Fall in the West, Rise in the Middle East

I.) RELIGION & STATE

  1. Ambrose vs Theodosius: Morality more Important than State Concerns
  2. Augustine's Dual but Unequal Citizenship
  3. Benedictine Monasticism, Earlier and Later;  Gregory's Pragmatism
II.) INVASIONS/MIGRATIONS IN THE FAR EAST
  1. Internal Problems contributing to the Fall of the Roman Empire
  2. External Problems contributing to the Fall of Rome
  3. The Necessity of Defense & Solutions: Cavalry, Trade or Failure
  4. Diplomacy no Substitute: The Case of the Visigoths at Hadrianople, 378
  5. Desparation worked, caused temporary Unification: Defeat of the Huns, 5C
  6. The Germanic Kingdoms: Geography, Consolidation, Culture
  7. Justinian failed to re-conquer -- yet Byzantium & its culture, along with Venice survived
III.) BRITAIN: AN EXAMPLE OF SURVIVING THE ROMAN EMPIRE
  1. Patrick's imported, altered Christianity: World of Celtic Christianity
  2. Britain's valiant defense against the Invaders: King Arthur & Camelot, and Avalon, 410-550?
  3. Anglo-Saxon Roman Britons: Augustine of Canterbury began Integration, 600; The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
  4. The Venerable Bede: Historian, Scholar and Monk at Jarrow
  5. The Seven Kingdoms (the Sutton Hoo Horde) sent an Alcuin to advise a Charlemagne, 800

IV.) MOHAMMED, THE KORAN & THE IDEALS (Middle East Web Links)

  1. The Global Significance of Islam, then and now: Introduction to Islam from Inside
  2. The Man, the Movement and the Morale (to 632 A.D. or 10 A.H.)
    • Arabian Context, 6C: Trade, Eclecticism, & the Quraysh
    • Mohammed the Meccan Orphan, the married man, the depressed, The Prophet
    • First Converts, Kadijah and Ali -- and few in Mecca afterward
    • The Hegira, 622: Literally, New Age Movement
    • The Jews in Medina; The Battle of Badr; Return to Mecca & the Kaaba; Last Sermon
  3. Institutions and Ideals: "The Straight Path"
    • Allah's Goodness, the Definition of Islam and its Defining Book, the Koran
    • The Five (?) Pillars of Islam; Documents & Texts concerning Islam
    • The Caliphate
      • Abu Bakr made the precedent
      • Omar Legitimized the precedent; took Jerusalem, built the Dome of the Rock
      • Othman standardized the Koran but died because of 'tribalism'
      • Ali emphasized 'tribalism,' died and the rift between Suni & Shi'a began
      • Omayyad Muawiyah beat Hussein; rift con't: created the Majority, 661
    • Muslims clear on pagans; But how to deal with the other People of the Book?
    • Distinctions in Concrete: Omar's Regulations
    • Women: Koran & Haddith as two-edged swords  
    •  Concept of the Ummah to sort out relationships

V.) RISE AND SPREAD OF ISLAMIC PEOPLES

  • Religion and State: The Sharia and its Sources vs Secular Caliphates vs the Ulama
  • From France, across N. Africa, the Middle East, into India: non-Arabs abounded; Map of expansion; another map
  • Scholarship: Classical Science/Philosophy; Quantum Leaps in Mathematics
    • Al-Kwaridsmi's "Beautiful" Solution to the Unknown
    • Adopting Indian 'non-existence' in numbers (which do not really exist)....the Zero
  • The Seldjuk Turks shattering invasions into Baghdad; Manzikert; Jerusalem
  • Muslim India, 1206-1526