Mamluk Archaeology

Presented here is a Mamluk pottery oil lamp uncovered during a short-term rescue excavation carried out in the periphery of Amman called Umm Zweitineh in 2012. In this paper, we  will expound on a very rare Mamluk terracotta oil lamp ever discovered in Transjordan and  Palestine. We classified it based on its widespread typology, its manufacturing technique  and material, and fabric and decorative scheme, of which was set out by the naked eye. For dating, the authors have counted on parallels from other well-dated sites, especially Tell Hesban. The analysis conducted on this kind of pottery have shown that it was a commonplace production in the rural settlements from the 12th through the 14th centuries.

directed by A. Landes-Nagar (probes and field photography), with the assistance of V. Essman (surveying and drafting), A. Peretz (field photography), S. Cohen (wet sieving), O. Zakaim (location map and plan), S. Terem (Byzantine-period pottery), E.J. Stern (Crusader-Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman pottery finds), A. Shapiro (Beirut Wares), A. Karasik (pottery scanning), Y. Gorin-Rosen (glass), A. Varnai-Ganor and R. Lewis-Bloom (glass restoration), I. Lidsky-Reznikov (glass drawing), R. Kool and D.T. Ariel (numismatics), D. Gazit (studio photography), I. Peters (analytical laboratory), I. Taxel (consultancy) and workers from an employment agency company. Bet Ha-Bad Street retains the route of the Roman-and Byzantine-period Western Cardo, and has been one of the main streets of the Old City of Jerusalem ever since. The shop in which the excavation was undertaken is in a segment of the street close to the summit of a spur bordered by the Tyropoeon Valley to the east and by the Transversal Valley to the south. Three occupation strata (III-I) were uncovered in the excavation area (3.6 × 12.0 m, max. depth excavated down to bedrock c. 0.85 m; 754 m asl; Figs. 2-4): in Stratum III, the paving of the Byzantine-period Cardo was uncovered (sixth century CE); in Stratum II were the remains of construction from the Mamluk period (thirteenth-fifteenth century CE); and in Stratum I, the foundations of the presentday shop walls were uncovered (nineteenth-twentieth centuries CE). The paving stones of the shop were removed prior to the excavation, and a longitudinal trial trench (depth c. 0.5 m) was manually excavated. It became evident that a longitudinal terracotta sewage pipe, probably dating to the British Mandate time, and a plastic sewage pipe Annette Landes-Nagar 09/09/2025

