The Byzantine & Moslem Empires contains 12 full-color transparencies (print books) or PowerPoint slides (eBooks), 12 reproducible pages, and a richly detailed teacher's guide. Among the topics covered in this volume are Constantinople, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Mohammed, Islamic religion, politics, architecture, and arts, and Islam's contribution to world culture.
This book is designed to help students understand the culture and history of the world’s largest religions. The development, spread, teachings, practices, holy days, and festivals are all covered in a concise, yet thorough manner. In addition to valuable historical and practical information, the books provide maps, questions for discussion, essay ideas, key word lists, and answer keys.
The retreat of the Byzantine army from Syria in around 650 CE, in advance of the approaching Arab armies, is one that has resounded emphatically in the works of both Islamic and Christian writers, and created an enduring motif: that of the Islamic-Byzantine frontier. For centuries, Byzantine and Islamic scholars have evocatively sketched a contested border: the annual raids between the two, the line of fortified fortresses defending Islamic lands, the no-man's land in between and the birth of jihad. In their early representations of a Muslim-Christian encounter, accounts of the Islamic-Byzantine frontier are charged with significance for a future 'clash of civilizations' that often envisions a polarised world. A. Asa Eger examines the two aspects of this frontier: its physical and ideological ones. By highlighting the archaeological study of the real and material frontier, as well as acknowledging its ideological military and religious implications, he offers a more complex vision of this dividing line than has been traditionally disseminated. With analysis grounded in archaeological evidence as well the relevant historical texts, Eger brings together a nuanced exploration of this vital element of medieval history.
"The Renaissance" (1300—1500) provides an overview of the years from the Late Middle Ages through the Renaissance. Special emphasis is given to the natural and political disasters that ravaged 14th-century Europe, as well as the unprecedented intellectual, cultural, and artistic flourishing of the 15th and 16th centuries. The Black Death, The Hundred Years' War, the invention of the printing press, the birth of humanism, and the life of Leonardo da Vinci are among the dramatic events vividly documented in this richly illustrated text. Challenging map exercises and provocative review questions encourage meaningful reflection and historical analysis. Tests and answer keys are included.
Explore the beautiful land and ancient history of the Middle East! This social studies book describes the rich art, science, and culture of the land where Africa, Asia, and Europe meet. Known as a cradle of civilization, the Middle East is famous for its natural resources and fascinating past. This teacher-approved book offers students opportunities to understand life in the Middle East, including the history of indigenous peoples in the region. The book incorporates the geography, history, economics, and civics of the Middle East in an easy-to-follow way. With a glossary and index, key discussion questions, and other useful tools, this book brings the wonders of the Middle East to life for students.
The arrival of the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia forms an indispensable part of modern Turkish discourse on national identity, but Western scholars, by contrast, have rarely included the Anatolian Turks in their discussions about the formation of European nations or the transformation of the Near East. The Turkish penetration of Byzantine Asia Minor is primarily conceived of as a conflict between empires, sedentary and nomadic groups, or religious and ethnic entities. This book proposes a new narrative, which begins with the waning influence of Constantinople and Cairo over large parts of Anatolia and the Byzantine-Muslim borderlands, as well as the failure of the nascent Seljuk sultanate to supplant them as a leading supra-regional force. In both Byzantine Anatolia and regions of the Muslim heartlands, local elites and regional powers came to the fore as holders of political authority and rivals in incessant power struggles. Turkish warrior groups quickly assumed a leading role in this process, not because of their raids and conquests, but because of their intrusion into pre-existing social networks. They exploited administrative tools and local resources and thus gained the acceptance of local rulers and their subjects. Nuclei of lordships came into being, which could evolve into larger territorial units. There was no Byzantine decline nor Turkish triumph but, rather, the driving force of change was the successful interaction between these two spheres.
The essays in this volume deal with the history of the Middle East from c.550 to 1000 AD. There are three main themes: Syria in Late Antiquity and the changes and continuities with the early Islamic period; relations between Muslims and the Byzantine Emp
"The Middle Ages" (A.D. 500—1300) covers one of the darkest periods in European history—from the collapse of the Roman Empire through centuries of chaos, destruction, and barbarian rule. The civilizing power of the church, the rise of feudalism, the growth of monarchical rule, the dramatic rebirth of towns and cities, and the formation of the world's first universities are among the events vividly documented in this richly illustrated text. Challenging map exercises and provocative review questions encourage meaningful reflection and historical analysis. Tests and answer keys are included.
The acclaimed author of Byzantium and the Crusades “offers a fresh take on this fabled but hidden civilization” across 11 centuries of history (Colin Wells, author of Sailing from Byzantium). For more than a millennium, the Byzantine Empire presided over the juncture between East and West, as well as the transition from the classical to the modern world. Rather than recounting the standard chronology of emperors and battles, leading Byzantium scholar Jonathan Harris focuses each chapter of this engaging history on a succession of archetypal figures, families, places, and events. Harris’s introduction presents a civilization rich in contrasts, combining orthodox Christianity with paganism, and classical Greek learning with Roman power. Though frequently assailed by numerous armies, Byzantium survived by dint of its unorthodox foreign policy. Over time, its sumptuous art and architecture flourished, helping to establish a deep sense of Byzantine identity in its people. Synthesizing a wealth of sources to cover all major aspects of the empire’s social, political, military, religious, cultural, and artistic history, Harris’s study illuminates the heart of Byzantine civilization and explores its remarkable and lasting influence on the modern world.
