Amalekites
Amida (Roman stronghold), 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, bm1.1
Amila (Arabian nomadic tribe)
Anahita (Persian warrior goddess), 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Anastasius (Roman emperor), 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2
angels, 1.1, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3; Gabriel, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7; at Badr, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11; Gnostics and, 1.12; Daniel and, 2.1, 5.4; Jewish scripture and, 2.2, 2.3; Saint Simeon and, 4.6, 4.7; paganism and, 5.5; matching of image to audience, 5.6; in Qur’an, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 7.1; gender of, 6.6, 6.7; prayers to, 6.8, 6.9, 6.10
the Annunciation
Antioch, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 7.1; Ignatius as bishop of, 3.2, 3.3; Simeon of, 4.4, 4.5, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 6.2, 7.2; destruction of by Khusrow (540), 5.6; plague epidemic (543), 5.7
Apollo
Arabia: Himyar, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5*, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2; Islam defeats paganism in, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8; Muhammad’s transformation of, 1.9; paganism in, 1.10, 6.3; map of, 4.3; Roman province of, 4.4; progress of Christianity into, 5.2, 5.3; Hijaz region of, 5.4, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 7.1, 7.2; increase in power of desert nomads, 5.5; cross-pollination of faiths in, 6.8, 6.9; reputation as breeding ground for heresy, 6.10, 6.11; wilderness as place of exile/sanctuary, 6.12, 6.13; hybrid cults in, 6.14; mass emigration north towards Holy Land, 6.15, 6.16; Roman cataloguing of tribes, 6.17; ancient manuscripts and, 6.18; location of “House of God”, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5; Abd al-Malik invades (691), 7.6, 7.7; Mu’awiya’s grip on, 7.8; see also Quraysh people
Arabian Empire see Islamic Empire
Arabian Nights, bm1.1
Arabic language, 1.1, 4.1, 6.1, 7.1
Arabs: Jewish monarchs in Himyar, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1; the written word and, 1.4; spread of Islam and, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9; in “Age of Ignorance”, 1.10; as Magaritai, 1.11; Mamre site and, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.2, 6.2, 6.3; despised as pagans who lived in tents, 4.5; desert lifestyle of, 4.6; suppression of paganism and, 4.7; economic activities and, 4.8, 4.9, 5.3, 6.4, 6.5; military campaigns of Zenobia, 4.10; Nabataean tribe, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13, 6.6; rise of House of Sasan and, 4.14; Thamud confederation, 4.15, 4.16, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9; Rome’s employment of barbarians and, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12; Rome-Persia conflict as opportunity, 4.20, 4.21, 4.22, 6.13; “Saracens” term, 4.23, 6.14; shirkat (partnership), 4.24, 6.15, 6.16, 6.17, 6.18; Lakhmid command of Hira, 4.25, 4.26, 4.27; Lakhmids, 4.28, 4.29, 4.30, 4.31, 4.32, 4.33, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 6.19, 6.20; as Persian mercenaries, 4.34; Arabic origins of emperor Philip, 4.35; cities of the Negev and, 4.36; foederati, 4.37, 4.38, 5.7, 6.21, 6.22, 6.23, 6.24, 6.25, 6.26; Ghassanids, 4.39, 4.40, 4.41, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 6.27, 6.28, 6.29, 6.30, 6.31, 6.32; Roman frontier system and, 4.42, 6.33; Arethas-Mundhir conflict, 4.43, 4.44, 5.11, 5.12; desert spirits/demons and, 4.45, 5.13, 5.14, 6.34, 6.35; al-’Uzza—the “Mighty Queen”, 4.46, 4.47, 5.15, 5.16, 6.36, 6.37; Dushara (god), 4.48, 6.38; conversions to Christianity, 4.49, 4.50; Christian stylites, 4.51; Saracen miracles, 4.52; appearance