The Crusader-period ceramic assemblage unearthed in the Knights' Hotel site in 'Akko contains a large variety of daily wares. The assemblage consists of local and imported wares from various regions, some of which were identified through petrographic analysis. The imported wares indicate trade connections with Mediterranean port cities, and the petrographic analysis identified a new group of vessels from Egypt's northern Nile region. The article outlines the pottery typology and quantification, and presents the ceramic distribution within the excavated urban area. The findings indicate changes in land use, as some residential and commercial areas were converted into dumps and cesspits. These shifts reflect political and demographic changes in 'Akko by the late thirteenth century, during the decline of the Second Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The Crusader-period ceramic assemblage unearthed in the Knights' Hotel site in 'Akko contains a large variety of daily wares. The assemblage consists of local and imported wares from various regions, some of which were identified through petrographic analysis. The imported wares indicate trade connections with Mediterranean port cities, and the petrographic analysis identified a new group of vessels from Egypt's northern Nile region. The article outlines the pottery typology and quantification, and presents the ceramic distribution within the excavated urban area. The findings indicate changes in land use, as some residential and commercial areas were converted into dumps and cesspits. These shifts reflect political and demographic changes in 'Akko by the late thirteenth century, during the decline of the Second Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Introduction: During the thirteenth century, large quantities of Cypriot ceramics were imported from the port of Paphos, located in the southwest of the Latin kingdom of Cyprus, to Acre, the main port, and the capital of the second Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, via a maritime trading route. Research objectives: The study examines the process of Cypriot ceramics trade between the two Eastern Mediterranean Latin populations, their distribution in the Second Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem as part of a secondary maritime trading system in regional ports, and the representation of the social and cultural connections related to this commerce. Preliminary Results: The vessels were a secondary rather than the main export cargo in an increasing maritime trading route. Not all shapes and decorations were exported to the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Vessels found in the Acre Harbor indicate a specific location used to unload the main ships. The distribution within the Kingdom of Jerusalem suggests they were purchased by the local and Latin population, who preferred these decorations and shapes in urban and rural areas, implying that their price was lower than anticipated. The commerce can be divided into four main phases: Production of the Cypriot wares. Produced in local workshops, the vessels unearthed in archeological excavations include kitchenware, including cooking pots, jugs and jars, and tableware, mainly glazed bowls and plates decorated with painted geometric patterns or incised motifs depicting animals, shields, and keys. While Some vessels were distributed locally, others were exported. The commercial sailing route. Ships from the ports of Cyprus sailed to Acre during the two main sailing seasons, spring and autumn. Due to constant western winds, eastward sailing was possible throughout the year, however, seasonal eastern winds enabled sailing west. Paphos port became significant in the early thirteenth century, as ongoing maritime trade and the usage of this route increased, connecting the two crusader kingdoms: Cyprus and Jerusalem. Acre Harbor. Cypriot ceramics, mainly glazed bowls, were discovered in an underwater excavation within the harbor. The location and preservation state of the vessels may indicate that they were part of a larger cargo, that accidentally fell into the sea during a transfer from the main ship to a smaller boat, lighters, or barges that used to approach the quays. Distribution within the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. In recent years, many Cypriot vessels were excavated in Acre, in urban residential neighborhoods and commercial areas, and in more than 30 rural sites, villages, towns, and fortresses within the hinterland of the second Latin Kingdom and by its borders. The distribution and prevalence of these vessels can imply the trade system in the Latin kingdom and the growing demand for these vessels among the Latin and Christian populations. Comparing the Cypriot vessels to assemblages excavated in Cyprus and imports, such as St. Symeon wares (Al Mina) and Beirut wares, and examining the designs and incised motifs, enables a wide perspective and understanding of these vessels as a representation of the trading system and the cultural connections relating them. References

This report details the second season of excavations at the Knights' Hotel site, carried out in 2007, covering three areas (A-C) not excavated in the first season (1995). The excavations revealed domestic and public(?) architecture dating from the thirteenth century CE. The architectural features are mostly similar to the ones exposed in the first season and include an abundance of water and sanitary installations: cisterns, wells and cesspits. The mixed character of this neighborhood of the capital of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem, and the daily life of its residents is highlighted by the wealth of pottery and glass vessels (some luxury items), coins and small finds made of a variety of materials. Besides domestic dwellings, workshops were identified that produced personal accessories, and practiced crafts related to the pilgrim industry and possibly, to the famous scriptoria of 'Akko.

This paper presents the most recent results from the research programme Zeyd Archaeological Project; launched in 2022, this project aims at exploring economy and society in the hinterland of the historical province of Mosul in the long Islamic period focusing on a highly representative site of the area, Tell Zeyd. Three seasons of archaeological research at the site have made it possible to put together a rich assemblage of data that illustrates settlement patterns and production at the village in the Ottoman period. This paper focuses on the evidence that emerged from the 2024 excavations, and, more specifically, on the occupation phases that can be ascribed to the Early Ottoman period (Period E), datable to around the sixteenth century.

This paper presents the most recent results from the research programme Zeyd Archaeological Project; launched in 2022, this project aims at exploring economy and society in the hinterland of the historical province of Mosul in the long Islamic period focusing on a highly representative site of the area, Tell Zeyd. Three seasons of archaeological research at the site have made it possible to put together a rich assemblage of data that illustrates settlement patterns and production at the village in the Ottoman period. This paper focuses on the evidence that emerged from the 2024 excavations, and, more specifically, on the occupation phases that can be ascribed to the Early Ottoman period (Period E), datable to around the sixteenth century.

