The Ebb and Flow of the Ghūrid Empire

 

The Ebb and Flow of the Ghūrid Empire
David C. Thomas
Sydney University Press
ISBN: 9781743325520

The iconic minaret of Jām stands in a remote mountain valley in central Afghanistan, the finest surviving monument of the enigmatic seasonally nomadic, 12th century Ghūrid dynasty. The re-discovery of the minaret half a century ago prompted renewed interest in the Ghūrids, and this has intensified since their summer capital at Jām became Afghanistan’s first World Heritage site in 2002.

Two seasons of archaeological fieldwork at Jām, the detailed analysis of satellite images and the innovative use of Google Earth as a cultural heritage management tool have resulted in a wealth of new information about known Ghūrid sites, and the identification of hundreds of previously undocumented archaeological sites across Afghanistan. Drawing inspiration from the Annales School and the concept of an ‘archipelagic landscape’, Thomas has used these data to re-assess the Ghūrids and generate a more nuanced understanding of this significant Early Islamic polity.

In addition to complementing the événements which form the focus of the urban-based historical sources, the new archaeological data are used by Thomas to reconsider the urban characteristics of the Ghūrids’ summer capital. Throughout The Ebb and Flow of the Ghūrid Empire, Thomas uses this to explore the issues of Ghūrid identity, ideology and the sustainability of their polity.

To purchase a copy of The Ebb and Flow of the Ghūrid Empire please visit the SUP site: http://sydney.edu.au/sup/.

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Recent Submissions

  • Front Matter 

    Thomas, David C.
    Published 2018-07-12
    The challenges, and rewards, of undertaking archaeological fieldwork in a country like Afghanistan have been numerous and need to be outlined to put the following research in context. The minaret and archaeological remains ...
    Open Access
    Other
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  • Appendix 07 

    Thomas, David C.
    Published 2018-07-12
    Context is everything to an archaeologist, the key excavation details from which we tie all the data together to build a story. This appendix includes descriptive and interpretative information. It is sorted by Site and ...
    Open Access
    Dataset
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  • Appendices 

    Thomas, David C.
    Published 2018-07-12
    Open Access
    Other
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  • Appendix 14 

    Thomas, David C.
    Published 2018-07-12
    Appendix 14 provides a brief description and other data about 708 of the ASAGE sites documented in the ten Study Areas. It does not provide specific latitude / longitude coordinates, so as not to facilitate looting of these ...
    Open Access
    Dataset
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  • Appendix 09 

    Thomas, David C.
    Published 2018-07-12
    XRF (X-ray fluorescence) is a non-destructive technique used to determine the chemical composition of materials by measuring the fluorescent X-ray emitted from a sample (Renfrew, C. & P. Bahn, 2001. Archaeology: theories, ...
    Open Access
    Dataset
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