course enhances the student's ability to handle and identify objects, preparing them for

future research while fostering an appreciation for interdisciplinary approaches and the

verification of data using diverse methodologies (KK05).

Metody i kryteria oceniania:

An active participation in classes are

required, including the obligatory reading of short texts, short exam (based on these

reading).

Zajęcia w cyklu "Semestr letni 2024/25" (w trakcie)

Okres: 2025-02-17 - 2025-06-08
Wybrany podział planu:
Przejdź do planu
Typ zajęć:
Konwersatorium, 30 godzin, 15 miejsc więcej informacji
Koordynatorzy: Piotr Makowski
Prowadzący grup: Piotr Makowski
Lista studentów: (nie masz dostępu)
Zaliczenie: Zaliczenie na ocenę
Opisy przedmiotów w USOS i USOSweb są chronione prawem autorskim.
Właścicielem praw autorskich jest Uniwersytet Warszawski, Wydział Chemii.
ul. Pasteura 1, 02-093 tel: +48 22 55 26 230 http://www.chem.uw.edu.pl/ kontakt deklaracja dostępności mapa serwisu USOSweb 7.1.1.0-3 (2024-12-18)