This study presents the 464 coins found at Karm er-Ras (ancient Cana of Galilee), which span the Early Hellenistic to Byzantine periods. The finds illuminate shifts in settlement, trade, and regional dynamics in Lower Galilee, including a probable Herodian administrative link and signs of First Jewish Revolt activity. A significant hoard of late Byzantine minimi, deposited during Zeno’s reign, marks the settlement’s sudden abandonment. The analysis contributes to discussions of coin circulation patterns, mint attribution, and hoarding behavior, offering critical insights into the site's socio-economic trajectory and broader Galilean numismatic trends from the third century BCE to the sixth century CE.

For the slave of Allah, Abdul Malik, Commander of the Faithful Information: 1-This coin -and other similar mints from the time -is known as the "standing caliph" type, and it was amongst the very first mints made and used to strike coins in the emerging Muslim empire and is an imitation of Byzantine coins. In mints such as this, the image on the obverse shows a changed "cross-on-steps" engraving that covers the cross and makes it circular, erasing the Christian connotations of the coin. Similarly, the image on the reverse is of the caliph in traditional Arab clothes holding a sword in his right hand. Arabic sources [1] narrate that in the early years of Abdul Malik's reign (up until around 71 AH), Muslims were still using foreign (especially Byzantine and sometimes Sassanid) coins that they would sometimes slightly modify by adding Islamic phrases. However, during Abdul Malik's correspondence with his archenemy, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian II, Abdul Malik started including at the beginning of his letters proems (formalized introductions) in which he would praise Prophet Muhammad and quote unitarian verses of the Quran (especially Quran 112:1) to spite Justinian. In response, Justinian II threatened that if this does not stop, Byzantine coins that Muslims were using would start inscribing phrases insulting Prophet Muhammad. Abdul Malik was alarmed and deeply concerned, so he asked for his advisors' recommendations and ultimately decided to gradually ban the usage of non-Islamic coins and make a new Islamic mint, which was first (around 72 AH) of a style similar to Byzantine coins. Probably to spite Justinian even more, the figure that was first engraved on the new dinar was that of Heraclius, who was respected amongst Muslims, and not of Justinian himself. These Arabic sources seem to be wellaligned with Byzantine sources, as Theophanes files in his chronicles under year 6183 AM [2], which is around the year 72 AH, that Justinian refused to accept the caliph's yearly tribute because it was paid in a new currency that the Arabs had minted. Theophanes records that Abdul Malik argued to Justinian that "Arabs could not suffer the Roman imprint on their own currency," and that since the gold was paid by weight anyway, "the Romans did not suffer any loss from the fact that the Arabs were minting new coin." Justinian refused Abdul Malik's justifications and used this event as a pretext to end the truce that had existed between the Arabs and the Byzantines, directly causing the Battle of Sebastopolis, in which Muslims emerged victorious. The mint kept changing slightly until 74 AH, when standing caliph mints (such as this coin) were introduced and remained in circulation until 77 AH. 3-It is said that Abdul Malik gave the new mint to Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf to manage the production of coins. Al-Hajjaj is an infamous name in Islamic history for his reputation of unimaginable brutality. For example, when Abdul Malik was having trouble controlling the people of Iraq, he appointed Al-Hajjaj to be his governor there. Once Al-Hajjaj arrived, it is reported that he gathered the nobles in the central mosque and delivered one of the most fiery speeches in Islamic history. Two of the most famous quotes he said that are still quoted in everyday conversations to this very day are "O people of Iraq, I see heads that have ripened and are ready to be harvested, and I am their reaper. By God, it is as if I already see blood flowing between your turbans and your beards. I asked God to test you through me, and He has answered." and "O people of Iraq, O people of hypocrisy, division, and wicked morals!" [3][4] 4-The title used on the coin's reverse to describe Abdul Malik, "the slave of Allah, Abdul Malik, Commander of the Faithful" seems to have been a common way to refer to Abdul Malik. Some recorded usages -among many others -of this title include in letters sent by and to him. For example, this can be observed in the letters from Abdullah ibn Umar and Muhammad ibn Al-Hanafiyya to Abdul Malik swearing allegiance to him. 1-Vol. 3 pp. 57 Ibn Khaldoun (d. 808 AH) ‫ﺧﻠدون‬ ‫اﺑن‬ ‫ﺗﺎرﯾﺦ‬ 2-pp. 509-510 Theophanes the Confessor (d. 818 CE) The Chronicles of Theophanes, translated by Cyril Mango & Roger Scott. 3-Vol. 2 pp. 210-212 Al-Jahith (d. 255 AH) ‫واﻟﺗﺑﯾﯾن‬ ‫اﻟﺑﯾﺎن‬ ) ‫اﻟﺟﺎﺣظ‬ ( 4-Al-Zubair ibn Bakkar (d. 256 AH) ‫اﻟﻣوﻓﻘﯾﺎت‬ ‫اﻷﺧﺑﺎر‬ ‫ﺑﻛﺎر‬ ‫ﺑن‬ ‫ﻟﻠزﺑﯾر‬

