Classical and Medieval History

Early Classical (500 BC - 1 BC)

In the 5th century BC, the Greeks were resisting the Persian empire. In the 4th century BC, Alexander led the Macedonians to conquer the Persian empire and most of the middle east. In the 3rd century BC, this empire had broken up, but pieces of it remained important, while significant empires were beginning in India and China. In the 2nd century BC, the Romans began to expand, and during the 1st century BC, conquered Greece, Egypt, and much of Europe, and the Roman republic became the Roman Empire.

Late Classical (1-500 CE)

In the first century CE, the new religion of Christianity developed. In the second century CE, it continued to grow and expand. In the third century CE, Manicheanism was established. In the fourth century CE, the capital of the Roman Empire was moved to a new city formerly named Byzantium, but later called Constantinople, and the Roman empire was divided. In the fifth century CE, the Western Roman empire declined and was beset by various tribes, largely of Germanic origin.

Early Medieval (501 - 1000 CE)

During the 6th century, the Western Roman empire continued to decay and was overrrun by tribes largely of Germanic origin and affiliations, although the Eastern Roman empire survived and attempted reconquest of the West more than once. China was ruled by the Sui dynasty. During the 7th century, the new religion of Islam originated in Arabia and began spreading rapidly by conquest into the Levant, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Northern Africa. In China, the Sui dynasty was followed by the T'ang. Buddhism entered Indonesia. During the 8th century, the Abbasid Caliphate came to rule most of Islam from Persia, while another branch penetrated into Spain. About the same time, Charlemagne conquered most of north Central Europe and briefly established a medieval Christian empire, while the Byzantines were on the defensive against the growth of Islam. In China, the T'ang dynasty reached its height. During the 9th century, Islam reached cultural heights, while Charlemagne's empire broke up. Norsemen from scandinavia were raiding Europe, contributing to social chaos. In China, the T'ang dynasty declined. During the 10th century, Western Christendom centered in Rome remained the chief unifying influence in western Europe, though it never had the political or military strength of the Roman empire. Islam was culturally far more advanced than medieval christendom. In China, the Song dynasty came to power.

Late Medieval (1001 - 1500 CE)

During the 11th century, Western medieval civilization continued to develop. The Norman conquest of England substantially influenced later history, and toward the end of the century, the Crusades, an attempt by Western Christendom to liberate israel from the control of Islam, began. In the 12th century, the first universities were founded in western Europe. The crusading movement reached its height and had partial success, but created lasting hostility with eastern Europe and the Islamic peoples. In the 13th century, the crusading movement began to decline, but dealt a serious blow to the Byzantine empire. The Mongol peoples began to conquer Central Asia, China, and eastern Europe. In the 14th century, the "Black death" (plague) seriously beset European civilization, but awareness of Asia began to become of interest to European peoples. Russia grew under Mongol, or Tatar rule. In the 15th century, European civilization began to recover and take new interest in the learning of antiquity, which had been preserved by the Byzantines and Islamic peoples, in the Renaissance. Russia achieved independence from the Tatars. The Byzantine empire was conquered by Islamicized Turks from central Europe. The great age of European sea exploration of the world began with the discovery of the Americas and a sea route around Africa to India.