Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam

Front Cover
Psychology Press, 2001 - History - 324 pages

Long before Muhammed preached the religion of Islam, the inhabitants of his native Arabia had played an important role in world history as both merchants and warriors
Arabia and the Arabs provides the only up-to-date, one-volume survey of the region and its peoples, from prehistory to the coming of Islam
Using a wide range of sources - inscriptions, poetry, histories, and archaeological evidence - Robert Hoyland explores the main cultural areas of Arabia, from ancient Sheba in the south, to the deserts and oases of the north. He then examines the major themes of
*the economy
*society
*religion
*art, architecture and artefacts
*language and literature
*Arabhood and Arabisation
The volume is illustrated with more than 50 photographs, drawings and maps.

 

Contents

Introduction
1
East Arabia
13
South Arabia
36
North and central Arabia
58
Economy
85
Society
113
Religion
139
Art architecture and artefacts
167
Language and literature
198
Arabhood and Arabisation
229
Notes
248
Bibliography
256
Index
316
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About the author (2001)

Robert G. Hoyland has been a research fellow of St John's College, Oxford since 1994. He is the author of Seeing Islam As Others Saw It and several articles on the history of the Middle East. He regularly conducts fieldwork in the region.

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