Description
Book SynopsisThe iconic minaret of Jām stands in a remote mountain valley in central Afghanistan, the finest surviving monument of the enigmatic 12th-century Ghūrid dynasty. The rediscovery of the minaret half a century ago prompted renewed interest in the Ghūrids, and this has intensified since their summer capital at Jām became Afghanistans 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 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, David Thomas has used this data to reassess the Ghūrids and generate a more nuanced understanding of this significant Early Islamic polity.Some supplementary appendices for this title can be found at https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/17842
Trade Review'This book is very well researched and draws on a wide range of sources, both written and archaeological, and does a great deal to place Ghurid studies into the historiographic continuum.' -- Richard McClary -- Plekos
'... this work of synthesis is quite significant, constructing an interdisciplinary image of Ghūrid urbanism at Jam as well as the broader material footprint of Ghūrid territorial politics through multiple Afghan landscapes.' -- Kathryn Franklin -- Antiquity
'Thomas's book is interesting not only for its subject matter - it is arguably the first detailed analysis of archaeological work carried out in the Ghurid heartland of central Afghanistan - but also for its process that integrates the traditional with the technological. Satellite archaeology has facilitated the desktop studies of specific sites and entire regions through free, high-resolution, geo-referenced images.' -- Asma Ibrahim -- Dawn
Table of ContentsList of figures
List of plates
List of tables
Abstract in Dari
Acknowledgements
Preface
Note on transliteration and dates
Abbreviations Introduction 1. The nomadic empire of the GhÅ"rids
2. The GhÅ"rid landscapes
3. The rise, expansion and demise of the GhÅ"rids under the ShansabÄnÄ"d dynasty
4. The archaeological remains of the GhÅ"rids
5. Exploring JÄm
6. Re-defining JÄm: an archaeological eye in the sky
7. The GhÅ"rids: an unsustainable Early Islamic polity
Plates
Appendix 1: Google Earth study areas
Appendix 2: less well-known ethnies and dynasties
Works cited
Index
Supplementary appendices
Appendix 3: GhÅ"rid sites
Appendix 4: Architectural details of sites and structures recorded by MJAP in 2003 and 2005
Appendix 5: MJAP robber hole data
Appendix 6: MJAP robber holes
Appendix 7: Excavated contexts, MJAP 2003 and 2005
Appendix 8: Small finds, MJAP 2003 and 2005
Appendix 9: X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) data
Appendix 10: Environmental data
Appendix 11: Descriptions of GhÅ"rid sites analysed in high-resolution satellite images available through Google Earth
Appendix 12: Descriptions of selected GhÅ"rid sites analysed using upgraded satellite images available through Google Earth
Appendix 13: ASAGE sites referred to in Chapter 7
Appendix 14: Summary data for all the ASAGE sites
