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September 1, 2009
Archaeology in Saudi Arabia!
Here's a fascinating story about some thaw in the longstanding Saudi freeze on archaeology on the Peninsula. The hostility to even acknowledging the pre-Islamic past is still pretty strong - especially since some of the sites are specifically Jewish or Christian. I didn't know about the 5th Century church discovered by accident and fenced off for the last 20 years!
One of the standing questions is what was the economic shape of Mecca in the time of Muhammad? Patricia Crone and Michael Cook believe that it was pretty pitiful, not a major trading center, but a pilgrimage center. There won't be any excavations in Mecca anytime soon - but anything that explores the spice trade will help.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at September 1, 2009 4:50 PM