Classical and Medieval History


This period is noted for the rise of the great classical civilizations which preceded the modern world. As with other divisions of history, the division into classical and medieval history using calendar years is arbitrary, but convenient. It is divided into four parts, Early classical, Late classical, early medieval, and late medieval.	Sapience Home Site Map About Sapience History Early Classical Late Classical Early Medieval Late Medieval

This period is noted for the rise of the great classical civilizations which preceded the modern world. As with other divisions of history, the division into classical and medieval history using calendar years is arbitrary, but convenient. It is divided into four parts, Early classical, Late classical, early medieval, and late medieval.

History

Early Classical(500 BC - 1 BC)

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

Late Classical (1-500 CE)

In the first century, the new religion of Christianity developed. In the second century, it continued to grow and expand. In the third century, Manicheanism was established. In the fourth Century, 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 5th century, 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.


Science Physics and chemistry are at too low a level of studies to be very useful. Astronomical events are a little more useful, with local and stellar astronomy more useful than galactic astronomy or cosmology. Earth science is better connected to terrestrial events, and geology, hydrospheric science, atmospheric science, physical geography, and geohistory may be useful at times. Biology is also useful in examining certain events. Molecular biology, cell biology, organism biology, and systematics are a little less useful than ecology. Biohistory is indirectly useful, and less for information on Precambrian, Mesozoic, or Paleozoic times, than Cenocozic life. Personal studies Studies of the human body including human body systems, function, diseases, life cycle, and form an appearance are generally at too fine a level to be very useful. Psychology including behavioral elements, mind, behavior patterns, disorders, personality, and social psychology is also at too fine a level to be very useful. biography is extremely important, but there are so many prominent people who lived in this period that an alphabletical list of them hinders more than helps. These can be examined by looking at the early and late classical and early and late medieval sections.	Links to other sites About.com Ancient history Ancient History Medieval History sourcebook The Labyrinth Medieval History: Teachernet HistoryWiz- Middle Ages and Early Modern history Survey of Digital Resources on the Classical world Ancient History - Infoplease 1 - 999 AD Infoplease 1000 - 1899 AD Infoplease Major Historical events I World History before the Common Era Major Historical events 0 BC - 1500 AD
Anthropology Studies of social foundations including social presentation, social interaction, social control, social group behavior, and group types are significant. Demography including birth, migration, death, population size and structure, and population change will also be useful. Physical anthropology in this period is less important for the study of human origins and more for racial variation and human dispersion. Human ecology for this period is more known for the effect of the environment on mankind and relationships with other life forms than for human impact on the environment, but the latter exists. Human geography including European geography, Asian geography with Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and North Asia, North American geography, African geography, South American geography, and Oceanic geography is also important. Particular groups are also significant. Culture Material culture is important. Industrial technology including tools, fuels, chemical technology, machinery, and other technology can be considered. Foodstuffs including raw agricultural products, processed and preserved, and prepared dishies are useful. Dress, building, and transportation are usful. Communication technology including written and graphic communication is useful. other artifacts such as toys, weaponry, medical technology, musucal instruments, and sculpture are also important. Conceptual culture is also important. This includes language including linguistics, writing, and languages of the world, Graphic arts including drawing, painting, and printmaking are useful. Photography and computer graphics had not yet been devised. Literature with its divisions of oral tradition, literary forms, types and genres,and literary works is important. Mathematics including Arithmetic, algebra, early attempts at analysis, and geometry developed. Applied science including measurement and engineering science can also be followed. Navigation was not widely used, medical science was also not developed, Information sciene was absent, but a little applied socian science can be followed. Philosophy including metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, and philosophical schools and doctrines is applicable to this period. Behavioral culture is also applicable. Customs such as vital customs, living and dwelling customs, dress and adornment customs, social interaction customs, and institutional customs will be important. Occupations such as food-related, building, transportation, communication, industrial, and service related occupations are significant. recreation and entertainment such as music, dance, theater, games, and sports is possible to trace somewhat in this period. Cultural events such as miscellaneus events, disasters, fairs, and holidays can be considered. Institutions Families, including marriage, parent-child relations, kinship, and particular families can be found for some segments of some societies. Education including research, teaching, and cultural institutions will also appear prominently. Educational organization including course material, students, faculty, and administration can be considered. Some particular schools can be followed, although higher education is most significant. Secondary and primary education was not yet extensive. Economics including activities such as production, distribution, and consumption is also significant. Industries are also important. Few if any existing companies date to this period. Agricultural, extraction and manufacturing, building and construction, social and medical, transportation, communication, and commercial and financial industries can be examined. The roots of Economic systems including firms, networks, types of systems, and system behavior such as economic growth, economic decline, and business cycles can also be examined. In government, the roots of modern systems of law including tribal law, Asiatic law, Western Law, and International law can be considered. Government structure including political parties, judicial systems, legislative systems, executive systems, and government leaders evolved I do not yet have much detail on forms of government during this period. There is some emphasis on government activities including administration, succession, and state relations. Particular governments are important and include local government. National government was primarily in the form of monarchies, with only few dictatorships or democratic govenments. International government was in the form of traditional empires. Religion is necessary for understanding classical and medieval history. Religious beliefs, practice, and organization including unstructured, fragmented, and highly structured religion underwent substantial change. It is neessary to follow particular traditions. Abrahamic religion began to become influential. Christianity originated, spread widely,and split into Catholic, Orthodox, and other Christian groups. Protestantism and Mormonism were modern developments that offer differing perspectives on the process. Islam also originated and spread widely. Judaism changed significantly. Asiatic religion also developed and began to replace the pagan varieties. Persian religion including Zoroastrianism and Manicheanism, Indian religion including Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and Oriental religion including Confucianism, and Taoism all flourished, at least for a time. Secularism also began to develop. Pagan religion began to decline as modern world religions began to gain converts. European pagan religion was almost abandoned and Asiatic pagan religion also declined. African and American Indian pagan traditions were little affected. Sociology As with history in general, the examination of social structure and change, communities, and peoples of the world gives weight and substance to Classical and Medieval history. Other History Classical and Medieval history is the natural continuation of antiquity, particularly the early 1st Millennium. The flow of events is continued in the modern period, spefically the 16th century. These events are frequently reinterpreted. There have been continued studies in the 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, and 20th century, but these studies belong to academic and literary history.

