The Ebb and Flow of the Ghrid Empire: (Adapa Monographs)

The iconic minaret of Jām stands in a remote mountain valley in central Afghanistan, the finest surviving monument of the enigmatic 12th-century Ghūrid dynasty. The rediscovery of the minaret half a century ago prompted renewed interest in the Ghūrids, and this has intensified since their summer capital at Jām became Afghanistan’s first World Heritage site in 2002. Two seasons of archaeological fieldwork at Jām, the detailed analysis of satellite images and the innovative use of Google Earth have resulted in a wealth of new information about known Ghūrid sites, and the identification of hundreds of previously undocumented archaeological sites across Afghanistan. Drawing inspiration from the Annales school and the concept of an ‘archipelagic landscape’, David Thomas has used this data to reassess the Ghūrids and generate a more nuanced understanding of this significant Early Islamic polity. Some supplementary appendices for this title can be found at https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/17842

Table of Contents:
List of figures List of plates List of tables Abstract in Dari Acknowledgements Preface Note on transliteration and dates Abbreviations Introduction 1. The nomadic empire of the Ghūrids 2. The Ghūrid landscapes 3. The rise, expansion and demise of the Ghūrids under the Shansabānīd dynasty 4. The archaeological remains of the Ghūrids 5. Exploring Jām 6. Re-defining Jām: an archaeological eye in the sky 7. The Ghūrids: an unsustainable Early Islamic polity Plates Appendix 1: Google Earth study areas Appendix 2: less well-known ethnies and dynasties Works cited Index Supplementary appendices Appendix 3: Ghūrid sites Appendix 4: Architectural details of sites and structures recorded by MJAP in 2003 and 2005 Appendix 5: MJAP robber hole data Appendix 6: MJAP robber holes Appendix 7: Excavated contexts, MJAP 2003 and 2005 Appendix 8: Small finds, MJAP 2003 and 2005 Appendix 9: X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) data Appendix 10: Environmental data Appendix 11: Descriptions of Ghūrid sites analysed in high-resolution satellite images available through Google Earth Appendix 12: Descriptions of selected Ghūrid sites analysed using upgraded satellite images available through Google Earth Appendix 13: ASAGE sites referred to in Chapter 7 Appendix 14: Summary data for all the ASAGE sites

About the Author :
David C. Thomas is an honorary associate in archaeology at La Trobe University.

Review :
‘This book is very well researched and draws on a wide range of sources, both written and archaeological, and does a great deal to place Ghurid studies into the historiographic continuum.’ 'Thomas’s book is interesting not only for its subject matter — it is arguably the first detailed analysis of archaeological work carried out in the Ghurid heartland of central Afghanistan — but also for its process that integrates the traditional with the technological. Satellite archaeology has facilitated the desktop studies of specific sites and entire regions through free, high-resolution, geo-referenced images.' ‘ … this work of synthesis is quite significant, constructing an interdisciplinary image of Ghūrid urbanism at Jam as well as the broader material footprint of Ghūrid territorial politics through multiple Afghan landscapes.’