The desire for Syria in medieval England / E.K. Myerson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Myerson, E. K., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Orientalism--Great Britain--History--To 1500.

Orientalism.

Great Britain--Relations--Syria.

Great Britain.

Great Britain--Civilization--1066-1485.

Syria--Relations--Great Britain.

Syria.

Syria--Civilization.

International relations.

Civilization.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

"In June 1458, two boats were cornered by pirates off the coast of Malta. Their captain – Robert Sturmy – proved no match for the notorious Genoese freebooter Giuliano Gattilusio and was summarily killed by him. The precious cargo for which Sturmy paid with his life contained stealable goods but also cultural significance. Sweet wines, spices, silks, jewels, and minerals – these alluring commodities gripped the medieval English imagination. E. K. Myerson utilises this dramatic incident of Mediterranean plunder to reveal the impact of Syrian imports on medieval art, language, and everyday life. They argue that the cultural category of 'Syriana' became a powerful tool, used to evoke both the sacred sites of the Holy Land and the global marketplaces of the Mamluk Empire. Myerson's innovative book draws on their research into medieval archives, conceptual art, and postcolonial and queer theory, showing how medieval 'Syriana' transformed English society in ways which continue to resonate today"-- Cambridge University Press.

Contents:

Prologue : Robert Sturmy’s last voyage

Introduction : desire, the origins of English desire

Sweet wine/the English taste for the blood of the Holy Land

Spices/English digestion and indigestion

Silks and velvets/the fabrics of English identity

Jewels/English possession and the unpossessable

Alum/the demand for sodomite salt in England

Coda : the English market as the temple of Jerusalem

Conclusion : Christopher Columbus in Chios

Epilogue : the verdict of the trials of the Genoese.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge University Press, viewed December 10, 2025).

Other Format:

Print version: Myerson, E. K. Desire for Syria in medieval England

ISBN:

9781009426848

1009426842

OCLC:

1550454354

Publisher Number:

CIPO000301431

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license