Colour of Paradise: The Emerald in the Age of Gunpowder Empires Contributor(s): Lane, Kris (Author) |
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ISBN: 030016131X ISBN-13: 9780300161311 Publisher: Yale University Press
Binding Type: Hardcover - See All Available Formats & Editions Published: April 2010 * Out of Print * |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Modern - 16th Century - History | Modern - 17th Century - Nature | Rocks & Minerals |
Dewey: 553.860 |
LCCN: 2009026512 |
Physical Information: 1.3" H x 6.4" W x 9.2" L (1.35 lbs) 320 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 16th Century - Chronological Period - 17th Century |
Features: Bibliography, Dust Cover, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Table of Contents |
Review Citations: Chronicle of Higher Education 04/16/2010 pg. 15 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Among the magnificent gems and jewels left behind by the great Islamic empires, emeralds stand out for their size and prominence. For the Mughals, Ottomans, and Safavids green was--as it remains for all Muslims--the color of Paradise, reserved for the Prophet Muhammad and his descendants. Tapping a wide range of sources, Kris Lane traces the complex web of global trading networks that funneled emeralds from backland South America to populous Asian capitals between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries. Lane reveals the bloody conquest wars and forced labor regimes that accompanied their production. It is a story of trade, but also of transformations--how members of profoundly different societies at opposite ends of the globe assigned value to a few thousand pounds of imperfectly shiny green rocks. |
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