S. D. Goitein

Nicknames as Family Names

The writings of the Cairo Geniza (10th through 13th centuries) show that derisive nicknames served as family names even in official documents handed over to the parties concerned. After a short general survey of the use of by-names (alqab) in Arabic and Hebrew literatures, the development of a nickname into a family name is demonstrated by an example from the ethno-linguistic studies of the author among the Jews of Yemen. The main part of the paper discusses Arabic nicknames from the Geniza documents of which it can be proved that they were used as family names.

Slaves and Slavegirls in the Cairo Geniza Records

IN order to be able to understand the economic role and the social position of the slaves in the society reflected in the Geniza records, we must free ourselves entirely of the notions familiar to us from our readings about life on American plantations or in ancient Greece or Rome. Slavery in the period under consideration was neither industrial nor agricultural; with the exception of the armies, which were largely composed of mercenaries, who were legally slaves, it was not collective, but individual. It was a personal service in the widest sense of the word, which, when the master served was of high rank or wealthy, carried with it great economic advantages, as well as social prestige.

A Plea for the Periodization of Islamic History

WHY PERIODIZATION? Why should we break up the grand course of Islamic history into periods, neatly defined by dates and labelled with specific characteristics? The science of Islamic studies already has become dangerously morselled because of the specialization necessitated by subject matter, such as language, literature, history, sociology and economics, theology, mysticism, law, philosophy, sciences and medicine, art and archaeology, epigraphy and numismatics. Why should we add to this process of atomization a further element of division, with the ever present threat of overspecialization in one field and ignorance in most of the others ?

Three Trousseaux of Jewish Brides from the Fatimid Period

Trousseau lists in the hundreds, complete or fragmentary, have survived in the Cairo Geniza. Normally they are included in marriage contracts, rarely in engagement settlements, and many have been preserved separately, bearing only the names of the bride and the groom with or without date, and often lacking even these pieces of information. This happened when the extant sheet had originally formed part of a larger document, or when the trousseau was listed in a record book of the community.

Evidence On the Muslim Poll Tax From Non-Muslim Sources

There is no subject of Islamic social history on which the present writer had to modify his views so radically while passing from literary to documentary sources, i.e. from the study of Muslim books to that of the records of the Cairo Geniza as the jiya orjdhlya, the poll tax to be paid by non-Muslims. It was, of course, evident that the tax represented a discrimination and was intended, according to the Korans own words, to emphasize the inferior status of the non-believers. It seemed, however, that from the economic point of view, it did not constitute

“Meeting in Jerusalem”: Messianic Expectations in the Letters of the Cairo Geniza

With the sure touch of the true historian (a rare gift) Gershom Scholem has opened up for us new avenues toward the understanding of Jewish messianism and, in particular, its most fateful manifestation after the catastrophic Bar Kokhba revolt: Sabbatianism. There are no pseudomessiahs, he teaches us. For any attempt to translate the idea of messianism into reality is doomed to end in failure, but failure is not its end. This is demonstrated by the movement connected with Sabbatai Sevi, or, if one may associate two such incongruous phenomena, the death of Christ on the cross.

Mediterranean Trade Preceding the Crusades: Some Facts and Problems

nean trade so characteristic of the later Middle Ages? Or were the Crusades themselves made possible by the meteoric rise of international commerce in the eleventh century, which was accompanied by a similar increase in maritime trafic and naval power, subsequently providing the indispensable supply lines for the Christian warriors? If so, what do we know about the objects, scope and organization of that trade? The European side of the problem has been treated in comprehensive works which have become classics in their field: W. Heyd’s Histoire du commerce du Levant au Moyen-Agel and A. Schaube’s Handelsgeschichte der romanischen V ölker des Mittel-

Index And Glossary

This index presents a list of names of persons, places, and organizations, and also concepts, phrases, and terms relevant to the study of Islamic history, religion, and institutions. The study offers a wide-ranging, sensitive, and highly original introduction to a civilization by one who lived all his life studying and observing Islam. The entries are arranged in alphabetical order.Keywords: Islamic history; religion

The Intermediate Civilization/The Hellenic Heritage In Islam

This chapter deals with the Islamic world as it was approximately between 850 and 1250 A.D. Hellenism was to classical Greece what contemporary world civilization is to Western Culture, as it developed between 1500-1900. Hellenism found a refuge precisely in the civilization and the language which had replaced Greek and Greek culture in most countries which they had dominated for centuries. The theory of Muslim mysticism was largely nourished by Greek thought, in particular, Neo-Platonism. Hellenistic influence prevailed strongly in many other aspects of civilization. It is sufficient to mention architecture and the techniques of building, arts and crafts, alchemy, law, administration, and coinage. In some respects, one should say, the Intermediate Civilization has surpassed its masters, the ancient Greeks and Romans. The chapter emphasizes that the fate of the Greek heritage in Islam, its quality and duration, are not without concern and significance in own day.Keywords: Greek culture; hellenic heritage; intermediate civilization; islam

Ramadan, The Muslim Month Of Fasting, Its Early Development And Religious Meaning

The total or partial abstinence from food during certain periods, coupled or not with voluntary self denial of sexual pleasures, is a practice common to many religions. As to fasting in pre-Islamic Arabia, the most plausible traditions are those which report that this was done during Rajah, the holy month of the spring. The Koran itself, however, provides a full and authentic commentary on the claim of Muhammad to be in a particularly close relationship with Moses and the specific connection of Moses with the Day of Atonement. The various stages of the early development of obligatory fasting in Islam fit well into the chronological scheme of Muhammads activities after his tflightt from his native city of Mecca. Many sections of the population of Cairo, especially of the richer quarter of the city, disregard Ramadan in practice, but would not care or dare to fight against it in theory.Keywords: Atonement; Cairo; fasting; Koran; Mecca; Moses; Muhammad; pre-Islamic Arabia; Ramadan