End of the Ancient Economy
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• 2^nd half 7^th century Muslims controlled richest parts of Near East – Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Caspian coastline and Khoasan – economies enhanced by huge trading opps. From bounds of Muslim empire – spread of cultivation of different crops.
• Devastated by continuing Arab invasions and raids by sea and land, cut off from main trade routes of Near East which now focussed on Syria, Egypt and Iraq – empire’s economy rapidly fell away from levels of 600.
• Copper coins, although common in Muslim territory, virtually disappear within empire. Red-slip fine wares from North Africa no longer found – long tradition of manufacture and distribution had come to an end.  General lack of pottery implies disappearance centres of production and d of long-distance trading networks.
• Except Armenia very few churches built in 7^th and 8^th centuries.
• Not unreasonable to assume urban life come to a complete end, most sites abandoned – people into villages and castles at time of attack.
• Picture utter collapse over drawn – majority of cities probably survived another 200 hundred years – much lower cultural level – very poor but elements of market and monetary economy – continued to collect taxes in gold coin and pay cash salaries to imperial officials.
• Imperial capital never ceased to be a relatively large city – a centre of government and of some commerce.  Mango evidence of decay.  C early middle ages centre of Roman world – largest and wealthiest cities. More important from 600 onwards as no other major cities – preservation essential to empire’s survival
• Constantinople and Asia Minor suffer centuries after Britain, Gaul and Italy.  Roman Empire no longer on right side of economic divide.
• Persia falls by 651 – last Sasanian Shah, Yazdagrid III – economic heartland Iraq divided between religious and ethnic communities – Iranian Zoroastrians a minority – Iranian heartland on the plateau – there shared much more of a cultural identity and protected from Arab attack by formidable obstacle of Zagros mountains – 7^th centuries neither cultural unity nor natural defences did much to delay the empire’s final destruction.
• Persian resistance ineffective with loss of Iraq Persians lose wealthiest province and capital Ctesiphon – political centre of the empire.  Ctesiphon and Sasanian court privded powerful political and cultural focus – beyond religious alliance – as long as that survived Persian empire could cope with disasters such as death and defeat of shah Perox at hands Hepthalites in 484 – Roman invasion 627 – 8 – comparative ethnic unity of Iranian plateau and mountainous barrier it offers invader from west counted for very little as Arabs hunted down last shahs.  Constantinople 1200 k from Damascus.

Other Notes in this Category

1. army – its size and effectiveness for the defense of the eastern borders
2. Birth of the Islamic State
3. Byzantine authority and the nomads – divergent views
4. Byzantine reliance on arab military resistance
5. Byzantium and the early islamic conquests
6. Caliphate of ali – 656 – 661
7. Conquest and division in the time of the rashidun caliphs
8. Difficulty in devising defence for Syria
9. Elements of Failure and Endurance
10. End of the Ancient Economy
11. Foundation of the marwand caliphate and the achievemnet of ‘abd al-malik
12. Islamic conquests
13. Limitations defense-in-depth strategy
14. Military leadership of heraclius
15. relevance of recent war with persia
16. Richard n. frye – arab conquests in iran
17. State of strategy and warfare
18. The matric of the muslim world:
19. The umayyad caliphate
20. Umar and the early islamic conquests – 634 – 644
21. Whittow – making of byzantium

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