Among the vast array of priceless treasures in the collection of Jerusalem's Armenian Patriarchate is a votive portrait of a local Jerusalem saint, the priest Hanna, a native son of Jerusalem's Armenian community. The existence of the portrait is all but unknown, despite the fact that its subject has inspired generations of Jerusalem monks to dedicate their lives to the service of the Sts. James. As vicar to Jerusalem's Patriarch Grigor IV Shirvants'i (Shght'ayakir) Hanna was instrumental in reviving the fortunes of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, which, in the early eighteenth century, had suffered a near-total eclipse. Although Hanna died before the age of forty, the many activities of his short career included such major achievements as the renovation of the Armenian sections of the Holy Sepulchre Church and the transformation of the Patriarchate compound into a fully enclosed and self-sufficient enclave.

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis and interpretation of a Mamlūk decree found on the façade of al-Utrush Mosque in Aleppo. The decree is dated 874 AH/1470 AD. The governor of Aleppo, Amir Qansuh el-Yahyawi, issued this decree to eliminate a recently imposed tax on singers and weddings, which was charged by the Amir and Mihtar (مهتار) of the Ṭabl-K̲h̲āna. This tax, known as manfouʿ el-maghānī (منفوع المغاني), has now been abolished. The edict did not include provisions for the elimination of the levy known as ḍaman al maghānī (ضمان المغاني), nor did it prohibit singers and dancers from participating in wedding celebrations or practicing their profession. The inscription garnered the interest of numerous orientalists who captured photographs of it and endeavoured to decipher its meaning. Ernst Herzfeld was an orientalist who was content with the knowledge he gained via reading one of those who tried to read the inscription. Consequently, the reading was insufficient and riddled with several deficiencies. This failed to assist him in attaining information regarding the subject matter of the inscription or its intended objective. The decree persisted throughout that period, albeit with some elements missing. In 2005, I captured a photograph of this inscription prior to its significant damage during the recent conflict. Additionally, I accessed the images in the Herzfeld archive at the Freer/Sackler Gallery, which is associated with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Subsequently, I utilised various advanced software programmes to magnify the images multiple times without compromising their quality, thereby enhancing the visibility of the letter shadows. This process required considerable effort to complete.
This paper provides a thorough examination of the Mamlūk decree, elucidating its substance, purpose, and historical importance. The findings enhance our comprehension of the socio-economic dynamics and legal practices that were prevalent in Aleppo throughout the Mamlūk period.

Presented in this chapter are imported amphorae fragments of the Roman period uncovered in
Excavation Areas F-2 and P. The majority originates in the area of the Palatial Mansion, and only
a few in the Southern House. Most of the amphorae were found in Stratum 2 of the 1st century CE,
except two (Pl. 8.1:3,16) that were retrieved from Stratum 1 dated to the Late Roman-Byzantine
period and later.
The finds consist of rims and toes; only one nearly complete amphora was recovered (Pl. 8.1:1).
Complete amphorae and fragments found in the Jewish Quarter excavations have been previously
published: Area A (Ariel 2003), Area E (Finkielsztejn 2006), the Burnt House, Area B (Geva 2010, Pl.
4.2:12–13), Area J (Finkielsztejn 2014) and Area F-6 (Rosenthal-Heginbottom 2017, Pl. 25.8:6–8).

