1. The Eastern Mediterranean, 500-1000
Chapter 8
The Eastern Mediterranean,

2. Learning Objectives: Questions to Consider
In what ways did Emperor Justinian seek to codify Christian belief?
How did the spread of Islam in the eighth century change the religious and political landscape of the Mediterranean?
What concerns did Byzantine emperors have about the use of icons in religious worship?
What factors contributed to the growing divide between the two halves of the old Roman Empire?

3. Justinian and the Revival of Empire in the East, 500-650
The Ambitions of Justinian I (r )
Reconquest
The Campaigns of Belisarius ( )
Success in North Africa and the Italian Peninsula
Eastern Threats: Persia and the Slavs
The Costs of Empire
Ceremony
Imperial Dignity
Empress Theodora ( )
The Nika Riot, 532

4. Justinian and the Revival of Empire in the East, 500-650
The Search for Christian Unity
Authority
The Mystery of the Mass
The Limitations of Laity
Belief
The Debate over the Nature of Christ
The Condemnation of the Monophysites

5. Justinian and the Revival of Empire in the East, 500-650
The Codification of Roman Law
The Body of Civil Law
Family Law
The Governance of the Patria Potestas
Commerce
The Regulating Power of Contracts

6. Justinian and the Revival of Empire in the East, 500-650
Constantinople: The New Rome
The Grandeur of the Hagia Sophia
The Epicenter of Commerce
Bazaars
The Ravages of Bubonic Plague

7. Justinian and the Revival of Empire in the East, 500-650
The Empire after Justinian
New Pressures
Lombards in the West
Avars in the East
Heraclius (r )
Reforms and Stabilization
Victory against the Persians

8. The Rise of Islam, 600-700 The Setting: the Arabian Peninsula
Trade and the Caravans
The Coastal Plain and the Towns
Mecca and the Importance of the Kaaba
The Domination of the Quraysh Tribe

9. The Rise of Islam, 600-700 The Life of Muhammad (570-632) Conversion
The Recitations (Sura; the Basis for the Quran)
The Spread of Muhammad’s Message
Hostility in Mecca and Invitation to Medina
The Hejira, 622
Muhammad’s Leadership and Death

10. The Rise of Islam, 600-700 Religious Beliefs
Submission and Obedience to God’s Will
The Five Pillars of Islam
One God—Allah
Prayer
Fasting During Ramadan
Charity
The Hajj, Pilgrimage to Mecca

11. The Rise of Islam, 600-700 Christians and Jews: People of the Book
Contrasts in Ideas and Practices of Authority
Treatment of the Dhimmi
Muslim Families
The Practice of Polygamy
Privacy, Protection, and Restrictions for Women
The Harem, Seclusion, and Veiling
Opportunities: Property Management and Moral Authority

12. The Expansion of Islam, 700-800
The First Caliphs and Territorial Expansion
The Umayyad Dynasty
The Schism between Shi’ites and Sunnis
The New Capital in Damascus, 661
Conquest of Persia and Byzantine Lands

13. The Expansion of Islam, 700-800
Conquest in the West
The Conversion of the Berbers
Tariq ibn Ziyad (d. 720) and the Conquest of Gibralter
Settlement in Africa and Iberia
Defeat by the Franks at Tours, 732
The Abbasid Dynasty and the New Capital at Baghdad
The Creation of the Caliphate at Cordoba

14. The Expansion of Islam, 700-800
Islamic Civilization
The Influence of Older Cultures and Traditions
Art and Literature
The Poetry of Abu Nuwas (ca )
Commerce and Urban Life
The Promotion of Trade
Cultural Unification and the Arabic Language

15. Middle Byzantine Period, 600-1071
Losses and Reforms
Territorial Decline in the South and West
The Loss of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt
Military and Administrative Policies
Constans II ( ) and the Creation of Themes
Strengthening Defenses
The Navy and Greek Fire
The Cataphracts
Creating Dissension

16. Middle Byzantine Period, 600-1071
The Waning of Byzantine Society
Plague and Population Collapse
The Decline of Education and Literacy
The Controversy over Icons
Leo III (r ) and the Initiation of Iconoclasm

17. Middle Byzantine Period, 600-1071
Irene (ca ): From Regent to Empress
Consolidating Power and Ending Iconoclasm
A Reorientation to the North
The Threat of the Rus
Conversion through Missionaries Cyril (ca ), Methodius (ca ), and the Cyrillic Alphabet
The Growing Muslim Threat in the South
The Seljuk Turks and Manzikert, 1071