of in Bible, 4.53; as Children of Ishmael, 4.54, 6.39, 6.40, 7.1; overlaps with Jewish beliefs, 4.55, 6.41; Roman Imperial policy towards, 4.56; opportunities created by plague, 5.17, 5.18, 5.19; climactic triumph of Arethas at Chalcis (554), 5.20; Ghassanids as shields of Christian empire, 5.21, 6.42; overlaps with Christian belief, 5.22; establishment of empire, 6.43; empire defined as Dar al-Islam, 6.44; biblical settings and, 6.45; Saracen invasion of Holy Land/Syria (634-6), 6.46, 6.47; map of early conquests, 6.48; revolt of foederati (582), 6.49; Jewish support for Saracens, 6.50, 6.51; suspicion of great cities, 6.52; status of specific shrines, 7.2; reconstruction of sanctuaries, 7.3; see also Islamic Empire
Arculf (Frankish bishop), 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
Ardashir (founder of Sasanian Empire), 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.1, 3.2, bm1.1
Arethas (al-Harith), 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2
Arius and Arianism, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 7.1
Armenia, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 5.1, 6.1
Artemis, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 4.1
asceticism: Christian, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 7.1, 7.2; stylites, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 7.3, 7.4; Umar bin al-Khattab and, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.5; Islamic (Zuhhad), 7.6
Aspebedes, 2.1, 5.1
Athanasius, 3.1, 5.1
Athens, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2
Augustus (Roman emperor), 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5
Avars (nomadic tribe), 5.1, 5.2, 5.3
Babylon, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 4.1
Bactria
Badr, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 6.1
Baghdad, bm1.1, bm1.2
Bahram Chobin
Bakka (place in Qur’an), 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
Bali (Arabian nomadic tribe)
Basilides, 3.1, 3.2, 6.1
Basra (city in Iraq), 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6
Belisarius (Roman general), 3.1, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4
Berbers, 1.1, 5.1, 7.1
Bethlehem, 4.1, 4.2
Bible, Christian: non-divinity of, 1.1; nineteenth-century scholarly contextualising of, 1.2, 1.3; theory of evolution and, 1.4; dating of writing of, 1.5; appearance of Arabs in, 4.1; Old Testament as foreshadowing of Christ, 6.1; mentions of datable rulers, 6.2; references to in Qur’an, 6.3; see also New Testament
Bihafarid (prophet)
Britain, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 3.1
Byzantium see Constantinople; Roman Empire, New (Constantinople)
Caesarea (port in Palestine), 6.1, 6.2, 6.3
calendars, 1.1, 1.2
Caliphate, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5; title of “Caliph”, 1.6, 7.1; peak of power, 1.7; lack of references to Muhammad, 1.8; as last empire of antiquity, 1.9; map(s) of under Umayyads, 7.2; see also Islamic Empire
Callinicos (architect)
Canaan, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 4.1, 6.1, 6.2
Carthage, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 7.1
Chalcedon, Council of (451), 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1
Christian Church: “heretics” and, 1.