Timothy Insoll | University of Exeter (original) (raw)
Books by Timothy Insoll
Oxford Handbook of Islamic Archaeology, 2020
Born from the fields of Islamic art and architectural history, the archaeological study of the Is... more Born from the fields of Islamic art and architectural history, the archaeological study of the Islamic societies is a relatively young discipline. With its roots in the colonial periods of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, its rapid development since the 1980s warrants a reevaluation of where the field stands today. This Handbook represents for the first time a survey of Islamic archaeology on a global scale, describing its disciplinary development and offering candid critiques of the state of the field today in the Central Islamic Lands, the Islamic West, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. The international contributors to the volume address such themes as the timing and process of Islamization, the problems of periodization and regionalism in material culture, cities and countryside, cultural hybridity, cultural and religious diversity, natural resource management, international trade in the later historical periods, and migration. Critical assessments of the ways in which archaeologists today engage with Islamic cultural heritage and local communities closes the volume, highlighting the ethical issues related to studying living cultures and religions. Richly illustrated, with extensive citations, it is the reference work on the debates that drive the field today.
Papers by Timothy Insoll
African Archaeological Review, 2021
Locally made ceramics from Islamic sites in Ethiopia have been neglected in most archaeological s... more Locally made ceramics from Islamic sites in Ethiopia have been neglected in most archaeological studies, which tend to privilege imported Middle Eastern and Chinese/Southeast Asian ceramics. An assemblage of the local ceramics from the important trading site of Harlaa, in eastern Ethiopia (mid-sixth and fifteenth centuries AD), is the subject of this article. The study emphasizes the value of these ceramics as chronological markers, and for understanding regional and long-distance contacts, cultural innovations, processes of Islamization, and foodways.
Oxford Handbook of Islamic Archaeology, 2020
Born from the fields of Islamic art and architectural history, the archaeological study of the Is... more Born from the fields of Islamic art and architectural history, the archaeological study of the Islamic societies is a relatively young discipline. With its roots in the colonial periods of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, its rapid development since the 1980s warrants a reevaluation of where the field stands today. This Handbook represents for the first time a survey of Islamic archaeology on a global scale, describing its disciplinary development and offering candid critiques of the state of the field today in the Central Islamic Lands, the Islamic West, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. The international contributors to the volume address such themes as the timing and process of Islamization, the problems of periodization and regionalism in material culture, cities and countryside, cultural hybridity, cultural and religious diversity, natural resource management, international trade in the later historical periods, and migration. Critical assessments of the ways in which archaeologists today engage with Islamic cultural heritage and local communities closes the volume, highlighting the ethical issues related to studying living cultures and religions. Richly illustrated, with extensive citations, it is the reference work on the debates that drive the field today.
African Archaeological Review, 2021
Locally made ceramics from Islamic sites in Ethiopia have been neglected in most archaeological s... more Locally made ceramics from Islamic sites in Ethiopia have been neglected in most archaeological studies, which tend to privilege imported Middle Eastern and Chinese/Southeast Asian ceramics. An assemblage of the local ceramics from the important trading site of Harlaa, in eastern Ethiopia (mid-sixth and fifteenth centuries AD), is the subject of this article. The study emphasizes the value of these ceramics as chronological markers, and for understanding regional and long-distance contacts, cultural innovations, processes of Islamization, and foodways.
