Impact of the Arab conquest on late Roman settlement in Egypt

The Arab conquest of Egypt in 642 AD affected the development of Egyptian towns in various ways. The actual military struggle, the subsequent settling of Arab tribes and changes in administration are discussed in chapter 1, with reference to specific sites and using local archaeological sequences. Chapter 2 assesses whether our understanding of the archaeological record of the seventh century is detailed enough to allow the accurate dating of settlement changes. The site of Zawyet al-Sultan in Middle Egypt was apparently abandoned and partly burned around the time of the Arab conquest. Analysis of surface remains at this site confirmed the difficulty of accurately dating this event on the basis of current information. Chapters 3 and 4 analyse the effect of two mechanisms of Arab colonisation on Egyptian towns. First, an investigation of the occupation by soldiers of threatened frontier towns (ribats) is based on the site of Tinnis. Examination of the archaeological remains indicates a significant expansion of Tinnis in the eighth and ninth centuries, which is confirmed by references in the historical sources to building programmes funded by the central government. Second, the practice of murtaba ` aljund, the seasonal exploitation of the town and its hinterland for the grazing of animals by specific tribal groups is examined with reference to Kharibta in the western Delta. Kharibta had apparently declined in size and prosperity by around the eleventh century. Chapter 5 considers the development of the important Pharaonic administrative centre of Edfu in Upper Egypt. Exposed archaeological sequences have clarified the movement of settlement in the town eastwards during the Islamic period. The final chapter proposes two factors that have hitherto not been given sufficient weight. First, the importance of military settlement in promoting settlement change; and second, the flawed nature of our understanding of the urban archaeological record for this important period. The thesis concludes with a suggested paradigm of urban transition, which will allow greater understanding of the changes in settlement in Roman and Islamic Egypt

In the trenches: rescue archaeology at the Bala Hissar, Kabul

The Bala Hissar was the royal, military and administrative heart of Kabul for a significant period before itwas occupied by British forces during the first two Anglo-Afghan wars in the nineteenth century. Despite itsarchaeological and historical significance, part of the site continues to function as a military base, an expansionof which began in 2007 when nine large holes were bulldozed into the site before protests halted thework. This paper details the findings of an archaeological impact assessment undertaken in July 2007, andincorporates an analysis of satellite images documenting further construction in 2009. The results provide thefirst explicit archaeological (in particular ceramic) evidence suggesting deep continuity of occupation at thesite. The contested ownership and uncertain future of the Bala Hissar in Kabul exemplify the pressures placedon archaeological sites around the world, in the face of uncontrolled development and competing agendas

Heterogenous late Holocene climate in the Eastern Mediterranean – the Kocain Cave record from SW Turkey

Palaeoclimate variability must be constrained to predict the nature and impacts of future climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean. Here, we present a late Holocene high-resolution multiproxy data set from Kocain Cave, the first of its kind from SW Turkey. Regional fluctuations in effective-moisture are recorded by variations in magnesium, strontium, phosphorous and carbon isotopes, with oxygen isotopes reacting to changes in precipitation and effective-moisture. The new record shows a double-peak of arid conditions at 1150 and 800 BCE, a wet period 330–460 CE followed by a rapid shift to dry conditions 460–830 CE, and a dry/wet Medieval Climate Anomaly/Little Ice Age pattern. Large discrepancies exist between Turkish records and the Kocain record, which shares more similarities with other Eastern Mediterranean coastal records. Heterogeneity of regional climate and palaeoclimate proxy records are emphasized

A library of quantitative markers of seizure severity

OBJECTIVE: Understanding fluctuations in seizure severity within individuals is important for determining treatment outcomes and responses to therapy, as well as assessing novel treatments for epilepsy. Current methods for grading seizure severity rely on qualitative interpretations from patients and clinicians. Quantitative measures of seizure severity would complement existing approaches, for electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring, outcome monitoring, and seizure prediction. Therefore, we developed a library of quantitative EEG markers that assess the spread and intensity of abnormal electrical activity during and after seizures. METHODS: We analysed intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings of 1009 seizures from 63 patients. For each seizure we computed 16 markers of seizure severity that capture the signal magnitude, spread, duration, and post-ictal suppression of seizures. RESULTS: Quantitative EEG markers of seizure severity distinguished focal vs. subclinical seizures across patients. In individual patients 53% had a moderate to large difference (ranksum r>0.3, p<0.05) between focal and subclinical seizures in three or more markers. Circadian and longer-term changes in severity were found for the majority of patients. SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate the feasibility of using quantitative iEEG markers to measure seizure severity. Our quantitative markers distinguish between seizure types and are therefore sensitive to established qualitative differences in seizure severity. Our results also suggest that seizure severity is modulated over different timescales. We envisage that our proposed seizure severity library will be expanded and updated in collaboration with the epilepsy research community to include more measures and modalities. © 2023 International League Against Epilepsy

The impact of the Arab conquest on Late Roman settlement in Egypt

Includes bibliographical references. In 2 volumesAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D222419 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

The island city of Tinnis: a postmortem

On an island in Lake Manzala in the north-east corner of the Nile Delta lie the ruins of the once-prosperous late Roman and medieval port and manufacturing centre of Tell Tinnīs. Although little can be seen above ground, beneath the surface lie archaeological deposits that can be accessed by geophysical and geoarchaeological survey, and remote sensing. In addition, some excavation has taken place, providing evidence for the existence of structures such as cisterns, while ceramics and artefacts from the site’s surface provide indications of the lifestyles and connections of the town’s occupants. This volume presents the results of archaeological work undertaken at the site between 2004 and 2012, which has produced a relatively detailed impression of the form and nature of the town from its inception around the 3rd century AD to its abandonment in the 13th century in the face of Crusader raids. This new information is discussed in light of the town’s relationship to and connectedness with its surrounding landscape, and likewise considers Tinnīs in comparison to contemporary settlements of Egypt’s Mediterranean coast