The
establishment of the crusader kingdoms along the coast of the Levant
resulted in an economic revival of the region as pilgrims, merchants and
settlers flooded into the territories re-captured for Christianity.
What had been an unimportant backwater to the Ayyubid and Fatamid
caliphates, whose religious, administrative and economic centers lay in
Damascus and Cairo respectively, had suddenly become the spiritual heart
of the Latin-Christian world. In consequence, not only did existing
cities undergo an economic boom, but ancient cities gone to ruin, such
as Caesarea and Ramla were revived, and entire new towns and villages
were built. Today Dr. Schrader takes a closer look at this economic revival.
An estimated 140,000 settlers from Western Europe
immigrated to the Holy Land in the first century after the First Crusade,
eventually accounting for between twenty and twenty-five percent of the
population of the crusader states. These numbers were swelled annually during
the “sailing season,” roughly from April to October, with tens of thousands of
pilgrims who came to see the holy sites as “tourists.”
To serve the pilgrims, the
mercantile city-states of Venice, Genoa and Pisa built fleets and established
communities in the ports of the crusader states to cater to residents, pilgrims
and home markets. In addition to passengers, the Italian merchant fleets
transported a variety of goods: timber, horses, arms and armor from the West; sugar,
olive oil, silk, and spices from the east.
But
not everything used in the crusader states were
imports and not all exports were commodities. The crusader states also
developed indigenous crafts both for every day and ceremonial use. These
included,
of course, metal-working and wood-working, leather goods, ceramics,
textiles,
and glass. Most of these products were produced by native craftsmen, who
continued to use the same techniques as before the Latin conquest, but
the
motifs shifted to include crosses, fishes and other Christian symbols.
The styles were also influenced by the taste of customers and exposure
to
products imported from the West. The native craftsmen, however, had
developed
their crafts over the centuries, heavily influenced by earlier waves of
invaders from the Romans and Byzantines to the Saracens. Thus their work
inevitably reflected these layers of past influence now combined with
Western
European influences to form distinctly crusader crafts.
Because of its durability, we know that crusader
metal-working was of a very high standards as surviving objects from
several of the key churches attest. Objects included metal screens or grilles,
candle sticks and candelabra, brass bowls and bells, as well as magnificent
silver and gold work in reliquaries and jewelry. Jerusalem had an entire street
known as the Street of the Goldsmiths, attesting to the quantity and
popularity of gold work produced in the Holy City. Many (if not most) of the
products from these workshops probably ended up in the West, as pilgrims took
them home as keep-sakes and gifts. Many may not yet have been identified as
originating in the crusader states. At the lower end of the scale, there were
many blacksmiths in the Holy Land, both native and settlers, and most earned
their living producing articles needed for daily life from horseshoes,
plowshares, hammers and shovels, to maces and battle axes, although it appears
that most swords were imported either from Damascus (famous for its steel) or
the important weapons centers in Italy and Germany.
Wood, leather and textile goods have largely been
lost, but some cloth fragments are witness to the use of wool, cotton, linen
and silk in cloth manufacture in the crusader states. Interestingly, evidence
of mixed fabrics — silk warp with wool, linen or cotton weft — have been
found. Fragments of both dyed and undyed
fabrics have been found, as well as patterned fabrics created by woodblock
printing. In addition, there is evidence
that cloth, particularly silk, was decorated with silk or gold embroidery and
brocading. The colors that have survived in the few finds of textiles from the
crusader period ranged from ivory, yellow and gold to red and various shades of
blue. However, purple was the imperial color of Byzantium and would have been
available at least as in import for the upper classes, and it is reasonable to
assume that green tones could also be produced and would have been available.
Pottery from the crusader period has survived in much
larger quantities and demonstrates that while some pottery was imported from
Egypt and Syria, the vast majority of pottery objects in use in the crusader
states was produced locally and was often of very high quality. Pottery was
used for the production of cooking pots and pans, storage jars and jugs,
basins, bowls, plates and cups. It was often decorated with incisions in the
unfired clay, and designs were painted either beneath a transparent glaze or with
colored glazes. The most common color scheme was red or brown painting on a white
backdrop, although blue and black designs on white were also known. Cream and
pale green glazes were also popular. Popular motifs included ancient geometric
designs, foliage, birds and animals, but human figures, crosses and fishes
— i.e. Christian symbols — were also used. One distinctive feature of much
local pottery that made it popular with pilgrims was the use of transparent
glaze on the inside of pots and pans to create an early kind of “Teflon” —
stick-free cooking.
Perhaps the more sophisticated and beautiful craft of
the Holy Land was glass-making. Glass was used in windows in the crusader
period, both stained and painted glass for churches, and round and plate panes
for windows in secular buildings. Green plate glass from the crusader period,
for example, was found at a farmhouse less than five miles from Jerusalem; it
would probably have graced the manor of a local lord. Glass was also used for the drinking vessels,
both beakers and goblets, and for bowls and bottles. Bottles with long necks for perfumes and the scented
oils produced in the Holy Land were probably popular among pilgrims as gifts
for those left behind. Glass was also used for storage jars and for oil lamps,
a continuation of Byzantine and Arab traditions. Glass of the crusader period
was often dyed and/or decorated. The colors of crusader glass found to date
include yellow, red and light brown, emerald and light greens, turquoise,
shades of blue as well as light and dark purple. Decorations included geometric
designs and heraldry, foliage, birds, animals as well as saints and religious
motifs. Some glass objects also have inscriptions. Tyre was particularly known
for its glass-making industry and the glass produced was reputedly particularly
transparent. But glass-making was also carried out in other crusader cities,
including Acre and Beirut; the latter was famous of its red glass.
In
short, the crusader kingdoms had a lively, diverse
and comparatively sophisticated craft industry capable of producing not
only
articles for everyday use, but beautiful and valuable objects. This
reflects a
high level of civilization typical of a society with extensive trading
ties and elites with sufficient income to support quality craftsmanship.
Particularly
interesting in crusader crafts is the synthesis of Arab/Egyptian,
Byzantine and
Western influences to produce a unique and distinctive “crusader style”
in a
variety of objects.
Note:
I could find no pictures in the public domain of objects made in the
crusader states. The photos are simply examples of objects from the 12th
and 13th century, although the pottery is similar to pottery I saw on
Cyprus from the crusader period.
Recommended further reading:
Dr Helena P. Schrader holds a PhD in History.
She is the Chief Editor of the Real Crusades History Blog.
She is the author of numerous books both fiction and non-fiction, including a three-part biography of Balian d'Ibelin.
My novel set in crusader Jerusalem depicts the high level of civilization reflected above.
Much appreciation for Real Crusades History efforts in continuing our education and enlightenment of this period of history. With no small thanks to Professor Schrader.
ReplyDelete