عين ومسجد أبوزيدان: دراسة تاريخية وأثرية, 2020
ورقة بحث عن موقع عين ومسجد أبو زيدان التاريخي، يتناول أخر الدراسات الاثرية والتاريخية عن هذا الم... more ورقة بحث عن موقع عين ومسجد أبو زيدان التاريخي، يتناول أخر الدراسات الاثرية والتاريخية عن هذا الموقع الواقع في منطقة البلاد القديم من البحرين
The mosques of Harar have been the focus of some architectural and historical study but not archa... more The mosques of Harar have been the focus of some architectural and historical study but not archaeological investigation. This was redressed through excavation of six mosques in the city, the results of which are presented. These were identified from existing historical research as significant in the Islamization of Harar. Consensus on either the date or processes of Islamization does not exist. The partial history of the mosques investigated - Aw Abdal, Aw Abadir, Aw Meshad, Din Agobera, Fehkredin, Jami - is based on only a few sources. The results of the excavations provide insights into the Islamization of Harar and supplement the limited historical sources. The six radiocarbon dates obtained indicate a varied mosque chronology spanning the late 15th and early 20th centuries AD. Evidence indicative of the use of mosques for educational purposes, local practices such as animal sacrifice and child burial near the mihrab, and for extensive mosque rebuilding, alteration and remodelling was found. Comparable mosques in Djibouti, Somaliland, and elsewhere in Ethiopia are considered. It is concluded that all the Harari mosques investigated postdate the late 15th century and that the city also dates from this era and was linked with the establishment of Harar as the capital of Adal. Prior to this the Hararis, likely in the form of the legendary Harla, were elsewhere, possibly at Harlaa and other sites in the eastern Harar Plateau and Chercher Mountains.
The Oriental Ceramic Society Newsletter 3: 11-13, 1995
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 22: 345-350, 1993
A one-day event hosted by UCL and SOAS to showcase some of the latest research in Islamic Archaeo... more A one-day event hosted by UCL and SOAS to showcase some of the latest research in Islamic Archaeology. The event will be held at the UCL Institute of Archaeology on 27 February.
Organisers:
Dr. Corisande Fenwick (UCL)
Prof. Hugh Kennedy (SOAS)
See for more details: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/calendar/articles/2015-16-events/20160227
'Medieval Archaeology in the Horn of Africa' seminar series organised and chaired by Awet T. Aray... more 'Medieval Archaeology in the Horn of Africa' seminar series organised and chaired by Awet T. Araya and Prof. Timothy Insoll of the Centre for Islamic Archaeology, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
'Medieval Archaeology in the Horn of Africa' seminar series organised and chaired by Awet T. Aray... more 'Medieval Archaeology in the Horn of Africa' seminar series organised and chaired by Awet T. Araya and Prof. Timothy Insoll of the Centre for Islamic Archaeology, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2019
The African landscape is set to change dramatically in the coming years, and will have a detrimen... more The African landscape is set to change dramatically in the coming years, and will have a detrimental impact on the inherent archaeological and cultural heritage elements if not monitored adequately. This paper explores how satellite imagery, in particular open source imagery (Google Earth, multispectral satellite imagery from Landsat and Sentinel-2), can be utilized to monitor and protect sites that are already known with particular reference to Islamic archaeological sites in Ethiopia. The four sites used are in different geographic and geomorphological areas: three on the Somali Plateau (Harlaa, Harar, and Sheikh Hussein), and one on the edge of the Afar Depression (Nora), and have varied histories. The results indicate that open source satellite imagery offers a mechanism for evaluating site status and conservation over time at a large scale, and can be used on data from other areas of Africa by heritage professionals in the African continent at no cost.
Seminar Series, Autumn 2021, 2021
The ‘Medieval Archaeology in the Horn of Africa’ seminar series. The seminars aim to bring recent... more The ‘Medieval Archaeology in the Horn of Africa’ seminar series. The seminars aim to bring recent research on the medieval archaeology of the Horn of Africa to a wide audience. All are welcome. A second series focusing on different regions of the Horn of Africa will run in Spring 2022. All lectures will be online via Zoom. Please have a look at the poster for details on speakers and seminar titles.
Registration: Zoom links will be shared only with those who registered via Eventbrite. Please register at this link:
https://archaeology-medieval-horn-of-africa.eventbrite.co.uk/
Co-organised and co-chaired by:
Awet Teklehimanot Araya (PhD candidate, Centre for Islamic Archaeology, IAIS, University of Exeter)
Professor Timothy Insoll (Al-Qasimi Chair in African and Islamic Archaeology, Centre for Islamic Archaeology, IAIS, University of Exeter)
For any enquiries please contact:
Awet T Araya: at643@exeter.ac.uk
Prof Timothy Insoll: t.insoll@exeter.ac.uk
