Download Chapter Eight: After Antiquity CHAPTER OUTLINE The Triumph of

Chapter Eight: After Antiquity
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The Triumph of Barbarism and Religion
Newcomers from Central Asia
Romanization, Invasion, and Rule
Europe Transformed
Byzantium: The Enduring Empire
The Eastern Empire to the Autocracy of Justinian
Byzantium after Justinian
Islam: From Arabian Desert to World Stage
The Formation of Islam
Arabic Expansion under the Caliphs
Islamic Civilization
Islam Becomes Global
Beyond the West
African Tribes, Cities, and Kingdoms
Unity and Disunity in India
China and its Neighbors
American Migrations and Civilizations
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Collapse and the invasion of barbaric tribes were features specifically of the Western empire, rather than of the entire
empire. A series of barbarian tribes emulated, and then swallowed, the empire of Rome. Many of these newcomers were from central
Asia, including the Celts, the Huns, and others. Other tribes, speaking Germanic languages, moved into Central Europe as well: by
300 C.E. these tribes had spread along the Roman frontier. Many began to believe that they were being ill-used by the Romans, and
rose up in protest as a response. Over the next 100 years, barbarian tribes would pound Western Europe continuously. Tribes such as
the Visigoths, the Huns, and the Ostrogoths would occupy Gaul, settle Spain, and generally wreak havoc on Europe. In time, they
turned their attentions to Rome, and the capital of the empire was sacked in 410 and 455. Then, in 476, the German commander
rebelled against the Romans, sacked the city, and deposed the emperor, declaring himself to be the new king. Life in Rome continued
on as before, with few realizing that their way of life, both for conquerors and vanquished, had been forever changed.
Other changes were in the air as well. In the east, the eastern version of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire,
continued to thrive. The eastern empire, centered in Constantinople, flourished for nearly 1,000 years after the fall of Rome, keeping
alive traditions and ideas of both the Greek and the Roman empires. The reign of Justinian, who introduced a new law code and
managed, during this reign, to recapture Italy from the barbarians, was the height of the Eastern Empire. He surrounded himself with
loyal advisors (including his wife, Theodora) and favored ministers from the middling class, finding them far more loyal than members
of the aristocracy. Justinian also built and rebuilt Constantinople from the ground up.
After Justinian, the Byzantine Empire began its slow but steady decline. The empire was never again as large as it was
under Justinian, and it was constantly challenged by threats from Muslim, Arab, and Far Eastern invaders. The Byzantine emperors
became so desperate that they requested assistance from the pope, which brought the force of the Crusades down on Constantinople.
When the Byzantine regime was finally restored to power in the thirteenth century, it had less that two hundred years left. The split
between the eastern and western churches, precipitated over the issue of the worship of icons, became permanent in 1054, with the
schism between the two lasting to the present day.
The split between the two churches was only one of the religious issues confronting the leadership of the east. Islam, a
religion espoused by the Prophet Muhammad, emerged from the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century and threatened the city of
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Constantinople, among others. Islam s founder, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, had been born into a trading family in the city of Mecca.
He made an advantageous marriage and lived a successful life as a trader until the age of forty, when he began to have visions. The
archangel Gabriel appeared to him to inform him that Muhammad was chosen as the messenger of God. Muhammad s new faith
spread, initially to members of his own family and then to both the cities of Mecca and Medina. By the time of his death in 632, Islam
was rapidly spreading through the Arabian peninsula, and in time would spread far beyond those boundaries. Islam spread ideas of
science, philosophy, and law, in addition to religion, and its willingness to accept peoples of the Book (i.e., Jews and Christians)
made the religion far more accepting than its monotheistic counterparts. Islam spread rapidly, moving throughout northern Africa and
into Spain by the eighth century, and only Constantinople prevented its spread throughout Europe.
Other cultures and societies were also spreading. In Africa, the society of the Kush developed farming techniques and other
advancements, and managed to take over Egyptian society when the older society began to decay. After a defeat in the seventh century
B.C.E., the Kush reemerged as a power near the Red Sea, where its proximity to trade routes and iron ore deposits made it an
extremely wealthy area. Other African societies did not fare as well, as the Sahara became a wasteland; however, those who managed
to traverse it were able to engage in trade and do well as merchants. Islam, one of the by-products of the trading routes, became firmly
entrenched in numerous areas in Saharan Africa. Indian culture on the subcontinent also flourished, although with a series of states
and kingdoms rather than as a unified country. Hinduism flourished and became the primary religion in many areas of the
subcontinent.
In eastern Asia, China came under the control of a series of dynasties. The Han helped to increase the population of China
to about 60 million people--comparable to that of the Roman Empire. Foreign trade proved very profitable for the Chinese and they
engaged in trade with virtually all countries. The teachings of Confucius became the primary doctrine of the state, and coexisted with
religion within the boundaries of the country. While China was often stable during this period, there were times of unrest and
uncertainty, and the emergence of the Sung dynasty came as a welcome relief. The Sung were models of efficiency, and they set the
standard for bureaucratic ability. The Sung Empire lasted until 1279, when the last emperor was killed during a standoff with the
Mongol army. The Mongols, who were a steppe people, had successfully established themselves as rulers of Russia and Afghanistan,
and by 1259 their empire reached from Asia Minor to the Pacific. The Mongols were successful in large part due to their military
ability, which included an extremely mobile fighting force. Unified under the rule of Genghis Khan, and further advanced by his
grandson Kublai Khan, the Mongols were the most powerful, most feared army in the world.
The Amerindian societies were also developing. The first of the Amerindians, the Olmecs, emerged about 1200 B.C.E. in
the southeastern tail of modern Mexico. Other societies followed, with the Mayan developments in the calendar demonstrating the
advances that the Mesoamerican societies were able to accomplish. The Mayans were by far the most advanced of the civilizations,
developing advanced agricultural and timekeeping systems as well as an ideographical writing system.
KEY POINTS
The
Triumph of Barbarism and Religion :
Byzantium: The Enduring Empire:
Nomadic peoples pressure the ancient civilizations and overcome Rome in the
Western Empire.
At a new capital established at Byzantium--now Constantinople--Roman and Greek
traditions endure, and commerce and Christianity flourish.
Islam: From Arabian Desert to World Stage:
Islam expands across North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and develops a
civilization as influential as those of Greece, India, and China.
Beyond the West: Peoples travel across the oceans to inhabit the whole of the globe except Antarctica, and advanced civilizations
flourish on five of seven continents.
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SUGGESTED FILMS
Legacy of Rome. ABC, 50 minutes
Decline of the Roman Empire. Coronet, 14 minutes
In Defense of Rome. McGraw-Hill, 16 minutes
In Defense of Rome: Roman Law. McGraw-Hill, 18 minutes
Hail Caesar: Justinian. A&E, 50 minutes
Justinian: Last of the Romans. A&E, 50 minutes
Christianity: The First 1000 Years: The Glory of Byzantium. A&E, 50 minutes
The Maya: Temples, Tombs, and Time. Questar, 53 minutes
China: Dynasties of Power. Time-Life, 48 minutes
Confucius: Words of Wisdom. A&E, 50 minutes
Genghis Khan: Terror and Conquest. A&E, 50 minutes
The Story of Islam. PSA, 120 minutes
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