The ceramics discussed here, from the excavations
conducted in the area of the Kishle Compound in Jaffa
on behalf of Tel Aviv University (Chapter 30), can
be dated to the Ottoman period. They include hardpaste
and porcelain vessels, as well as earthenware
glazed vessels and coarse ware vessels, such as Black
Gaza Ware and other local coarse wares.

The ceramic material recovered from the excavation at Ḥorbat Zekharya in Modi‘in (Permit No. 7765) can be dated to the Late Byzantine–Early Islamic periods. The assemblage includes table wares, such as bowls, which for the most part are imported, as well as large basins; cooking vessels, including casseroles, cooking pots and lids; as well as a variety of storage jars and juglets. Among the miscellaneous items are water pipes and roof tiles. Only a few lamp fragments were recovered.

The ceramic material presented in this report was recovered from a salvage excavation conducted to the east of the mosque in Migdal, Ashqelon. Although most of the ceramic material was dated to the late Ottoman period, Late Roman-Byzantine ceramics, a few sherds from the Crusader period and a Mamluk-period assemblage were also uncovered. The Mamluk assemblage is characterized by imported glazed bowls and locally made, handmade geometric painted vessels. The Ottoman-period material is varied and comprises ceramics imported from Turkey, Greece and Italy. Black Gaza Ware characterizes the locally produced vessels. Smoking pipes and narghile were common at the site.

A large assemblage of approximately 200 small metal objects, dating mainly to the Crusader period, was uncovered in the 1995 excavation. The relatively large number of finds is attributed to the domestic nature of the excavated complexes and the fact that the area was not built over in the Ottoman period (see Chapter 16). Some of these artifacts represent complete objects, e.g., tools and weights, while others are part of a finished product, e.g., dress accessories and furniture fittings, in which metal was combined with other materials, such as wood, leather or cloth. They are made of copper alloy, iron, or a combination of both, and some are gilded. The metal objects reflect many aspects of the cultural domain of the inhabitants, such as housing, dress, work, warfare and trade

Our study seeks to explore the beginnings and spread of glazed ceramic technologies across Islamic lands by focusing on the evidence from the southern Levantine coast. We selected 98 glazed ceramic samples recovered through stratified excavations of four sites along the southern Levantine coast. These ceramic samples include glazed tableware (especially the ones that do not feature the use of opaque glaze) and cooking vessels that are representative of the range of ware types dating to the early Islamic and Crusader periods (9th to 13th centuries CE) in the region. All samples were subjected to technological reconstruction based on the data we generated using petrographic analyses and scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive spectrometry. A subset of 30 glazed ceramics were submitted for portable laser ablation (pLA) sampling for lead isotope analysismaking our study one of the first to test this sampling method on lead-based glazed materials. Our results show that the production and consumption habits of glazed ceramics was embedded in, and thus susceptible to, the broader historical developments. The vast majority of glazed ceramics dating to the early Islamic period (9th to 11th centuries CE) were imported from Egypt, which were made using pre-existing technologies. Our findings also highlight the importance of cross-craft and-cultural interactions, which serve to mark a departure from the traditional narrative on the beginnings and spread of glazed ceramic production across Islamic lands. We further noticed a greater presence of glazed ceramics that were produced along the Levantine coast, possibly in Beirut and/or northern Israel, from the end of the Islamic Fatimid caliphate to the Crusader periods (11th to 13th centuries CE), using technologies different from the Egyptian workshops. The results of our lead isotope analysis reveal that while the ores from Iran remain to be the main lead sources from the early Islamic to Crusader periods, the Egyptian and Levantine workshops also had access to different ore sources, namely in Tunisia and Sardinia, respectively, largely reliant on the exchange networks they were part of.

