the impact of the arab conquest on late roman settlement in egypt alison gascoigne

169 Pages·2009·9.67 MB·English

Pýý.
ý577
IMPACT THE ARAB OF THE CONQUEST
ROMAN LATE ON SETTLEMENT IN EGYPT
VOLUME I: TEXT
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
CAMBRIDGE
This dissertation is for degree
the
submitted
Doctor Philosophy in
the
of of
University Cambridge, March 2002
of
ALISON GASCOIGNE
DARWIN COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
For
my parents
love
thanks
with and
Abstract
The Impact the Arab Conquest Late Roman Settlement in Egypt
of on
Alison Gascoigne, Darwin College
Arab The conquest of Egypt in 642 AD affected the development of Egyptian towns
in The
various ways. actual military struggle, the subsequent settling of Arab tribes
in discussed in 1,
and changes administration are chapter with reference to specific
local
Chapter 2
sites using and archaeological sequences. whether assesses our
understanding of the archaeological record of the century seventh is detailed enough
to the dating The Zawyet in
allow accurate of settlement changes. site of al-Sultan
Middle Egypt burned
was apparently abandoned and partly around time the of the
Arab Analysis difficulty
conquest. of surface remains at this confirmed site the of
dating this the basis information.
accurately event on of current
Chapters 3 4
the two Arab
and analyse effect of of mechanisms colonisation
on Egyptian towns. First, an investigation of the occupation by of soldiers threatened
frontier towns (ribats) is based the Tinnis. Examination
on site of of the
indicates Tinnis in
archaeological remains significant a expansion of the eighth and
is by in historical building
ninth centuries, which confirmed references the sources to
funded by
programmes the Second, the `
central government. practice of murtaba al-
jund,
the its hinterland for
seasonal exploitation of town the and the grazing of
by
animals specific tribal groups is examined with reference to Kharibta in the
western Delta. Kharibta had apparently declined in and size prosperity by around the
Chapter 5 development important Pharaonic
eleventh century. the the
considers of
Edfu in Upper Egypt. Exposed have
administrative centre of archaeological sequences
clarified the movement of settlement in town the eastwards during the Islamic period.
The final factors have hitherto been
two that
chapter proposes not given
First, importance in
the
sufficient weight.
of military settlement promoting settlement
flawed
the
change; second, and nature of our understanding of the urban
for important
archaeological record this period. The thesis concludes with suggested a
transition,
paradigm of urban which will allow greater understanding of the changes in
in Roman Islamic Egypt.
settlement and
Acknowledgements
includes is
This dissertation is the result of my own work and nothing which the
done in Nevertheless, I have help
outcome of work collaboration. received advice and
from the last four be here. I
many people over years, not all of whom can mentioned
like Barry Kemp, for his
to thank
would my supervisor, and encouragement constant
Rose Pamela for her for fruitful discussions
the
guidance, and support and many about
her
that took time.
ceramics and other matters much up so of
My fieldwork in Egypt by Gillian Pyke
greatly was aided number a of people.
in inking drawings in
the
provided more advice practical and aid generously sherd
5. I to Bourriau, Janine Peter French Roberta Tomber for
chapter am also grateful and
their help in identifying to Alan Clapham for
ceramic material, many valuable
to techniques to
suggestions relating environmental sampling archaeology and and
Will for Schenck lessons in illustration. Sheehan Peter Sara Montgomery
pottery and
have hospitality during Cairo.
to
provided encouragement, guidance and my visits
Kate Spence, Amanda Dunsmore Nadine Moeller drew from
the
and of some sherds
Zawyet I indebted Nadine for her
to
al-Sultan; also am company and cheerfulness at
Edfu. The Jane in Faiers her fabric
to
generosity of allowing me use parts of
deserves Salima Ikram Nicholas Warner
classification system also mention, while and
kindly discussed issues
variety a of with me.
Of fieldwork involved in have been
the this possible
course, project would not
the help the Egyptian Government's Supreme Council for Antiquities and
without of
its in Minya, Port Alexandria, Said, Cairo Edfu. In
many representatives and
I like inspectors Leila `Abd (who
particular, should to thank the al-Basit provided
help in Kharibta), Said `Agami `Arafa `Abbas `Abbas
great and company and al-
Shinawi (for help Tinnis), Ibrahim `Abd
their
accommodating and approach at al-
Rahman Fustat Muhammad Said Suzi Samir Labib Nagwa `Abd
at and al-Din, and al-
Magid `Abd Edfu. Funding by the Thomas Mulvey
al-Basit at was provided
Egyptology Fund the H. M. Chadwick Fund Cambridge University
and of and the
Seven Pillars Wisdom Trust; I indebted to the these funds.
of am administrators of all
Another facilitated the the fieldwork Rawya
who person greatly administration of was
Ismael Egypt Exploration Society's Cairo
the tirelessly
of office, who visited various
behalf; I to for her her help, to the
all and
government offices on my very am grateful
facilities.
