Ifrīqiyan ceramics : connectivity and interaction across medieval Africa

Recent excavations and technical analyses of medieval ceramics from North Africa, or Ifrīqiya, from the eighth and tenth centuries have shown that these objects form a distinct corpus, in contrast to earlier scholarship that discussed Ifrīqiyan material in relation to ceramics from Eastern Islamic lands. In this study, these objects are examined in an art historical context, which situates them within artistic production not only from North Africa, but also from Egypt, West Africa, and al-Andalus. It demonstrates the connections that emerged as a result of the relationships – both congruous and contentious – among the various political polities ruling these regions. This investigation of medieval ceramics from North Africa situates this corpus within the visual and material cultures of the African continent and the Mediterranean world, and contextualizes the transregional dimension of North African visual and material culture.