History and Archaeology of Al-Andalus
Code: 106889Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeology | OP | 3 |
| Archaeology | OP | 4 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Jesus Brufal Sucarrat
- Email :
- jesus.brufal@uab.cat
Teaching staff
- Guillem Alcolea Castellsagué
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites.
Objectives
The aim of this module is to train students on the History and Archaeology degree programmes in the historiographical debates concerning the formation, consolidation and evolution of Al-Andalus between the 8th and 15th centuries.
This will be done through the following thematic lines: society, the economy, politics and ideology, which are specified in the following axes:
- The conditions that allowed the emergence, development and disappearance of the dynasties in al-Andalus will be examined.- The social complexity of al-Andalus will be understood through its diversity.
- The influence of Islam, Islamisation and Arabisation on social cohesion in al-Andalus will be discussed.
- The impact of the “Green Revolution” on al-Andalus will be assessed.
- The Islamic urban planning in cities and villages will be recognised.
- The impact of science and technology in al-Andalus will be analysed.
Al-Andalus cannot be understood without its relationships with its surroundings. For this reason, attention will be paid to its relationships with the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula, with the North African and Near Eastern dynasties, as well as with Byzantium.
All of this will be worked on in the classroom, where participatory lectures will provide theoretical content and archaeological and textual sources corresponding to each of the specific topics will be examined. The aim is for students to continue familiarising themselves with the complexity of historical analysis and with multidisciplinarity.
Learning outcomes
- CM24 (Recognise the ethical and social implications of the different approaches and theoretical proposals of archaeology to adapt the analysis of the medieval period to the requirements of democratic values and practices while avoiding ideological manipulations.) Recognise the ethical and social implications of the different approaches and theoretical proposals of archaeology to adapt the analysis of the medieval period to the requirements of democratic values and practices while avoiding ideological manipulations.
- CM25 (Develop skills for working alone or in teams in the exercise of archaeology in local environments.) Develop skills for working alone or in teams in the exercise of archaeology in local environments.
- KM35 (Identify the main theoretical and methodological debates in European medieval archaeology, taking into account national and global approaches to the discipline.) Identify the main theoretical and methodological debates in European medieval archaeology, taking into account national and global approaches to the discipline.
- KM37 (Explain the medieval, historical and archaeological processes of the Iberian Peninsula from the analytical perspective of archaeology to generate new theoretical perspectives and to question previous knowledge.) Explain the medieval, historical and archaeological processes of the Iberian Peninsula from the analytical perspective of archaeology to generate new theoretical perspectives and to question previous knowledge.
- SM36 (Infer hypotheses about medieval history of local spatial contexts by analysing the archaeological material located therein and by means of prospecting and/or excavation work.) Infer hypotheses about medieval history of local spatial contexts by analysing the archaeological material located therein and by means of prospecting and/or excavation work.
- SM54 (Identify the processes of the medieval history of the Iberian Peninsula through the use of archaeological methodology, assessing its strengths and weaknesses.) Identify the processes of the medieval history of the Iberian Peninsula through the use of archaeological methodology, assessing its strengths and weaknesses.
Contents
Topic 1. Historiographical debates on al-Andalus.
Topic 2. The year 711. Conquest of the Caliphate of Damascus and the dependent emirates.
Topic 3. The advent of the Umayyad dynasty in al-Andalus and the Cordovan emirates (756-929).
Topic 4. The Caliphate of the Umayyad dynasty of Córdoba (929-1031).
Topic 5. The Andalusian Taifas (1010-1102).
Topic 6. The conquest and the Almoravid Emirate (1085-1145).
Topic 7. The Second Taifas and the Almoravid Conquest and Caliphate (1145-1212).
Topic 8. The Third Taifas and the Nasrid Dynasty of Granada (1212-1492).