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2; “baptism”, 3.5; globe-spanning bureaucracy, 3.6; local congregations, 3.7, 3.8; development of role of bishop, 3.9; as “catholic”/universal, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12; as “welfare state”, 3.13; drive for single orthodoxy, 3.14, 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 4.4; “false” gospels, 3.18, 4.5; truth derived from high antiquity, 3.19; Jewish scriptures and, 3.20; rejection of Judaism, 3.21, 3.22; rabbi-bishop “sibling rivalry”, 3.23; in Constantinople, 3.24, 3.25, 3.26, 3.27, 4.6; as uneasy coalition, 3.28; Nicaean Council (325), 3.29, 3.30, 3.31, 3.32, 3.33, 4.7, 4.8, 5.3, 5.4, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1; bargain with Constantinople over heresy, 3.34; bishops’ independence from Constantinople, 3.35; Council of Chalcedon (451), 3.36, 4.9, 4.10, 5.5; “Monophysites”, 3.37, 4.11; splits after Chalcedon, 3.38; presumption of as eternal and unchanging, 3.39; monks, 4.12; use of Temple Mount to humiliate Jews, 4.13; heresy in the Holy Land, 4.14; Roman Empire and global spread of, 5.6; Vandals in Carthage and, 5.7; prayers to angels and, 6.5; idolatry forbidden in, 6.6
Christianity: slaughter of Christians at Najran, 1.1, 1.2*, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2; defeat of Yusuf, 1.3, 1.4, 4.3, 5.2; Eusebius and, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9; dominance of Christian sources, 1.10; scholars in late antiquity, 1.11, 1.12; debates over nature of Christ, 1.13, 1.14, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 6.3; Roman conversion to, 1.15, 2.1, 3.5, 3.6, 6.4; Bible as not divine, 1.16; contextualising of ancient texts, 1.17; nineteenth-century scepticism, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20; birth of Christ, 1.21, 1.22; attitude to pre-Christian times, 1.23; fifth-sixth century writings, 1.24; invisibility of pagans in Christian histories, 1.25*; incubation of in late antiquity, 1.26; in Mesopotamia, 2.2, 3.7; Constantinople rebuilt as Christian capital, 3.8; Jewishness of early adherents, 3.9; Jewish scripture and, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14; Paul declares Christians children of Abraham, 3.15; global reach of, 3.16, 3.17, 3.18, 3.19, 3.20; mission to the Gentiles, 3.21; nature of the Holy Spirit, 3.22, 3.23; tradition of charity, 3.24; concept of “Trinity”, 3.25, 3.26, 3.27, 6.5, 6.6, 7.1; wide spectrum of beliefs, 3.28, 3.29, 3.30; missionaries eastbound, 3.31, 7.2; Syriac as lingua franca in Near East, 3.32; scholarship at Edessa, 3.33; Jewish-Christian competition for proselytes, 3.34; paradox of enmity with Judaism, 3.35; obeying of the Torah and, 3.36; porous dividing line with Judaism, 3.37; converts to, 3.38, 3.39; healing of the sick and, 3.40; attitudes to idolatry, 3.41; judicial murders of Christians in Rome, 3.42; full-scale persecution in Roman Empire, 3.43, 3.44; “witnesses” (martyrs), 3.45; miracle of the seven sleepers, 3.46, 3.47, 6.7; disdain for paganism, 3.48, 3.49; proper knowledge of God and, 3.50; asceticism, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 7.3; Moses’ burning bush site and, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9; Moses as Christian, 4.10; pilgrimages to Holy Land, 4.11, 4.12; definitions of Jewishness (Ioudaismos), 4.13; Samaritans and, 4.14, 5.3; Arab conversions to, 4.15, 4.16; Saracen miracles, 4.17; imperial sponsored missions to east and south, 5.4; lost western empire and, 5.5; Alexandria and, 5.6; harbingers of the End Days (mid-sixth century), 5.7; Ghassanids as shields of Christian empire, 5.8, 6.8; progress into Arabia, 5.9, 5.10; overlaps with Arab belief, 5.11; Daniel’s vision and, 5.12, 5.13, 6.9; Jews blamed for fall of Jerusalem (614), 5.14; Heraclius as warrior of Christ, 5.15, 5.16, 5.17; Old Testament as foreshadowing of Christ, 6.10; references to in Qur’an, 6.11, 6.12, 6.13, 6.14; rejection of Manichaeism, 6.15; loss of Holy Land to Arabs, 6.16; Jews blamed for fall of Holy Land, 6.17, 6.18; rumours of Saracen prophet, 6.19; Mu’awiya reaches out to, 6.20; Abd al-Malik’s challenge to, 7.4; attitudes to slavery, 7.5; anti-Christian regulations in Islamic Empire, 7.6; in Iraq, 7.7; impregnable orthodoxy of shrunken empire, 7.8; fate of Constantinople and, 7.9