Al-Andalus

Abstract

The archaeology of al-Andalus did not emerge as a discipline until the end of the 1970s, slightly later than medieval archaeology in Northern Europe. Its spectacular development in subsequent decades goes hand in hand with the revision, sometimes conflicting, of a historiography which traditionally underestimated and sometimes even denied the societal transformations following the Arab-Berber conquest of 711. The principal themes of controversy relate to the degree of transformation that occurred, the existence of ruptures, and the “Oriental” character of the new political, social, and familial structures that emerged. Focusing on the materiality of historical processes, archaeology has made it possible to approach these debates from different perspectives and to give new meaning to the concepts of Islamization and Arabization. This chapter examines some of the most significant research themes in the archaeology of al-Andalus.