Regional exchange and the role of the shop in Byzantine and Early Islamic Syria-Palestine: an archaeological view

Alan Walmsley

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The mechanisms of intra-regional exchange in Byzantine and early Islamic Syria-Palestine are being increasingly understood through modern archaeological research. Ceramics and coins, while offering slightly differing perspectives, reveal a local economic network that was founded on a distribution system with an optimal reach of 30 to 50 kilometers. Beyond that distance, the exchange of commodities could occur up to 100 kilometers away from a production point, an outcome probably achieved through secondary market points. Coins of the sixth and seventh centuries show the considerable extent to which these distribution systems remained self-reliant, but in the eighth century the evidence suggests a widening of horizons. Archaeological evidence also brings new insights into how exchange functioned at the local level. Towns, villages, and the countryside were served by new and long-established shop complexes and markets, in which commodities drawn from local and distant places could be found and services offered. In the eighth century a system of credit was customary, even the norm, in commerce, and Arabic had become firmly established as the everyday language of trade. Thus, in areas as diverse as financial systems, weights and measures, and language, a tangible change can be observed as Byzantium gave way to Islam in the towns of seventh- and eighth-century Syria-Palestine. Accordingly, the study of trade is not only a matter of economic history but also a key to comprehending social transformations at the end of antiquity.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationTrade and markets in Byzantium
EditorsCécile Morrisson
Place of PublicationWashington, D.C.
PublisherDumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection
Chapter13
Pages311-330
Number of pages20
ISBN (Print)9780884023777
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
EventTrade and Markets in Byzantium: The 2008 Spring Symposium held at Dumbarton Oaks 2–4 May - Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, D.C., United States
Duration: 2 May 20084 May 2008
https://www.doaks.org/research/byzantine/scholarly-activities/trade-and-markets-in-byzantium

Publication series

NameDumbarton Oaks Byzantine symposia and colloquia

Conference

ConferenceTrade and Markets in Byzantium
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWashington, D.C.
Period2/05/084/05/08
Internet address

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Regional exchange and the role of the shop in Byzantine and Early Islamic Syria-Palestine: an archaeological view'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
  • The Early Islamic Period (Umayyad, Abbasid, and Fatimid)

    Walmsley, A. G., 2022, The pottery of Jordan: a manual. Haron, J. & Clark, D. R. (eds.). Alexandria, VA, USA ; Amman: American Center of Research, p. 89-107, 151-156 25 p.

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingTextbook contribution

  • Urbanism at Islamic Jerash: new readings from archaeology and history

    Walmsley, A., 2018, The archaeology and history of Jerash: 110 years of excavations. Lichtenberger, A. & Raja, R. (eds.). Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, p. 241-256 16 p.

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

  • Trends in the urban history of Eastern Palaestina Secunda during the Late Antique - Early Islamic Transition

    Walmsley, A., 2011, Le Proche-Orient de Justinien aux Abbassides: peuplement et dynamiques spatiales. Actes du colloque "Continuités de l'occupation entre les périodes byzantine et abbasside au Proche-Orient, VIIe-IXe siècles," Paris, 18-20 octobre 2007. Borrut, A., Debié, M., Papaconstantinou, A., Pieri, D. & Sodini, J-P. (eds.). Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, p. 271-284 14 p. (Bibliothèque de l'Antiquitè tardive; vol. 19).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Cite this