Topic 9. A Balance of the Islamic Civilisation in the Iberian Peninsula.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual study | 30 | 1.2 | CM25, KM35, KM37, SM36, SM54 |
| Lectures led by the lecturer | 35 | 1.4 | CM24, CM25, KM35, KM37, SM36, SM54 |
| Comprehensive reading of texts and interpretation of maps, graphs, tables and archaeological documents | 20 | 0.8 | CM24, CM25, KM35, SM36, SM54 |
| Reading and interpreting specialist literature | 25 | 1 | CM24, CM25, KM35, KM37, SM36, SM54 |
| Seminar sessions, readings and text analysis, analysis of materials | 10 | 0.4 | CM24, KM35, SM36, SM54 |
-Lectures led by the lecturer.
-Seminar and practical sessions led by the lecturer.
-Practical work linked to organised field trips.
-Comprehensitive reading of texts and interpretation of cartographies, graphs, tables and archaeological documents.
-Completion of reviews, assignments and analytical comments.
-Independent study.
-In-class assessment.
Note: 15 minutes of one class, within the timetable set by the department/programme, will be reserved for students to complete the teaching performance and module evaluation surveys.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading exam 2 | 20% | 7 | 0.28 | CM24, CM25, KM35, KM37, SM36, SM54 |
| Exam 2 | 30% | 8 | 0.32 | CM24, CM25, KM35, KM37, SM36, SM54 |
| Reading exam 1 | 20% | 7 | 0.28 | CM24, CM25, KM35, KM37, SM36, SM54 |
| Exam 1 | 30% | 8 | 0.32 | CM24, CM25, KM35, KM37, SM36, SM54 |
Continuous assessment is based on the following tests and percentages:
- Two reflective written exams (30% of the mark each).
- Two reading tests (20% of the mark each).
Relevant information:
- Assessments submitted by the deadlines set by the course tutor will be re-assessed; under no circumstances can an assignment be submitted for the first time during the re-assessment period. The re-assessment will consist of a written exam covering the entire syllabus.
- A student will be considered “unable to be assessed” if they have not submitted a minimum of 30% of the assessable evidence for the module.
- If a student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant change in the mark for an assessment, that assessment will be marked as 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. In the event of multiple irregularities in other assessments, the final mark for the module will be 0.
- Students will have the right to review the results of the tests they have taken. The lecturer will establish the appropriate mechanisms for this.
- If tests cannot be taken in person, their format will be adapted (while maintaining the weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB's virtual tools. Assignments, activities and class participation will be carried out via forums, wikis and/or discussion exercises through Moodle, Teams, etc. The lecturer will ensure that the student can access these, or will provide them with alternative means.
Unic assessment is based on the following components and percentages:
- An oral exam (50% of the mark).
- Two text commentaries (25% of the mark each).
Relevant information:
- A student who has submitted all three assessments but has not passed them will be entitled to a re-assessment, which will consist of a single, written exam.
- A student will be considered “unable to be assessed” if they have not submitted a minimum of 30% of the assessable evidence for the module.
- The same resit system as for continuous assessment will be applied.
- If a student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant change in the mark for an assessment exercise, they will be marked with a 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. In the event of multiple irregularities in other exercises, the final mark for the module will be 0.
- Students will have the right to review the results of the tests they have taken. The lecturer will establish the appropriate mechanisms for this.
- If tests cannot be taken in person, their format will be adapted (while maintaining the weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB's virtual tools.
Assignments, activities and class participation will be carried out via forums, wikis and/or exercise discussions on Moodle, Teams, etc. The lecturer will ensure that students can access these, or will provide alternative means.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
This module permits the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies exclusively for bibliographic or information retrieval tasks. The student must (i) identify the parts that have been generated with AI; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. A lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty and will result in the activity being marked with a 0 and being irrecoverable, or in more severe sanctions in more serious cases.
Bibliography
In this teaching guide, students will find the core reading list for the course, while the supplementary reading list will be provided during the course according to the development of the syllabus and students' interest in specific topics.
Bibliography:
-Acién, Manuel, "El final de los elementos feudales en al-Andalus: fracaso del 'incastellamento' e imposición de la sociedad islámica", "L'incastellamento": Actas de las reuniones de Girona (26-27 de noviembre de 1992) y de Roma (5-7 de mayo de 1994), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Roma, 1998, p. 291-305.