This contribution has as its object the preliminary study of the ceramic material culture coming from the excavation carried out in the fortified site of Santa Marta. The analysis of documentary evidence, faunal remains and archaeological pottery have allowed the identification of a late medieval Jewish quarter. The quarter was deserted in the end of the 15th century, in occasion of the expulsion of Jews from Spain by the Catholic Monarchs. The site is located on the slope of the castle of Pancorbo, a little municipality of Burgos, Castile and Leon, in Spain. The archaeological research project started in the 2014 and during the last excavation campaign, in 2017, we collected a lot of archaeological materials. Specifically, we analyze a context of domestic waste rich in ceramics dating back to the 14th century. We propose a first overview of the ceramics founded, unglazed and glazed series, in order to discuss the domestic equipment present in the Jewish district of Pancorbo.

Back in the 1960s the methods used to record carved stone decoration were, to take rubbings, making plaster casts, latex moulds or paper squeezes. Rubbings are limited to flattish surfaces with incised decoration or script, they do not easily record changes of surface irregularities or relief. Plaster casts have the advantage of providing a durable and precise three-dimensional replica, but they are heavy and depending on the size they can be cumbersome, and unless there is an overriding reason for choosing them their application in the field is restricted. In contrast, latex moulds produce precise light weight three-dimensional replicas that can be rolled up and carried in a pocket, a down side is that quantities of latex are required and sometimes there can be slight discolouration left on the stone surface. Paper squeezes have a number of advantages: the simplicity of the materials required, paper and water; the ease of transporting paper, a bucket and small stippling brush is not onerous; being paper they can be drawn on to confirm what the object was, as in Fig. which is a defaced inscription high up on the south face of the north qanatir or colonnade in the Haram as-Sharif, Jerusalem 1 ; when still slightly damp a squeeze is ready to be removed from the stone and it does required to be laid flat in the sun to dry completely, winter weather is difficult; being composed of two or three layers, they can be separated enabling three attempts to retrieve any lost details; the capturing of minor three dimensional features depends on the skill of the person making the

PROGRAMME
Antrim, Zayde Gordon. “The Discourse of Place in Ayyubid and Mamluk Syria.”
Franz, Kurt. “Geographers in the Service of the Mamluks: Elements of a Literary Sociology.”
Frenkel, Yehoshua. “Damascus and Its Hinterland: Reading in Mamluk Chronicles and Biographical Dictionaries (1382–1516).”
Ducène, Jean-Charles. “The World as Seen from the Mamluk Chancellery: The Example of al-ʿUmarī.”

In this article we present 27 coins that were discovered recently in el-Janab cave (‘Usarin cave), a large karstic cave located south of Nablus. These coins, together with pottery and other finds, represent three periods in which the cave was probably used as a hiding place: the late Persian–early Hellenistic period, the Early Roman period and the late Ayyūbid–early Mamlūk period

A small but significant pottery assemblage dating from the Early Islamic period was retrieved from Building 900 excavated in the Tyropoeon Valley. The assemblage includes vessels typical of the Umayyad period, the early eighth century CE, and the Abbasid period, the ninth century CE. The latest diagnostic sherds date from the mid-to late tenth century CE. This Early Islamic pottery assemblage provides important insights into the occupation history of the area immediately south of present-day Old City of Jerusalem

This contribution is intended to suggest aspects of several clay smoking pipes exhumed in archaeological interventions between Portugal and Spain. In this regard, some archaeological works published clay smoking pipes which were defined as ‘hashish pipes’ (pipas de hachís or cachimbos de haxixe) related to the use of Cannabis sp. by the Moors, predominately the Sufis, between the 10th-15th-centuries. These have been described as a diverse Nasrid production based on historical and etymological evidence. However, these artifacts reveal morphological elements which currently promote a reinterpretation due to new research and typologies.

This article deals with an unknown manuscript that was found in Al-Aqsa during the renovation in the 1930s. It is a letter in Arabic written in Hebrew letters and it is probably the only manuscript that is written like this that was found in Jerusalem. The Manuscript  is dated to the 13th or begining of the 14th century AD.

