The Papyrus Industry in the Early Islamic Era
Abstract The article challenges Karabacek’s and Grohmann’s classic thesis that the Abbāsid state maintained a monopoly over all Egyptian papyrus production. As demonstrated here, there is no evidence for state monopoly. Documents show that the Abbāsids maintained a contract with Egyptian papyrus pro...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2011
|
| In: |
Journal of the economic and social history of the Orient
Year: 2011, Volume: 54, Issue: 2, Pages: 185-202 |
| Further subjects: | B
early Islamic Egypt
B Iraq B Free Market B state monopoly B Papyrus |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Abstract The article challenges Karabacek’s and Grohmann’s classic thesis that the Abbāsid state maintained a monopoly over all Egyptian papyrus production. As demonstrated here, there is no evidence for state monopoly. Documents show that the Abbāsids maintained a contract with Egyptian papyrus producers which secured a high price for the producers in return for the best quality papyrus. There is neither evidence nor reason to believe that this contract was forced on the manufacturers by the government. Another free market provided lower quality papyrus at lower prices. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1568-5209 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of the economic and social history of the Orient
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/156852011X586813 |
