Whittow ? Making Of Byzantium Essay, Research Paper

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THE DESERT ? not sufficient resources to support

creation of a start ? state-less society ? members of tribe hierarchical head

was a sheikh ? power to coerce lesser tribesmen very limited ? impact such a

fragmentary society could make on well-organised fertile states of the fertile

crescent ?

Possible ? religious leader, economics of oases ?

powerful confederations have been created ? inherent logic desert undermines

authority – no sufficient pasture to support large groups bought together ?

small groups each competing for scarce resources.? Camels ? mobile and difficult to discipline ? desert not enough

surplus to which would enable higher authority ? external source of wealth to

reward followers ? create a military force bound by its leader by non-tribal

ties 0 conquering part of fertile crescent for oneself ? or persuading one of

settled states to accept Arab state as a client to be subsidied or granted

territory ? not surprising that many Arab states have not originated in the

desert, but on margins of fertile crescent ? only assts world of desert had to

achieve unity and wealth was its military ability. ?

Bedouin needed settled world but not vice versa.? Some times ignore the Bedouin and at other

times demanded attention FALL OF THE OLD ORDER ?

Time to re-establish complicated structure of

administrative and personal ties which bound the provinces to the capital. ?

Defeat Persia vindication of the Christian Empire ?

require time to recover from strains of war and set about realising the

opportunities of the post war world.