Reporting Category 3
Postclassical Civilizations
Justinian
 Byzantine Emporer
 Codification of Roman Law
- Justinian Code
- Basis for Western Legal
systems
 Reconquest of former
Roman Territories
 Expansion of Trade
- Constantinople’s location
was at the center of trade
routes
Byzantine Achievements
Art and Architecture
Byzantine Culture
 Inspiration provided by
 Continued traditions of
Christian religion and
Imperial Power
 Icons (religious images)
 Mosaics in public &
religious structures (pieces
of colored tile or glass)
 Hagia Sophia –Domed
Church in Constantinople
Greco-Roman culture
 Greek Language
 Greek Orthodox Church
(Eastern Orthodox)
Greek & Roman Knowledge was preserved in Byzantine Libraries
Division in the Christian Church
Roman Catholic
Church
 Centered in Rome
 Farther from the seat of
power after Constantinople
became capital
 Use of Latin in the Liturgy
 Pope was the Head of the
Church
 No Emperor to answer to
Eastern Orthodox
Church
 Centered in




Constantinople
Close to the seat of power
after Constantinople
became capital
Use of Greek in the liturgy
Patriarch was head of
church
Underneath the Emperor
Division in the Christian Church
 The Great Schism – Split in the Christian Church
 Authority of the Pope was eventually accepted in
the West
 Authority of the Patriarch was accepted in the
East
 Differences is Church Practices
 Celibacy
 Use of Icons
 Language
Byzantine Culture, Eastern Europe,
& Russia
 Constantinople was located on the trade
routes between the Black and Baltic Seas
 Much of Eastern Europe, as well as Russia,
adopted Eastern Orthodox Christianity
 St. Cyril adapted the Greek alphabet for the
Slavic People (Cyrillic Alphabet)
 Influence on Church architecture and
religious art
Church Architecture
Byzantine Church
Roman Catholic Church
Origins, Beliefs, Customs, & Spread of
Islam
 Muhammad, the Prophet
 Mecca & Median – Early Muslim cities on the
Saudi Arabian peninsula
 Islam spread across Asia and Africa, and into Spain
 Monotheistic – Allah (Arabic word for God)
 Qu’ran (Koran) – The word of God (Holy Book)
 Five Pillars of Islam – Basis of beliefs
 Acceptance of Judeo-Christian prophets,
including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus
Historical Turning Points in ISLAM
 The death of Muhammad led to a split in the Islamic Faith
 Sunni – Shi’a division
 Muslim conquests of Jerusalem
 Christian attempts to recapture Jerusalem - Crusades
 Umayyad Dynasty moved the Muslim capital to Damascus
 Abbasid Dynasty moved the Muslim capital to Baghdad
 Muslims defeated by Charles Martel (Franks) at the Battle of
Tours
 End of Muslim Expansion into Western Europe
 Fall of Baghdad to the Mongols
 End of Muslim Empire
Cultural Contributions of
Muslim Empire
 Architecture (The Dome of the Rock)
 Mosaics
 Arabic Alphabet
 Universities
 Translation of Ancient texts into Arabic
Cultural Contributions of the
Muslim Empire
The Dome of the Rock
Arabic Alphabet
(Calligraphy)
Mosaics
Universities
Scientific Contributions of the
Muslim World
 Arabic Numerals
 Adapted from India
 Included Zero
 Algebra
 Medicine
 Expansion of Geographic Knowledge
Foundations of Early Medieval Society
 Classical Heritage of Rome
 Christian Beliefs
 Customs of Germanic tribes
 Influence of the Roman Catholic Church
 Secular authority declined, while Church authority grew
 Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman cultural achievements
 Missionaries carried Christianity & Latin alphabet to Germanic
Tribes
 Pope anointed Charlemagne “Holy Roman Emporer” in 800
A.D.
 Parish Priest served the social and religious needs of the people
Age of Charlemagne
 Franks emerged as a Western European force
 The Pope crowned the Emperor in 800 A.D.
 The church’s power was established in politics
 Roman culture was reinterpreted
 Most of Western Europe was a part of this new
Empire
 Churches, Roads, and Schools were built to unite
the Empire