St Theodore in Nicosia is a rare example of a female Cistercian monastery in the Latin East, the foundation and abandonment dates of which are relatively certain. The ceramics from the excavation carried out at the site during the mid-2000s offer a glimpse into over three centuries of household assemblage from the Lusignan and Venetian periods to just before the Ottoman Conquest. In this paper, we view the ceramics in relation to the site and its architecture, as well as in the wider context of medieval Cypriot archaeology. The assemblage at hand furnishes some new insights into the local production of table and utilitarian ceramics while sharpening our view of trade relations in this period.

The Israel Museum’s Islamic Coins Sylloge Project
The present volume is the first in a series devoted to the Islamic coins in the
collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The majority of these coins were
donated to the Museum by the late Paul Balog. The Israel Museum is proud to
continue Balog’s legacy by making his rich coin collection available to the public.
The adoption of the sylloge format, organized by individual mints, is best suited
to the needs of scholars of political and monetary history. The Egyptian series
is by far the strongest in Balog’s collection, and one of the largest of its kind.
Appropriately, the Mamlūk mints of Egypt were chosen to be the subject of the
f
irst volume of the series.

This article documents and discusses a hoard of 80 silver Maml k and Ottoman coins and two gold and one silver Venetian coins dated to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries with a burial date of AD 1566. It was discovered in Apollonia-Arsuf, Israel, which is renowned in the medieval history of the Holy Land as the place where Richard I of England led the crusaders to victory over the army of Saladin in 1191 in the Third Crusade (Battle of Arsuf).

This article reports on two groups of coins found by the Huqoq Excavation
Project associated with the remains of a late medieval synagogue. Two pots
contained a hoard of 364 gold and silver coins, mostly Venetian and Mamluk,
as well as three pieces of jewelry. A smaller group of ten Venetian grossi
was found separately. Both finds can be dated around the 1440s–1450s.
Deposition of the hoard occurred sometime during or after 1438-1457, a date range that is based on analysis of the coins and other archaeological remains. During medieval times in the eastern Mediterranean, Venetian coins were widely used as an export currency. The article includes an appended XRF Analysis and Preliminary Die Study of the hoard's gold ducats.

В работе представлен анализ уникальных сведений, касающихся истории народов Северного Кавказа XV – начала XVI столетия, прежде всего адыгов и абазин, содержащихся в не опубликованном и ранее не используемом отечественными кавказоведами источнике из коллекции Süleymaniye Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi (Стамбул) – втором томе под названием al-‘Uqud al-jawharyya fi al-mahasin al-dawla al-Ashrafiyya al-Ghawiyya (Драгоценные ожерелья в достоинствах государства ал-Ашрафа ал-Гаури) анонимной рукописи, посвященной восхвалению мамлюкского султана из династии Бурджи (1382–1517) – ал-Ашрафа Кансуха ал-Гаури (1501–1516).
Текст источника предоставляет информацию о территориально-политическом устройстве Черкесии – о «странах» или «землях» черкесов – Кармуке, Кабаке, Кабарде и их социальном устройстве, о происхождении и междоусобицах черкесских князей и их внешнеполитических контактах, об этнокультурной и конфессиональной ситуации на Северо-Западном Кавказе и в Центральном Предкавказье в XV в. Рукопись свидетельствует о сложении Кабарды под собственным названием, отраженным на арабском языке – قربدا] Qabarda], уже, как минимум, к началу 40-х
годов XV в. Сведения рукописи сопоставляются с информацией арабских и итальянских источников XV в., а также русских грамот Посольского приказа XVI–XVII вв., при сравнительном рассмотрении которых применен метод ретроспективного анализа. На сегодняшний день анонимный труд «Драгоценные ожерелья в достоинствах государства ал-Ашрафа ал-Гаури» является единственным источником, столь полно раскрывающим вопросы образования этого черкесского княжества, генеалогии первых поколений кабардинских князей, социальной структуры (главным образом, аристократии) и организации власти в Кабарде XV века. Анализу последнего блока вопросов и посвящена настоящая работа.

A salvage excavation at ‘Amqa, on the northern part of a hill located at the juncture of the ‘Akko coastal plain and the foothills of western Upper Galilee, revealed archaeological remains, including from the Hellenistic period. Small excavation areas distributed over the hill exposed fragmentary architectural remains and a coastal pottery assemblage from the Hellenistic period.

