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Copyright of Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueologia is the property of Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The arrival of Islam to the Iberian Peninsula at the beginning of the 8th c. brought important changes to the urbanism of cities which contributed to turn the previous late-antique realities into medieval Islamic settlements. Among all the transformations that took place, the introduction of mosques and the reconfiguration of cities' religioscapes is one of the most relevant. The processes through which the earliest mosques were first inserted in urban landscapes in al-Andalus are unclear, since so far there are no remains that can be undoubtedly dated before the Umayyad period. From that moment on, and alongside the Umayyad organization of the Andalusi state, the founding of mosques becomes clearer and traceable, and their urban, religious and political roles more evident. This contribution seeks to identify how and why mosques appeared in the Iberian Peninsula, how they (re)configured religious spaces in cities, and how they contributed to consolidate their significance through specific written and architectural narratives. This topic will be explored also seeking for parallels and connections in the Bilād al-Shām region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we show a synthesis of the recovered information in the most recent archaeological interventions of the occupied space by the architectural complex where the Omayyad seat of power and the following leaders of Córdoba were installed. As the most relevant aspects, we show the persistent continuity of the reoccupation and appropriation of the precedent buildings, the tight correlation with the Aljama Mosque, and the architectonic entity of the documented structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Numismática Hécate is the property of Revista Numismatica Hecate and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Alcazaba of Guadix (Granada, Spain) is an Andalusi urban fortress that underwent many transformations since the outset of its construction in the 11th century. It was analysed through the method of Building Archaeology, that is, by means of a combination of stratigraphic analyses and the characterisation of its constructive techniques. Each analysis is based on a three-dimensional photogrammetric map of the entire feature. The study also relied on the findings of a series of archaeological excavations to offer a vision of the changes its structures underwent over time in parallel with an increase of its importance by the succession of powers. The Alcazaba of Guadix is a remarkable example of the implantation of Andalusi power and its architectural expression in medium-sized cities following the reign of the Caliphate of Cordoba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent archaeological excavations carried out in the western suburbs of Cordoba (Spain) brought to light numerous fragments of archaeological glass from the caliphal period (929–1031 CE). The typological and compositional analysis by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) of 66 fragments enabled the identification of different types of base glass and glass working techniques, identifying local productions, imports and decorative imitations of eastern models. The studied fragments include Mesopotamian, Levantine, Egyptian and possibly Sicilian soda-rich plant ash glass categories, and various glass-decorating techniques such as mould-blowing, pressing, cutting, staining or gilding. The systematic comparison of the trace element patterns of several relief-cut objects identified both imported ware and a locally manufactured sample, whereas all mould-blown pieces were made from locally sourced raw materials. Iberian glassworkers seem to have preferred mould-blowing, probably because of the distinct working properties of locally available high lead glass. The results thus confirm the continuous long-distance exchange of vitreous material, as well as the existence of multiple glassmaking centres in the Iberian Peninsula, illustrating a link between secondary glass working techniques and chemical composition. Furthermore, the identification of several fragments belonging to the same object based on chemical composition allowed us to reconstruct entire vessels and thereby expand the repertoire of known typologies circulating in Umayyad Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the symbiotic relationship between visual culture and the exact sciences that is revealed by the career of ʿAbbas b. Firnas (d. circa 876), as recounted in the Cordoban court chronicle compiled by the historian Ibn Hayyan (d. 1076), and by early scientific instruments from al-Andalus. Ibn Firnas is today remembered as a polymath and early scientist, yet neither historians of art nor of science have fully explored the implications of his reputation among medieval intellectuals as the wellspring of an Andalusi tradition of fine scientific instrumentation. This essay considers the Arabic account of Ibn Firnas as a maker of such objects, alongside early scientific instruments, exploring what these reveal about connections between elite intellectual culture and craft, between science and art making. It argues that considering the objects and texts in tandem reveals that intellectuals, especially those working in the exact sciences, were also "makers" of medieval Islamic visual culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Latin authors of ninth-century Umayyad Córdoba Eulogius, Albarus, and Samson are known for their opposition to acculturation, Arabic learning, and, in the case of Eulogius and Albarus, their defense of the martyrs' movement of the 850s. One generation later, the first known Christian-Arabic theologian of Hispanic origin appears, Ḥafṣ b. Albar. His adoption of Islamized Arabic has traditionally represented an ideological break from the previous generation of Christian intellectuals in Córdoba. This article questions this discontinuity through analysis of Samson's Apologeticus contra perfidos (864 CE) and Ḥafṣ's extant work. The article argues that the Apologeticus engages kalām and proves relevant for its Islamic context. Further, the article argues that Ḥafṣ's work continues the project laid out by Samson, though with a more polemical eye towards Islam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses Cordoba as one of the most iconic cities in human history and particularly in Europe. As part of the Andalusia region in southern Spain, Cordoba was the center of many conflicts that helped in shaping the European architecture and the urban fabric. Under the Umayyad rule, Cordoba was the largest and arguably most beautiful city in the World. However, the passage of time has not been very kind to it. Unfortunately, it has suffered from severely diminished of its historical and strategic value. This paper analysed Cordoba's history through different ages. Then, we focused on the peak of the city when it was under the Islamic rule when it became the center for culture and arts. At the end, we analysed how the city has faced a drastic architectural transformation that was carried out by the Spanish when they took control of the city during the Spanish Reconquista. We found how different cultures and religions throughout history have affected the architectural layers of Cordoba. These layers have exposed either demolish, overlap or dominate of one layer over another layer. Finally, we realized that this conflict created present Cordoba; the strong cultural, economic, touristic center in Southern Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]