EES for permitting me the time of their personnel and the use of their
Middle
In Cambridge, I must acknowledge the generosity of members of the
Eastern Studies department. Kate Bennison has been to
always willing my answer
Rachael Harris Nadira Auty their time to teach
questions, she, and and much gave of
Arabic. Rachael Harris kindly looked translation Ibn Bassam in
me also over my of
the Appendix. I would like to thank Clackson Sarah for teaching me Coptic and for
help field John Ray Kate Spence for
through the
guidance and of papyrology, and and
their I the the Oriental
valuable comments on my research. must mention also staff of
Faculty Studies library, been have help
the
who great a over years.
Finally, I like to thank family for their
would my constant encouragement and
They help. Gascoigne Jo the
support. provided also more practical me advised on
Paul Wingfield
the
more scientific aspects of work, while supplied much guidance on
I deeply indebted to David Christine Gascoigne, for
style. most am my parents, and
help factors, importantly
with wide a range of most practical support and proof-
Without been have
them, this thesis
reading. would never written.
/`ý7.1ý. ýý. 5
List Contents
of
Abbreviations
Chapter 1- Egyptian Urbanism the Arab Conquest 1
and
Chapter 2- Problems: Source Burning Zawyet 20
the
of al-Sultan
Chapter 3- Ribat Settlement: Example Tinnis 46
the
of
Chapter 4- Murtaba ` the Example Kharibta 74
al-Jund: of
Chapter 5- The Old Urban Order: Tell Edfu 87
6- Chapter Urbanism: Egyptian Causes Change 113
of
120
Appendix Translation Anis Bassam Ibn
the
of al-Jalis of al-Tinnisi
-
128
Bibliography
Abbreviations
Organisations
American Research Center in Egypt
ARCE
Comite Conservation de des Monuments de 1'Art Arabe
CCMAA et
Egypt Exploration Fund (former EES)
EEF name of
Egypt Exploration Society
EES
Institut Francais d'Archeologie Orientale du Caire
IFAO
SCA Supreme Council for Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities Service
Journals/books
Egyptiennes
ASAE Annales du Service des Antiquites
BAR British Archaeological Reports
BASOR Bulletin the American School Oriental Research
of
of
BIE Bulletin de l'Institut d'Egypte
BIFAO Bulletin de l'Institut Francais d'Archeologie Orientale
BSAC Bulletin Societe la de d'Archeologie Copte
BSOAS Bulletin School Oriental African Studies
the
of of and
BS(R)GE Bulletin la de (Royale) Societe Geographie de d'Egypte
Egyptienne
CCE la Cahiers de Ceramique
Orientale
FIFAO Fouilles l'Institut de Francais d'Archeologie
JARCE Journal American Research Center in Egypt
the
of
JEA Journal Egyptian Archaeology
of
JNES Journal Near Eastern Studies
of
JRAS Journal Royal Asiatic Society
the
of
JSSEA Journal the Society for the Study Egyptian Antiquities
of
of
Agyptologie
LA Lexicon der
MDAIK Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abt. Kairo
Memoires (publies les l'Institut de Francais
MIFAO
par membres)
d'Archeologie Orientale
ZAS Zeitschrift fir ägyptische Sprache
Zeitschrift für Papyrologie Epigraphik
ZPE
und
Chapter 1
Arab Conquest
Egyptian Urbanism the
and
for
Conquest
and colonisation: mechanisms urban change
by lands
The
conquest and control of external groups of people are recurrent and
features human history. They by
widespread of also significant a represent mechanism
dominance The
which civilisations maintain extend and cultural over others.
Arab influence throughout the Middle East in the AD is
expansion of century seventh
By 642, Arab had lands from Yemen to
no exception. armies overrun and occupied
Syria, Egypt Iraq, incorporated into imperial its
to them
and an structure with religious
Mecca its Medina, Damascus Baghdad.
at centre and political at successively one and
The Egypt to in
colonisation of was result cultural great which changes would mould
it inevitable the
the the that
of shape modern state, and was event an such would affect
As Loomba `The "forming
country's urban configuration. explains: process of a
in land
the the
community" new meant necessarily unforming or re-forming
(1998,2).
that there
communities existed already'
A been have levels
number of studies carried out concerning of social and
from the late Roman to the Islamic
economic change continuity and early period,
in
in Egypt (see for Adams 1965; Morony 1984;
mostly areas of east example papers
King Cameron 1994; Schick Morony 1995). that the tendency to
and eds suggests
is least
Muslim
regard the conquest cultural a as political and watershed at partly
in ignorance developments during from 300-600 (1984,3). The
rooted of the period c.
