{"title":"Gillian E Bowen","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"excavations-at-ismant-al-kharab-book-gillian-e-bowen-9781789259636","title":"The Excavations at Ismant al-Kharab","description":"The adoption of Christianity by the Egyptian populace was well underway by the late third century, but evidence for its presence in the archaeological record from the Nile valley is sparse. This is due, in part, to the loss of ancient settlement sites beneath modern cultivation. By comparison, Ismant al-Kharab, ancient Kellis, in Dakhleh Oasis, was abandoned at the end of the fourth century and many of its structures survive intact. The villagers, moreover, left behind a wealth of artefacts and documentation. By the late third century some had converted to Christianity and by the early fourth century three churches were built to accommodate their growing numbers. The churches afford an unparalleled window into three ecclesiastical complexes that served a single village. The Large East Church, moreover, is the earliest surviving example of a purpose-built basilica in Egypt known thus far. It provides a better understanding of the development of Egyptian church architecture and has forced a reappraisal of the dates of certain features that were previously attributed to the fifth century.The community established three burial grounds: Kellis 2, with an estimated 3,500–4,000 graves, a funerary church and associated graveyard, and in a reused monumental mausoleum. Christian cemeteries are known throughout North Africa, Europe, and Britain, but in Egypt few are published in anything but a cursory manner. At Kellis, 800+ graves have been excavated; the earliest burials date to the late third century confirming the evidence of an early conversion by some villagers and its rapid expansion thereafter.This volume provides the first detailed publication of the churches and Christian burial grounds. It incorporates a discussion of the spread of Christianity in Egypt’s Southern Oasis, drawing upon data from the rich textual documentation from the site. The material culture is presented in detail, especially the extensive collection of ceramics, glass, and coins.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49746639487249,"sku":"NGR9781789259636","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1789259630.jpg?v=1751216342"},{"product_id":"oasis-papers-7-book-gillian-e-bowen-9781803279435","title":"The Oasis Papers 7","description":"The late Professor Fred Leemhuis was an Arabist and Islamist at the University of Groningen, well known in the Netherlands for his translation into Dutch of the Qur'an, sometime Director of the Dutch-Flemish Institute Cairo, and Director of the Qasr Dakhleh Project. His interests ranged across all things to do with Egypt but especially those following the Arab conquest, and this tribute to his memory attempts to reflect that diversity and also highlight his significant work at al-Qasr which cast valuable light on periods not well known for the Western Desert of Egypt. Several papers focus upon this imposing medieval and Ottoman settlement in Dakhleh, and the discovery of the late Roman fort there: these range from conservation, to archaeology, artefacts, and texts as well as an imaginative account of people moving to the fort from nearby Trimithis when it was going into decline in the late fourth century. Aspects of burial practice in that oasis and neighbouring Kharga, both early Christian and Roman, are discussed, and the identification of cancer amongst the inhabitants of Kellis in Dakhleh is proposed. The extent of settlement in Dakhleh during the Fatimid to Mamluk Periods is discussed using glazed ceramics; other topics include aspects of architecture at another of Dakhleh's Islamic sites, al-Qasaba, and Arab tribal marks on rock surfaces in Dakhleh. Rock art study also extends into Kharga. The discoveries at a site in the Nile valley possibly occupied by the Blemmeyes, who harassed many parts of Egypt in late antiquity, are outlined, along with the associated rock art. Moving into more recent times, the survival of a medieval tradition of large mud-brick walls on the edge of the area of cultivation amongst modern Egyptians in the valley, and a contemporary fertility ritual in Dakhleh, are described, as are notions of how to address God and others in translations of the Qur'an. The restoration of a spectacular mausoleum in Cairo's 'City of the Dead' is described, and the first detailed account of hostilities in the Egyptian oases during the First World War is presented.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51631768731921,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51631768928529,"sku":"NGR9781803279435","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1803279435.jpg?v=1750766742"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-gillian-e-bowen.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}