-Aillet, Cyrile, Les mozarabes. Christianisme, islamisation et arabisation en Péninsule Ibérique (IXe-XIIe siècle), Casa de Velázquez, Madrid, 2010.
-Alba, Miguel, Feijoo, Santiago, "Pautas evolutivas de la cerámica en Emerita entre los siglos VII y IX", Garb. Sitios islámicos del sur peninsular, Ministèro da Cultura, Junta de Extremadura, Lisboa-Mérida, 2001, p. 328-375.
-Alcolea, Guillem, Kirchner, Helena, "The houses of al-Andalus. A synthesis of a domestic model", Open Archaeology, 12/1 (2026), p. 1-36.
-Alessandri, Patrice, "Ruscino, des wisigoths aux francs", Histoire et archéologie des terres catalanes au Moyen Age, Philippe Senac (ed.), Presses Universitaires de Perpignan, Perpinyà, 1995, p. 9-48.
-Alonso, Natàlia, Antolín, Ferran, Kirchner, Helena, "Novelties and legacies in crops of the Islamic period in the northeast Iberian Peninsula: The archaeobotanical evidence in Madîna Balagî, Madîna Larîda and Madîna Turtûsa", Quaternary International, 346 (2014), p. 149-161.
-Ariño, Enrique, "La cultura material de los asentamientos rurales del valle medio del Duero entre los siglos V y VIII: el final del reino visigodo y el origen de al-Andalus", 711 Arqueología e Historia entre dos mundos. Zona Arqueológica, 15/2 (2011), p. 204-222).
-Balañà, Pere, L'Islam a Catalunya (segles VIII-XII), Rafael Dalmau Editors, Barcelona, 1997.
-Barceló, Miquel, "La qüestió de l'hidraulisme andalusí", Les aigües cercades. Els qanats de l'illa de Mallorca, Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics, Palma de Mallorca, 1986, p. 9-36.
-Barceló, Miquel, "De la congruencia y la homogeneidad de los espacios hidráulicos en Al-Andalus", El agua en la agricultura de al-Andalus, Tomás Quesada, Antonio Malpica, Expiración Sánchez (eds.), Lunwerg, Granada, 1995, p. 25-39.
-Barceló, Miquel, El Sol que nació por Occidente. Estudios sobre el Estado omeya en al-Andalus, Publicacions de la Universitat de València, València, 2010.
-Bazzana, André, Guichard, Pierre, Cressier, Patrice, Les châteaux ruraux d'al-Andalus. Histoire et archéologie des husun du sud-est de l'Espagne, Casa de Velázquez, Madrid, 1988.
-Bramon, Dolors, De quan érem o no musulmans. Textos del 713 al 1010, Eumo Editorial, Vic, 2000.
-Bru, Miguel Ángel, La arquitectura fortificada de la Madina de Vascos. Análisis arqueológico de un enclave andalusí, tesis doctoral, Universidad Autònoma de Madrid, 2016.
-Brufal, Jesús, El món rural i urbà en la Lleida islàmica. Lleida i l'est del districte: Castelldans i el Pla del Mascançà, Pagès Editors, Lleida, 2013.
-Brufal, Jesús, Negre, Joan, Sabaté, Flocel (eds.), Arqueologia Medieval. Fortaleses a la Vall de l'Ebre (segles VII-XI), Pagès Editors, Lleida, 2020.
-Calvo, Susana, "Las primeras mezquitas de pequeñas ciudades y núcleos rurales de al-Andalus", Al-Qantara, 28/1 (2004), p. 143-179.
-Carvajal, José Cristóbal, "Pottery production and Islam in south-east Spain", Antiquity, 83 (2009), p. 388-398.
-Carvajal, José Cristóbal, "Islamización y arqueología. Reflexiones en torno a un concepto controvertido y necesario desde un punto de vista arqueológico", Arqueologia Medieval. Recerca avançada en arqueologia medieval, Flocel Sabaté, Jesús Brufal (eds.), Pagès Editors, Lleida, 2013, p. 127-156.
-Chalmeta, Pedro, La conquista de al-Andalus, Fundación Ibn Tufayl, Almería, 2025.
