Böcker av G. W. Bowersock

Political and military developments in the Arabian Peninsula on the eve of Islam

Little is known about sixth-century Arabia. Yet from this distant time and place emerged a faith and an empire that stretched from Iberia to India. G. W. Bowersock illuminates this obscure yet most dynamic period in Islam, exploring why arid Arabia proved to be fertile ground for Muhammad's message and why it spread so quickly to the wider world.

The Roman province of Arabia occupied a crucial corner of the Mediterranean World, encompassing most of what is now Jordan, southern Syria, northwest Saudi Arabia and the Negev. This text provides a history of the region, covering the period from the 4th century BC to the age of Constantine.

This book examines the historical context of the earliest Christian martyrs, and anchors their grisly and often wilful self-sacrifice to the everyday life and outlook of the cities (mostly Greek) of the Roman empire. Throughout, new light is shed on the concept of martyrdom, which has been such a powerful form of dissidence down to the present day.