Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century, volume 2, part 2, Economic, Social, and Cultural History is a topical study of Arab economic, social, and cultural history in the sixth century. Irfan Shahîd focuses on the economy of the Ghassānids and presents information on various trade routes and fairs. He reconstructs Ghassānid daily life by discussing topics as varied as music, food, medicine, the role of women, and horse racing. Shahîd concludes with an examination of cultural life, including descriptions of urbanization, Arabic script, chivalry, and poetry. Throughout the volume, the author reveals the history of a fully developed and unique Christian Arab culture. Shahîd exhaustively describes the society of the Ghassānids and their contributions to the cultural environment that persisted in Oriens during the sixth century and continued into the Umayyad caliphate.