-Eiroa, Jorge, "Past and Present of the Archaeology of Alquerias", Imago Temporis. Medium Aevum, 6 (2012), p. 49-72.
-Eiroa, Jorge, González, José Ángel, Hernández, Alicia, "El conjunto arqueológico de San Esteban (Murcia). Un caso de gestión del patrimonio arqueológico e investigación", II Simposio de Patrimonio Cultural ICOMOS España, 2022, p. 95-194.
-Esquilache, Ferran, Els constructors de l'horta de València. Origen, evolució i estructura social d'una gran horta andalusina entre els segles VIII i XIII, Servei de Publicacions de la Universitat de València, València, 2018.
-Fábregas, Adela, The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada between East and West (Thirteenth to Fifteenth Centuries), Brill, Leiden, 2021.
-Fierro, Maribel, "Al-Andalus en el pensamiento fascista. La revolución islámica en Occidente de Ignacio Olagüe", Al-Andalus/España. Historiografías en contraste, siglos XVII-XXI, Manuela Marín (eds.), CSIC, Madrid, 2009, p. 325-349.
-Fierro, Maribel, Marín, Manuela, "La islamización de las ciudades andalusíes a través de sus ulemas (s. II/VIII-comienzos del s. IV/X)", Genèses de la ville islamique en al-Andalus et au Maghreb occidental, Patrice Cressier, Mercedes García Arenal (eds.), Casa de Velázquez, Madrid, 1998, p. 65-97.
-Fierro, Maribel, Samsó, Julio (eds.) The formation of al-Andalus, Part 2: Language, religion, culture and the sciences, Routledge, 1998.
-García, Jesús, Lora, Gloria, Los Mozárabes: pasado, presente y futuro de las comunidades cristianas bajo dominio islámico, Sílex ediciones, Còrdova, 2023.
-García Sanjuán, Alejandro, La conquista islámica de la Península Ibérica y la tergiversación del pasado: Del catastrofismo al negacionismo, Marcial Pons, Madrid, 2013.
-García Biosca, Joan Eusebi, Giralt, Josep, Loriente, Ana, Martínez, Joan, "La génesis de los espacios urbanos andalusíes (siglos VIII-IX): Tortosa, Lleida y Balaguer", Islam y Cataluña, Josep Giralt, Joan Eusebi García Biosca (eds.), IEMED, Barcelona, p. 137-165.
-Gilote, Sophie, Cáceres, Yasmina, "Outside the Palaces: About Material Culture in the Almoravid Era", Arts, 14 (2026), p. 1-21.
-Glick, Thomas, Paisajes de conquista. Cambio cultural y geográfico en la España medieval, Publicacions de la Universitat de València, València, 2015.
-González, Carmen, "Las mezquitas de barrio de Madinat Qurtuba 15 años después. Espacios religiosos urbanos en la capital andalusí", Anales de Arqueología Cordobesa, 15 (2016), p. 267-292.
-Guichard, Pierre, Al-Andalus: Estructura antropológica de una sociedad islámica en Occidente, Barral Editores, Barcelona, 1976.
-Guichard, Pierre, Al-Andalus frente a la conquista cristiana. Los musulmanes de Valencia (siglos XI-XIII), Universitat de València, València, 2001.
-Guichard, Pierre, Soravia, Bruna, Los reinos de taifas: Fragmentación política y esplendor cultural, Sarriá, Màlaga, 2005.
-Guichard, Pierre, Esplendor y fragilidad de al-Andalus. Editorial Universidad de Granada, Granada, 2015.
-Gurriarán, Pedro, " La fortificación de la frontera sur de al-Andalus en tiempos de Córdoba", Almoraima. Revista de estudios campogibraltareños, 48 (2018), p. 53-73.
-Jiménez Puertas, Miguel, El poblamiento del territorio de Loja en la Edad Media, Editorial Universidad de Granada, Granada, 2002.
-Kirchner, Helena, "The Archaeology of peasantry in the Early Medieval Ages. Reflections and proposals", Imago Temporis. Medium Aevum, 14 (2020), p. 61-102.
