In this unit, we learned about primary and secondary sources as well as how you might learn, but we also covered a great deal of material. Below are the essential questions that the state of Virginia has decided you need to know the answers to. If you do not know the answers you should probably study this unit or come see me.

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• Why was Constantinople established as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire?

• What was the influence of Justinian’s codification of Roman law on the Byzantine Empire and later legal codes?

• What was Justinian’s influence on the expansion of the Byzantine Empire and its economy?

• What were the contributions of Byzantine art and architecture?

• How did Greek and Roman culture survive within the Byzantine Empire?

• What factors produced the division within the Christian Church?

• Why did the Byzantine Empire have so much influence on religion, culture, and trade in Russia and Eastern Europe?

• Where did the Islamic religion originate? Where did it spread?

• What are the beliefs, traditions, and customs of Islam?

• How did geography influence the rapid expansion of territory under Muslim rule?

• How did political and cultural geography facilitate trade and cultural activity in the early Islamic lands?

• What were some major historical turning points that marked the spread and influence of Islamic civilization?

• How did Islamic civilization preserve and extend ancient Greek, Persian, and Indian learning?

• What were some contributions of Islamic civilization?

• How and why did the Church grow in importance during the Middle Ages?

• How did a feudal society develop in Europe during the Middle Ages?

• How did the medieval manor function as a social and economic system?

• How did Charlemagne revive the idea of the Roman Empire?

• How did invasions by the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, and Vikings influence the development of Europe?

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The state of Virginia also gives us a list of the information that you will be tested on. They call it the essential knowledge. You will find the essential knowledge for this unit below:

Location of Constantinople
•    Protection of the eastern frontier
•    Distance from Germanic invasions in the western empire
•    Crossroads of trade
•    Easily fortified site on a peninsula bordered by natural harbors

Role of Constantinople
•    Seat of the Byzantine Empire until Ottoman conquest
•    Preserved classical Greco-Roman culture
•    Center of trade

Byzantine Emperor Justinian
•    Codification of Roman law (impact on European legal codes)
•    Reconquest of former Roman territories
•    Expansion of trade

Byzantine achievements in art and architecture
•    Inspiration provided by Christian religion and imperial power
•    Icons (religious images)
•    Mosaics in public and religious structures
•    Hagia Sophia (a Byzantine domed church)

Byzantine culture
•    Continued flourishing of Greco-Roman traditions
•    Greek language (as contrasted with Latin in the West)
•    Greek Orthodox Christianity
•    Greek and Roman knowledge preserved in Byzantine libraries

Eastern Church
•    Centered in Constantinople
•    Close to seat of power after Constantinople became capital
•    Use of Greek language in the liturgy

Western Church
•    Centered in Rome
•    Farther from seat of power after Constantinople became capital
•    Use of Latin language in the liturgy

Division between Western and Eastern Churches
•    Authority of the Pope eventually accepted in the West
•    Authority of the Patriarch accepted in the East
•    Practices such as celibacy eventually accepted in the West

Influence of Byzantine culture on Eastern Europe and Russia
•    Trade routes between Black Sea and Baltic Sea
•    Adoption of Orthodox Christianity by Russia and much of Eastern Europe
•    Adoption of Greek alphabet for the Slavic languages by St. Cyril (Cyrillic alphabet)
•    Church architecture and religious art

Origins of Islam
•    Muhammad, the Prophet
•    Mecca and Medina on the Arabian Peninsula: Early Muslim cities

Spread of Islam
•    Across Asia and Africa and into Spain
•    Geographic extent of first Muslim empire

Beliefs, traditions, and customs of Islam
•    Monotheism: Allah (Arabic word for God)
•    Qur’an (Koran): The word of God
•    Five Pillars of Islam
•    Acceptance of Judeo-Christian prophets, including Moses and Jesus

Geographic influences on the origin and spread of Islam
•    Diffusion along trade routes from Mecca and Medina
•    Expansion despite great distances, desert environments, and mountain barriers
•    Spread into the Fertile Crescent, Iran, and Central Asia facilitated by weak Byzantine and Persian empires

Geographic influences on economic, social, and political development
•    Political unity of the first Muslim empire was short-lived.
•    Arabic language spread with Islam and facilitated trade across Islamic lands.
•    Slavery was not based on race.

Historical turning points
•    Death of Ali: Sunni-Shi’a division
•    Muslim conquests of Jerusalem and Damascus
•    Islamic capital moved to Baghdad
•    Muslim defeat at the Battle of Tours
•    Fall of Baghdad to the Mongols

Cultural contributions and achievements
•    Architecture (Dome of the Rock)
•    Mosaics
•    Arabic alphabet
•    Universities
•    Translation of ancient texts into Arabic

Scientific contributions and achievements
•    Arabic numerals (adapted from India, including 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 and Latin alphabet to Germanic tribes.
•    The Pope anointed Charlemagne Emperor in 800 A.D. (C.E.)
•    Parish priests served religious and social needs of the people.

Invasions shattered Roman protection over the Empire.

Feudal society during the Middle Ages
•    Fiefs
•    Vassals
•    Serfs
•    Feudal obligations

Manorial system during the Middle Ages
•    Rigid class structure
•    Self-sufficient manors

Age of Charlemagne
•    Franks emerged as a force in Western Europe.
•    The Pope crowned the Emperor.
•    Power of the Church was established in political life.
•    Roman culture was reinterpreted.
•    Most of Western Europe was included in the new empire.
•    Churches, roads, and schools were built to unite the empire.

Areas of settlement
•    Angles and Saxons migrated from continental Europe to England.
•    Magyars migrated from Central Asia to Hungary.
•    Vikings migrated from Scandinavia to Russia.

Influence of the Angles, Saxons, Magyars, and Vikings
•    Manors with castles provided protection from invaders, reinforcing the feudal system.
•    Invasions disrupted trade, towns declined, and the feudal system was strengthened.