An Introduction to Islamic Archaeology (The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys) - Hardcover

As a textbook, Milwright's volume more than comes up to the mark, and it will certainly take a prominent place on my course reading lists. Such a synthesis, however, does more than act as a useful pedagogic tool; it throws into focus the state of the field of Islamic archaelogy in terms of its role within wider scholarship on the medieval Middle East... The book's considerable strengths - diversity, detail, clarity of explanation - make it a key addition to the field, and to the bookshelves of students and lecturers alike. It should also achieve its apparent purpose of presenting Islamic archaeology to a wider audience in an easily digestible way, and demonstrating the value of archaeological approaches to those still in need of convincing. -- ALISON L GASCOIGNE, Journal of Arabian Studies Milwright's introduction is a sound, balanced and scrupulously fair review of the field that will be immensely useful to lecturers and students of Islamic archaeology. It is carefully written to be accessible to a general audience, and the material discussed is generally well chosen to illustrate the full range and current state of Islamic archaeology. -- Jeremy Johns, Antiquity As a textbook, Milwright's volume more than comes up to the mark, and it will certainly take a prominent place on my course reading lists. Such a synthesis, however, does more than act as a useful pedagogic tool; it throws into focus the state of the field of Islamic archaelogy in terms of its role within wider scholarship on the medieval Middle East... The book's considerable strengths - diversity, detail, clarity of explanation - make it a key addition to the field, and to the bookshelves of students and lecturers alike. It should also achieve its apparent purpose of presenting Islamic archaeology to a wider audience in an easily digestible way, and demonstrating the value of archaeological approaches to those still in need of convincing. Milwright's introduction is a sound, balanced and scrupulously fair review of the field that will be immensely useful to lecturers and students of Islamic archaeology. It is carefully written to be accessible to a general audience, and the material discussed is generally well chosen to illustrate the full range and current state of Islamic archaeology.

This book offers an introduction to the archaeology of the Islamic world. It traces the history of the discipline from its earliest manifestations through to the present and evaluates the contribution made by archaeology to the understanding of key aspects of Islamic culture. The author argues that it is essential for the results of archaeological research to be more fully integrated into the wider historical study of the Islamic world. Organising the book into broad themes allows a focus on issues that are relevant across different regions and periods. Short case studies are included to allow the reader to examine the ways in which archaeologists collect and interpret material in specific contexts. The emphasis is on archaeological work conducted in the area stretching from Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics in the east to Spain in the west. Comparisons are also be drawn with Islamic regions of sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent, reflecting the main focus of archaeological work in the Islamic world to the present day.