Science

Physics and chemistry are at too low a level of studies to be very useful. Astronomical events are a little more useful, with local and stellar astronomy more useful than galactic astronomy or cosmology. Earth science is better connected to terrestrial events, and geology, hydrospheric science, atmospheric science, physical geography, and geohistory may be useful at times. Biology is also useful in examining certain events. Molecular biology, cell biology, organism biology, and systematics are a little less useful than ecology. Biohistory is indirectly useful, and less for information on Precambrian, Mesozoic, or Paleozoic times, than Cenocozic life.

Personal studies

Studies of the human body including human body systems, function, diseases, life cycle, and form an appearance are generally at too fine a level to be very useful. Psychology including behavioral elements, mind, behavior patterns, disorders, personality, and social psychology is also at too fine a level to be very useful. biography is extremely important, but there are so many prominent people who lived in this period that an alphabletical list of them hinders more than helps. These can be examined by looking at the early and late classical and early and late medieval sections.

Anthropology

Studies of social foundations including social presentation, social interaction, social control, social group behavior, and group types are significant. Demography including birth, migration, death, population size and structure, and population change will also be useful. Physical anthropology in this period is less important for the study of human origins and more for racial variation and human dispersion. Human ecology for this period is more known for the effect of the environment on mankind and relationships with other life forms than for human impact on the environment, but the latter exists. Human geography including European geography, Asian geography with Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and North Asia, North American geography, African geography, South American geography, and Oceanic geography is also important. Particular groups are also significant.

Culture

Material culture is important. Industrial technology including tools, fuels, chemical technology, machinery, and other technology can be considered. Foodstuffs including raw agricultural products, processed and preserved, and prepared dishies are useful. Dress, building, and transportation are usful. Communication technology including written and graphic communication is useful. other artifacts such as toys, weaponry, medical technology, musucal instruments, and sculpture are also important.

Conceptual culture is also important. This includes language including linguistics, writing, and languages of the world, Graphic arts including drawing, painting, and printmaking are useful. Photography and computer graphics had not yet been devised. Literature with its divisions of oral tradition, literary forms, types and genres,and literary works is important. Mathematics including Arithmetic, algebra, early attempts at analysis, and geometry developed. Applied science including measurement and engineering science can also be followed. Navigation was not widely used, medical science was also not developed, Information sciene was absent, but a little applied socian science can be followed. Philosophy including metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, and philosophical schools and doctrines is applicable to this period.

Behavioral culture is also applicable. Customs such as vital customs, living and dwelling customs, dress and adornment customs, social interaction customs, and institutional customs will be important. Occupations such as food-related, building, transportation, communication, industrial, and service related occupations are significant. recreation and entertainment such as music, dance, theater, games, and sports is possible to trace somewhat in this period. Cultural events such as miscellaneus events, disasters, fairs, and holidays can be considered.

Institutions

Families, including marriage, parent-child relations, kinship, and particular families can be found for some segments of some societies. Education including research, teaching, and cultural institutions will also appear prominently. Educational organization including course material, students, faculty, and administration can be considered. Some particular schools can be followed, although higher education is most significant. Secondary and primary education was not yet extensive.

Economics including activities such as production, distribution, and consumption is also significant. Industries are also important. Few if any existing companies date to this period. Agricultural, extraction and manufacturing, building and construction, social and medical, transportation, communication, and commercial and financial industries can be examined. The roots of Economic systems including firms, networks, types of systems, and system behavior such as economic growth, economic decline, and business cycles can also be examined.

In government, the roots of modern systems of law including tribal law, Asiatic law, Western Law, and International law can be considered. Government structure including political parties, judicial systems, legislative systems, executive systems, and government leaders evolved I do not yet have much detail on forms of government during this period. There is some emphasis on government activities including administration, succession, and state relations. Particular governments are important and include local government. National government was primarily in the form of monarchies, with only few dictatorships or democratic govenments. International government was in the form of traditional empires.

Religion is necessary for understanding classical and medieval history. Religious beliefs, practice, and organization including unstructured, fragmented, and highly structured religion underwent substantial change. It is neessary to follow particular traditions. Abrahamic religion began to become influential. Christianity originated, spread widely,and split into Catholic, Orthodox, and other Christian groups. Protestantism and Mormonism were modern developments that offer differing perspectives on the process. Islam also originated and spread widely. Judaism changed significantly. Asiatic religion also developed and began to replace the pagan varieties. Persian religion including Zoroastrianism and Manicheanism, Indian religion including Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and Oriental religion including Confucianism, and Taoism all flourished, at least for a time. Secularism also began to develop. Pagan religion began to decline as modern world religions began to gain converts. European pagan religion was almost abandoned and Asiatic pagan religion also declined. African and American Indian pagan traditions were little affected.

Sociology

As with history in general, the examination of social structure and change, communities, and peoples of the world gives weight and substance to Classical and Medieval history.

Other History

Classical and Medieval history is the natural continuation of antiquity, particularly the early 1st Millennium.

The flow of events is continued in the modern period, spefically the 16th century. These events are frequently reinterpreted. There have been continued studies in the 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, and 20th century, but these studies belong to academic and literary history.

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