began in late Roman times
trends and
continuation of of urban change which
demonstrated in
into the Islamic has been
continued early period archaeologically
Syrian, Jordanian Palestinian (Zeyadeh 1994; Tsafrir Foerster
and
and settlements
MacAdam 1994; 1994). In Egypt, late Alexandria
an account of antique provides as
brief description development,
the
an epilogue a of city's post-conquest urban and
highlights (Haas 1997; below, 14-15). This
again continuity see pp. emphasis on the
the towards the `medieval' is, however,
evolution of classical urban structure city not
Egypt,
to
generally applicable where only small a number of specialist settlements,
I
UNIVERSITY
LURA,
RY
CAMBRIDGE
Hellenic ideal
Alexandria Antinoopolis, to the
as such and conformed of orthogonal
basis local
layout. The danger too the
of generalising widely on of conditions prevents
the direct application to Egypt, with its distinct cultural traditions, of results gained
from This thesis to initiate independent
another province. aims archaeological study of
development Egypt.
the post-conquest of towns the of
Morony's Islamic Iraq identifies for
study of early various mechanisms
`there forms direct
two
continuity change: and were major of continuity: survivals
from before
the the through transmission to the
period conquest, continuity and
Change likewise falls into immediate
two the
conquerors. categories: short-term
results of the conquest, and the more permanent changes introduced by the way
life in Arabia institutionalized in Islam
certain aspects of pre-Islamic were and
brought by Muslim Arab Iraq' (1984,507). How do his for
to
conquerors mechanisms
to Egypt? Butler's the Egypt (1902,
apply change great work on of conquest reprinted
1978) indicates that Egypt's towns the battles
only small a proportion of were site of
fewer damage inhabitants.
to
or sieges, and even suffered significant property and
Among the towns taken by Bilbeis, Umm Dunain, Bahnasa in the
or storm siege were
Fayyum, Misr, Babylon, Terenouti, Kariun, Ikhna, Balhib Tinnis, Nikiu
and while at
certain and towns in the Fayyum, the garrison much and of the population was
At Pelusium, in disrepair destruction
the their
massacred.
where walls were still after
by the Persians few fortress dismantled
a years previously, the was churches and
destroyed. That events such would had have long term impact on these settlements is,
however,
unlikely.
Robinson, in his Mesopotamia,
writes:
recent study of post-conquest
`Conquest can create new elites (through the distribution of offices, land and titles), as
it destroy (through incorporate (through
can violence confiscation) and or conversion
elites' (2000,59). It is
that
or assimilation more generally) pre-existing arguable
is by from
where power seized a minority regime outside, control will automatically
become in from
to the to
more centralised response need remove autonomy places
which not are directly regulated. Certainly, the foundation of the Arab garrison town
Fustat in
and administrative centre of was the most visible change the country's urban
Alongside
configuration. this new settlement, existing towns and their hinterlands
2
by
during Arab
were the early period gradually occupied new a administrative
in Egypt,
hierarchy. Initially, Coptic throughout
officials remained place with only a
in key for departed Roman
few Arab the
administrators urban replacements as centres
The Arabs in the to increase during the
governors. proportion of administration was
half Umayyad (c. 715-40),
the
second of period reorganisation when a placed power
firmly into hands Arab (Frantz-Murphy The 1991). increasing
the the
more of settlers
Arabisation the have in the foundation institutions
of administration must resulted of
diwan in Egypt's
towns.
such as offices provincial
Unlike the the elite the had to be
administration, military of old regime
immediately. By the Roman Egypt's become had
replaced of end rule, soldiery
incorporated into farming land local
native society, settling and marrying and women.
Strong links between its locality
existed unit each and military and officials were
involved in local (Maspero 1912; Alston Whether 1995). the these
affairs majority of
Egyptian left
the the
soldiers, many of whom were not of origin, country after
laid down lives, is The
their
conquest, or simply arms civilian adopted and not clear.
Roman forts, in dominate
great often centrally situated towns villages and to
do fully been have by Arabs.
surrounding communities, not appear to exploited the
Post-conquest been has demonstrated Babylon, Pelusium
activity archaeologically at
and Nag' al-Hagar; however, these levels may reflect the incorporation of the fort-
enclosures into the surrounding with settlements, the building of houses and churches,
than below (see 6-13 for further discussion
rather military a occupation pp. of
Babylon; `Abd Mustafa 1985; Jaritz 1985; `Abd
al-Waseth and
al-Maqsoud and
Zignani 1992). The in the
abandonment of military outposts resulted removal of a
level from being by Arab
of autonomy provincial towns, with more control exercised
in Fustat.
military officials
Whatever the fate the Roman it is that Arab
of army, clear new garrisons were
installed key towns Aswan Alexandria, the
at such as and with northern coastal region
being defended. `Athamina (1997)
two
particularly well notes specific mechanisms of
in Islamic One is based
times. these the
military occupation early of on concepts of
fortified frontier
thaghr, to Alexandria
ribat and statuses given sites such as to
the town the by Arab The
encourage settlement of soldiers. other, more exploitative,
3