Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
2020-09-01T00:00:00Z
This thesis is an attempt to place the decline of the Marinid Empire in a wider perspective, in order to gain a better understanding of the causes of the decline. Although long considered to be a...Show moreThis thesis is an attempt to place the decline of the Marinid Empire in a wider perspective, in order to gain a better understanding of the causes of the decline. Although long considered to be a weak and ineffective polity in modern historiography, the Marinid Empire was perhaps one of the wealthiest polities of the medieval world. By controlling and facilitating the Trans-Saharan trade networks, the Marinids had access to the largest source of gold in their time, which enabled them to become an important regional polity. Their relative short reign and quick collapse however, cast a shadow over their legacy. But what caused their collapse? This thesis focused on the influence of the Black Death and its possible causative role in the decline of the Trans-Saharan gold trade. By doing so, a series of interesting correlations emerge that suggest that there is a causative relation between the arrival of the Black Death in West Africa, the decline of the Trans Saharan gold trade in the late 14th century and the Marinid decline itself.Show less
The existing secondary literature sees medieval lapidaries in a medicinal context. This essay argues that lapidaries and medicinal practice are two different “separate” fields. The essay shows how...Show moreThe existing secondary literature sees medieval lapidaries in a medicinal context. This essay argues that lapidaries and medicinal practice are two different “separate” fields. The essay shows how some lapidary descriptions fit in medicinal theory, but it also shows that in normal life processes stones are used in a different way. The stones that were used as medicines don’t match the lapidary descriptions.Show less
