Quraysh and the Roman army

Making sense of the Meccan leather trade

Bibliographic Data

ID2786558
AuthorsPatricia Crone (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume70
Issue1
Pages63-88
Publication date2007-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0041-977X • E-ISSN: 1474-0699
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0041977x0700002x
OpenAlexW2126193653
LanguageEN
Citations received11

This paper argues that the trade in leather and other pastoralist products, which the tradition ascribes to the Meccans, could make sense on the assumption that the goods were destined for the Roman army, which is known to have required colossal quantities of leather and hides for its equipment. The hypothesis that the Meccans were servicing the Roman military is examined and found to be impossible to prove in our current state of knowledge; it is at least compatible with the evidence, however, and also highly promising in terms the light it could throw on the political aspects of the rise of Islam

Archaeology · Islam · Political science · Politics · State (computer science) · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Computer Science · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law

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