History and Identity in the Late Antique Near East

262 Pages·2013·4.001 MB·English

by  Philip Wood

History and Identity in the Late
Antique Near East
OXFORD STUDIES IN LATE ANTIQUITY
Series Editor
Ralph Mathisen
L ate Antiquity has unifi ed what in the past were disparate disciplinary, chro-
nological, and geographical areas of study. Welcoming a wide array of method-
ological approaches, this book series provides a venue for the finest new
scholarship on the period, ranging from the later Roman Empire to the Byzan-
tine, Sassanid, early Islamic, and early Carolingian worlds.
Th e Arabic Hermes
From Pagan Sage to Prophet of Science
Kevin van Bladel
Two Romes
Rome and Constantinople in Late Antiquity
Edited by Lucy Grig and Gavin Kelly
Disciplining Christians
Correction and Community in Augustine’s Letters
Jennifer V. Ebbeler
History and Identity in the Late Antique Near East
Edited by Philip Wood
History and Identity in the Late
Antique Near East
Edited by Philip Wood

1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
History and identity in the late antique Near East, 500–1000 /edited by Philip Wood.
p. cm.—(Oxford studies in late antiquity)
Th is volume arose out of a seminar series organized at the Classics Centre of Corpus Christi College,
Oxford, in 2009 and a subsequent workshop in 2010.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-991540-8
1. Middle East—Civilization—Congresses. 2. Middle East—Antiquities—Congresses.
3. National characteristics—Congresses. I. Wood, Philip, 1982–
DS42.4.H57 2010
956′.013—dc23 2012023595
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
Contents

Preface vii
List of Contributors i x
Introduction xi
Map xxiii
1. Sophronius of Jerusalem and the End of Roman History 1
Phil Booth
2. Identity, Philosophy, and the Problem of Armenian History in the
Sixth Century 2 9
Tara L Andrews
3. Th e C hronicle of Seert and Roman Ecclesiastical History in the Sasanian
World 4 3
Philip Wood
4. Why Were the Syrians Interested in Greek Philosophy? 61
Daniel King
5. You Are What You Read: Qenneshre and the Miaphysite
Church in the Seventh Century 83
Jack Tannous
6. Th e Prophet’s City before the Prophet: Ibn Zabāla (d. aft er 199/814)
on Pre-Islamic Medina 103
Harry Munt
7. Topoi and Topography in the Histories of al- Ḥ īra 123
Adam Talib
8. ‘Th e Crinkly-Haired People of the Black Earth’: Examining Egyptian
Identities in Ibn (cid:574) Abd al- Ḥ akam’s Futū ḥ 1 49
Hussein Omar
v
vi Contents
9. Forgetting Ctesiphon: Iran’s Pre-Islamic Past, c. 800–1100 169
Sarah Bowen Savant
10. Legal Knowledge and Local Practices under the Early (cid:574) Abbāsids 1 87
Mathieu Tillier
List of Abbreviations 2 05
Bibliography 207
Index 231
Preface
Th is volume arose out of a series of seminars organized at the Classics Centre
of Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 2009. Th ese were held on the theme of
‘History and Identity, 500–1000’, and we are grateful to the centre for accepting
a proposal that dragged the Classics Centre so far out of the Greco-Roman
world. Our thanks go, in particular, to Ewen Bowie, Tim Whitmarsh, James
Howard-Johnston, and Bryan Ward-Perkins for their support and advice.
Aft er the success of this series, a follow-up workshop was held in Corpus in
2010 on the same theme, and we are grateful to the British Academy and the
Oxford Centre for Late Antiquity for their generous support. Th is volume is the
fruit of both of these events. We would also like to thank Robert Hoyland and
OUP’s anonymous reviewer for their advice during its preparation.
vii
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List of Contributors

TARA L. ANDREWS , KU Leuven
PHIL BOOTH , University of Cambridge
DANIEL KING , Cardiff University
HARRY MUNT , University of Oxford
HUSSEIN OMAR , University of Oxford
SARAH BOWEN SAVANT , Aga Khan University, Institute for the Study of
Muslim Civilisations
ADAM TALIB , American University in Cairo
JACK TANNOUS , Princeton University
MATHIEU TILLIER , Institut français du Proche-Orient
PHILIP WOOD , University of Cambridge

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