-Kirchner, Helena, Virgili, Antoni, Antolín, Ferran, "Un espacio de cultivo urbano en al-Andalus: Madîna Turtûsa (Tortosa) antes de 1148", Historia Agraria, 62 (2014), p. 11-45.
-Kirchner, Helena, Sabaté, Flocel (eds.), Agricultural Landscapes or al-Andalus, and the aftermath of the Feudal conquest, Brepols, Turnhout, 2022.
-Lagardère, Vincent, Les almoravides. Le dijhâd andalou (1106-1143), L'Harmattan, Paris, 1999.
-León, Alberto, "La construcción en sillería en España durante la alta Edad Media. La revisión de la información arqueológica", Archeologia Medievale, 35 (2008), p. 55-74.
-Lorenzo Jiménez, Jesús, La dawla de los Banū Qasī: Origen, auge y caída de una dinastía muladí en la frontera superior de al-Andalus, CSIC, Madrid, 2010.
-Malpica, Antonio, "El surgimiento de la ciudad de Ilbira y su relación con el territorio de la Vega de Granada en la Edad Media temprana", Paesaggi, comunità, villagi medievali. Atti del Convegno internazionale di studio, Spoleto, p. 91-106.
-Manzano, Eduardo, "Al-Andalus: un balance crítico", Histoire et Archéologie de l'Occident musulman (VIIe-XVe siècle); Al-Andalus, Maghreb, Sicile, Philippe Senac (ed.), Méridiennes, Toulouse, 2012, p. 19-31.
-Marín, Manuela (ed.), The formation of al-Andalus, Part 1: History and society. Routledge, 1998.
-Ortega, Julián, La conquista islámica de la península Ibérica. Una perspectiva arqueológica, La Ergástula, Madrid, 2018.
-Retamero, Fèlix, "La sombra alargada de Wittfogel. Irrigación y poder en al-Andalus", Al-Andalus/España: Historiografías en contraste, Manuela Marín (ed.), Casa de Velázquez, Madrid, 2018, p. 263-293.
-Sabaté, Flocel, Brufal, Jesús (eds.), Arqueologia Medieval. Reflexions des de la pràctica, Pagès Editors, Lleida, 2007.
-Sabaté, Flocel, Brufal, Jesús (eds.), Arqueologia Medieval. Els espais de secà, Pagès Editors, Lleida, 2012.
-Sénac, Philippe, La Frontière et les hommes (VIIIe-XIIe siècle). Le peuplement musulman au nord de l'Ebre et les débuts de la reconquête aragonaise, Maisonneuve&Larose, Paris, 2000.
-Sénac, Philippe, El occidente medieval frente al islam, Editorial Universidad de Granada, Granada, 2011.
-Sénac, Philippe, Ibrahim, Tawfiq (eds), Los precintos de la conquista omeya y la formación de al-Andalus (711-756), Editorial Universidad de Granada, Granada, 2017.
-Souto, Juan Antonio, "El noroeste de la frontera superior de Alandalus en época Omeya: los datos de las fuentes geográficas e históricas (yIV)", Boletín de la Asociación Española de Orientalistas, 32 (1996), p. 265-282.
-Souto, Juan Antonio, "Siervos y afines en Al-Andalus omeya a la luz de las inscripciones constructivas", Espacio, tiempo y forma. Serie III. Historia Medieval, 23 (2010), p. 205-264.
-Tabales, Miguel Ángel, Gurriarán, Pedro, La construcción del Alcázar de Sevilla. Replanteo, cimentaciones y murallas fundacionales. Informes de la construcción, 73/563, 2021.
-Torró, Josep, Guinot, Enric (eds.), Trigo y ovejas: el impacto de las conquistas en los paisajes andalusíes (siglos XI-XVI), Universitat de València, València, 2018.
-Watson, Andrew, Innovaciones en la agricultura en los primeros tiempos del mundo islámico, Editorial Universidad de Granada, Granada, 1998.
-Zona arqueológica. 711 Arqueología e Historia entre dos mundos, 15/2 (2011).
Software
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Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |