Natural Science in Archaeology

14 1 Introduction and History
1.3.3 Arab Authors
In the Postclassical Period, the Arabs not only preserved Greek sources but also wrote
new treatises on mineralogy. The Yemenie geographer Al-Hamdânî wrote a treatise in
the tenth century CE describing the deposits of gold and silver in the Muslim world.
Arab historians and geographers recorded hundreds of mining sites in the Arabian
Peninsula. Copper was mentioned as occurring in Saudi Arabia and plentiful in Oman.
A major tract was written by Teifaschi (Ahmed ben Ioussouf al-Teifaschi) about 1242
CE, which is composed of a preface in which the author states his objective, followed
by 24 chapters, each discussing a separate precious or semiprecious stone. In each
section he describes the properties of these minerals generally including the theory of
gem formation, statements from earlier sources (such as Aristotle and Pliny), occurrences,
physical and magic properties, the ability to enhance or change the color of a
gem through heating or dyeing, and the cost of precious and semiprecious gems. He
also includes the overall price of these gems and the defects that reduce their value.
The principal minerals described are pearl, emerald, beryl, and yaqut. The latter word
covers descriptions of the true diamond, ruby, corundum, zircon, and hyacinth.
1.3.3.1 Al-Biruni (973–1048)
Abu Ar-Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al-Biruni was born in Khwarezm, a province
of ancient Persia. He traveled extensively, eventually reaching India to study
and publish on its culture. He was known to have corresponded with Avicenna. His
Fig. 1.2 Al-Biruni, author of
the Book of Precious Stones,
was the most influential
Islamic scholar of his time