{"product_id":"the-throne-of-adulis-red-sea-wars-on-the-eve-of-islam-9780199739325","title":"The Throne of Adulis: Red Sea Wars on the Eve of Islam","description":"Just prior to the rise of Islam in the sixth century AD, southern Arabia was embroiled in a violent conflict between Christian Ethiopians and Jewish Arabs. Though little known today, this was an international war that involved both the Byzantine Empire, which had established Christian churches in Ethiopia, and the Sasanian Empire in Persia, which supported the Jews in what became a proxy war against its longtime foe Byzantium. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOur knowledge of these events derives largely from an inscribed marble throne at the Ethiopian port of Adulis, meticulously described by a sixth-century Christian merchant known as Cosmas Indicopleustes. Using the writings of Cosmas and a wealth of other historical and archaeological evidence from the period, eminent historian G. W. Bowersock carefully reconstructs this fascinating but overlooked chapter in pre-Islamic Arabian history. The flashpoint of the war, Bowersock tells us, occurred when Yusuf, the Jewish king of Himyar, massacred hundreds of Christians living in Najran. The Christian ruler of Ethiopia, Kaleb, urged on by the Byzantine emperor Justin, led a force of 120,000 men across the Red Sea to defeat Yusuf. But when the victorious Kaleb--said to have retired to a monastery-left behind weak leaders in both Ethiopia and Himyar, the Byzantine and Persian empires expanded their activity in the Arabian territory. In the midst of this conflict, a new religion was born, destined to bring a wholly unanticipated resolution to the power struggle in Arabia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Throne of Adulis\u003c\/em\u003e vividly recreates the Red Sea world of Late Antiquity, transporting readers back to a remote but pivotal epoch in ancient history, one that sheds light on the collapse of the Persian Empire as well as the rise of Islam.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e G. W. Bowersock\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.72lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 5.51w x 0.75d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199739325\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/11\/2013 pg. 35\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eG. W. Bowersock\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor Emeritus of Ancient History at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey. Among his many previous books are \u003cem\u003eFrom Gibbon to Auden: Essays on the Classical Tradition\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMosaics as History: The Near East from Late Antiquity to Islam\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eRoman Arabia\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press, USA","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":40632872468595,"sku":"9.7802E+12","price":62.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_2f8eba92-7e2f-49b6-ac0a-96231778f2ea.jpg?v=1671633686","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/en-de\/products\/the-throne-of-adulis-red-sea-wars-on-the-eve-of-islam-9780199739325","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}