This paper is devoted to a review of the Tenth Anniversary Conference of
the School of Mamluk Studies, an international scientific platform bringing together specialists in the history and culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517), held on 5-7 March 2024 in Al-Kuwait with the support of the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature at the Dar al-Atar al-Islamiyya Centre. It was co-organised by the founders of the forum — the University of Chicago, the University of Liege and Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. Within the framework of the main theme announced for this year: “Narratives of the Past and Artefacts of the Present of the Mamluks: Meeting Halfway”, various aspects of the study of the material culture of
the Sultanate were reflected. Plenary reports were devoted to the results of a comprehensive analysis of archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic and architectural monuments from Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the North Caucasus. Further work of the conference was organised in the format of thematic panels, which demonstrated the results of research based mainly on the analysis of written sources on the history and culture of the Sultanate. Within the framework of the RSF project № 23-1800869
“Mamluks in the North Caucasus in the 14th-16th centuries”, the researchers of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences made reports at the conference.

Crusader-period courtyard in Area E of the Knights' Hotel Site, with numerous watersupply installations (photographer, Danny Syon) Back Cover: The sea at 'Akko (photographer, Daphna Stern); inset: ampulla and molds from the Crusader-period pilgrim-souvenir workshop (photographer, Danny Syon)

Crusader-period courtyard in Area E of the Knights' Hotel Site, with numerous watersupply installations (photographer, Danny Syon) Back Cover: The sea at 'Akko (photographer, Daphna Stern); inset: ampulla and molds from the Crusader-period pilgrim-souvenir workshop (photographer, Danny Syon)

Approximately 300 glass fragments and glass industry waste were discovered during the excavation in Tiberias. About half of these fragments are diagnostic, representing various periods: Early Roman, Late Roman to Early Byzantine, Byzantine to Late Byzantine, and Early Islamic. The excavation includes illustrations and discussions of nine vessels and a stirring rod, with additional artifacts mentioned in the text.

The glass artifacts found during the excavation are consistent with well-known types from Tiberias and its surrounding areas, as well as from a broader distribution. Most of these artifacts were likely produced locally, supported by the debris from workshops found in this and other excavations in Tiberias, along with references from historical texts.

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This paper presents a single artefact, a base sherd from a storage jar. The pot is dark grey stoneware with a thick, light grey-green celadon glaze. The inside is slipcovered with a thin layer of beige-brown clay and has distinct turning marks. The original theory was that this might be Chinese Dusun Ware, a type of storage jars which were widely exported from East Asia to the Middle East during the 8 th-10 th Centuries CE. Such an artefact would have been sensational to find as far north as Oslo, Norway, although the sturdy pots were widely reused and have been known to travel to NorthWestern Europe. To check its provenance, ICP analyses were carried out-and thus a completely different story could be written, one of Western Europeans copying the much sought-after East Asian pottery in the Late Medieval and Renaissance periods. So how did this convincing Chinese copy arrive in Oslo, who could have brought it, and when did it arrive on these shores? Importantly, what can a Chinese copy tell us about relations

This paper presents a single artefact, a base sherd from a storage jar. The pot is dark grey stoneware with a thick, light grey-green celadon glaze. The inside is slipcovered with a thin layer of beige-brown clay and has distinct turning marks. The original theory was that this might be Chinese Dusun Ware, a type of storage jars which were widely exported from East Asia to the Middle East during the 8 th-10 th Centuries CE. Such an artefact would have been sensational to find as far north as Oslo, Norway, although the sturdy pots were widely reused and have been known to travel to NorthWestern Europe. To check its provenance, ICP analyses were carried out-and thus a completely different story could be written, one of Western Europeans copying the much sought-after East Asian pottery in the Late Medieval and Renaissance periods. So how did this convincing Chinese copy arrive in Oslo, who could have brought it, and when did it arrive on these shores? Importantly, what can a Chinese copy tell us about relations and connections between Europe and China? We were intrigued, and wonder how many other examples of this may be found in the Nordic countries?