From Polis to Madina: The Evolution of Large Urban Communities

Abstract

This chapter details the settlement processes and ethno-religious variability in four cities: Caesarea Maritima, the capital of Palestina Prima in the Byzantine period and a major commercial centre, which was transferred into a medium-sized town; Beth Shean, the capital of Palestina Secunda, which went through a similar process of abatement, evolving into a local hub; Tiberias, a medium-sized Byzantine town that became the capital of Jund al-Urdunn in Early Islamic times and expanded dramatically in area and population; and Gerasa/Jarash, a thriving Byzantine city which continued to flourish in the Early Islamic period. The discussion concentrates on urban layout and zoning, the ethno-religious affiliation of these cities’ populations, and the agricultural hinterlands. An alternative approach is presented for the mechanism of urban change, suggesting a complicated process of gradual changes and a slow and delayed response to the political events of the seventh century.