India in the ‘India Book’: 12th Century Northern Malabar through Geniza Documents

Date
2019-01
Authors
Lambourn, E.
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Journal ISSN
ISSN
DOI
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Publisher
Archaeopress
Peer reviewed
Yes
Abstract
The publication in 2008 of S.D. Goitein & M.A. Friedman’s “India Book” (India Traders of the Middle Ages: Documents from the Cairo Geniza ('India Book'). Leiden / Boston, E.J. Brill) is revolutionising the history of the medieval Indian Ocean, or at least the possibilities for that history. This chapter represents a first attempt to integrate the new data from the Genizah documents into the history of the Malabar ports where these Jewish merchants – now referred to as “India traders” - operated. The early 12th century was a period of huge political and economic change and the data from these documents allows us to shed light on a little known period, and one badly represented in indigenous sources.
Description
Keywords
medieval, Malabar, Kerala, Karnataka, history, economic, Cairo Genizah, political
Citation
Lambourn, E. (2019) India in the 'India Book': 12th Century Northern Malabar through Geniza Documents. In: Sur les chemins d’Onagre: histoire et archéologie orientales. Hommage à Monik Kervran edited by C. Hardy‑Guilbert, H. Renel, A. Rougeulle & E. Vallet. Oxford: Archaeopress.
Research Institute
Institute of History
Institute of Art and Design