Procopius on the Palm Grove
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/CC.27.2024.27.14Keywords:
Abu Karib, Arabs, Byzantine history, Hijāz, Justinian, Madā’in Salīh, Palm Grove, Pre-Islamic Arabia, Procopius,, Roman history, Saudi Arabia, TaymāAbstract
This paper examines Procopius’ discussion of the Palm Grove presented in his two works: Wars and Buildings – a topic that has received only passing attention in the scholarship. Based on a closer look at Procopius’ language (he mostly uses a singular form of φοινικών); broader contextual questions (Abu Karib); the archaeobotanical history of selected sites in the Hijāz; a consideration of comparative textual sources like Nonnosus; and an assessment of the potential distance between the Roman Empire and the Palm Grove, I argue that the most likely modern location of this place is Madā’in Salīh or, somewhat more likely, Taymā, both in contemporary Saudi Arabia.
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