6.6 - Mediterranean World
From EngageNY
The Mediterranean world was reshaped with the fall of the Roman Empire. Three distinct cultural regions developed: feudal Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic caliphates. These regions interacted with each other and clashed over control of holy lands.6.6a Overexpansion, corruption, invasions, civil wars, and discord led to the fall of Rome. Feudalism developed in Western Europe in reaction to a need for order and to meet basic needs.
- Students will examine reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire and the development of feudalism in Western Europe, including efforts to restore the empire, the decentralization of political authority, and the role of the Christian Church in providing some measure of central authority.
- Students will examine how the Byzantine Empire preserved elements of the Roman Empire by blending Roman traditions with Greek culture, and developed a Christian faith, known as Orthodox Christianity, which united Church and state authority in the person of the emperor.
- Students will examine the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, noting how the introduction of Islam changed the societies and cultures each conquered, blending with those societies and cultures and creating dynamic new Islamic societies and cultures.
- Students will examine the three distinct cultural regions of the Mediterranean world in terms of their location, the extent of each region at the height of its power, and the political, economic, and social interactions between these regions.
- Students will examine the conflict of the Crusades from three different perspectives: feudal Europe, Byzantine, and Islamic.
Supporting Materials
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Ancient Egyptian CivilizationAn illustrated introduction to the civilization of ancient Egypt centered around several of its key myths. Covers Egypt's religion, government, daily life, food, and trade. |
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Ancient Greek civilizationAn illustrated introduction to the civilization of ancient Greece centered around several of its key myths. Covers Greece's religion, government, military, trade, and arts. |
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Ancient Greek CultureAncient Greek culture has had a truly profound impact on Western civilization. Readers will explore the rich civilization of ancient Greece and the things that made it so influential. Mythology, theater, sculpture, and philosophy are just a few of the subjects discussed in this volume. A great... |
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Ancient Greek EconomyAncient Greece lacked a few resources in its native lands. However, Greeks learned to trade domestically and with foreign lands to gain the resources that it lacked. Readers will discover that Greece's trading was so influential that its pottery has been discovered in many different areas of the... |
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Ancient Greek GeographyAncient Greeks lived in a landscape that received more than 300 days of sunshine each year and little rain. Readers will learn how Greeks used everything at their disposal, such as the sea, minerals in the earth, and fertile farmland, to flourish as a civilization. The concept of a society's... |
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Ancient Greek GovernmentPerhaps the most important legacy of the ancient Greeks is their invention of the form of government we hold most dear: Democracy. Ancient Greece's various cities and their forms of government, and the birth of government by the people, are presented in simple, straightforward language. An... |
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Ancient Greek TechnologyAncient Greece was one of the most technologically-advanced civilizations of its time. Readers will be introduced to Greek innovations from the civilization's earliest days through the Bronze and Iron Ages. Photographs of artifacts will draw in readers and excite their imaginations. |
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Ancient Roman CivilizationAn illustrated introduction to the civilization of ancient Rome centered around several of its key myths. Covers Rome's religion, government, food, military, trade, and arts. |
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Ancient Roman CultureLearn about the many facets of Roman culture with this great introduction covering religion, philosophy, sculpture, architecture, painting, literature, sports, and the theater. The Romans' habit of adopting ideas, customs, and techniques from cultures that they conquered is discussed.... |
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Ancient Roman Daily LifeThe family was central to life in ancient Rome. Explore the roles of women, children, slaves, and the all-powerful paterfamilias, or head of the family. Find out what that Romans enjoyed doing in their free time and learn what their food, clothing, and homes were like. Readers will be fascinated... |
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