Invisible conquests. Reassessing the Byzantine - Early Islamic Transition in the Levant and North Africa 2800-DTEIT

I. Introduction
 Defining the geographical framework of the Eastern Mediterranean, northern Africa
and adjacent regions.
 Examining various systems of chronology and periodization in historical and
archaeological studies.
 Historical overview: An analysis of primary and secondary sources for understanding
the Early Islamic period.
II. Deconstructing the Perception of the Arab Conquests in Historiography and Popular
Culture
 Byzantine historiography and its narratives on the Arab conquests.
 Arabic historiography: Emergent narratives and their contexts.
 Modern historiography: Reinterpreting traditional views.
 Deconstructing colonial discourse on the Arab conquests.
 Representations of the Arab conquests in modern popular culture.
III. The Eastern Mediterranean before Muhammad
 Political and social dynamics within the Byzantine Empire.

 Religious diversity.
 The Sasanian-Byzantine wars and their effects on the region.
 Pre-Islamic Arab culture and its role in the wider Near East.
IV. Arab Communities before Muhammad
 The Ghassanids and other Arab groups in the Levant.
 The first Arabic inscriptions and their significance.
 The growing Arab presence in the Levant.
V. Invisible Conquests: The Impact of Early Islamic Conquests on the material culture of the
Levant
 A historical outline of the early conquests.
 Archaeological evidence for the Arab conquests.
 Transformations in the urban structure of Late Antique cities.
 Continuities in material culture: Pottery, glass, and numismatics.
 Fiscal and administrative reforms under Islamic rule.
 Relationships between Muslims and indigenous Christian and Jewish communities.
VI. From Polis to Madina: Changing Urban Landscapes in the Byzantine–Early Islamic
Transition
 The decline of Late Antique public institutions.
 Shifts in aesthetic approaches to cityscapes.
 Continuities and transformations in sacred spaces.
 Encroachment on communication arteries in Late Antique cities.
 Debating trade and economic prosperity during the transition.
VII. Settling the Desert: The New Umayyad Foundations in the Southern Levant
 The emergence of Islamic and mosque architecture
 Desert castles in Jordan and Palestine: Functions and significance.
 Palaces and residential architecture.
 The foundation of new cities and settlements.
 Late Antique art in the context of Early Islam: Continuity and change.
 Iconoclasm and iconophobia in Early Islamic art.
 The fate of Christian communities and churches under Umayyad rule.

VIII. From Africa to Ifrīqiya
 The new administrative and urban foundations in North Africa.
 The fall of Carthage and its repercussions.
 Challenges in defining the Early Islamic period archaeologically.
IX. Al-Andalus
 The establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate in al-Andalus.
 Migration and material culture evolution.
 Innovations in aesthetic and architectural traditions.
X. Early Islamic Conquests in Global History
 Situating the conquests in the broader framework of global historical transitions.
XII. Summary and Discussion
 Reflections on key themes and final discussions on historiographical and
archaeological perspectives.