Assignment Task: Choose a region of the ancient world (ancient Africa, Europe, Middle East, or Asia). Write a paragraph (~300-500 words), citing evidence from the module to support your statement. In your paragraph, include answers to both of the following:
- Tell how the civilizations of that region contributed to the growth of the ancient world.
- Explain what evidence we can still see from that ancient region in modern times.
Byzantine Empire (330 CE-1453 CE)
- Byzantium (def: modern-day Istanbul) was the Greek colony where the Roman Emperor Constantine built the capital city of "New Rome" in 330 CE.
- Citizens spoke and studied Greek and Latin literature and culture.
- The Empire was governed by Roman law and political institutions.
- Arab Muslims in Byzantium in the 9th and 10th centuries translated Greek and Latin texts into Arabic.
- During medieval Europe, adaptations of Graeco-Roman philosophy and science and classical manuscripts spread throughout Europe.
European Middle Ages (700-1200 CE)
- Many Latin manuscripts were discovered and preserved by monks.
- Latin was (and in many ways still is) the language of literature, scholars, and educational and political institutions.
- Latin was (and still is) the language of the Roman Catholic Church. The Latin Vulgate was the official translation of the Bible.
- Latin was considered one of the three sacred languages (def: Greek, Latin, Hebrew).
- Classroom textbooks and treatises were written in Latin
Holy Roman Empire (9th c.-19th c. CE)
- Charlemagne (def: 742 CE-814 CE), King of the Franks (def: German tribe located in modern-day Belgium) and the Habsburg (def: often called "Austria Monarchy") Monarchy, a German tribe, united all German peoples into one kingdom. The Habsburg Empire included countries stretching from Italy to Germany, Austria, and into eastern Europe.
- In 800 BCE, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne "Emperor of the Romans." His bloodline carried the name Holy Roman Emperor until 1806 CE.
- Charlemagne was fluent in Greek and Latin and encouraged the Carolingian Renaissance (def: late 8th to 9th centuries). This era sparked a revival of classical literature, art, and architecture as well as restoration of ancient structures.