1. December 2nd From Dark Age to Golden Age
In your notebook, respond to this question:
Why when we learn about the “Dark Ages” in Europe do we often assume that the world was experiencing a dark age?

2. What does it mean to be “Eurocentric”?
Euro = Europe
Centric = centered

3. Eurocentric Our history is often…
(Adjective)
Focusing on European culture or history to the exclusion of a wider view of the world
Believing European culture as preeminent (most important)
If you type “World Map” into a search bar you will see these maps.
What do you notice about these maps?

4. To illustrate further, non-Eurocentric maps look odd to our eyes.
Upside down
Another country centered
View from the top
Would you prefer to use these maps? Why or why not?

5. We are leaving the “darkness” of Europe and traveling east to the growing “golden” empire of Islam in the Middle East
Fun Fact: Middle Age Europe would dump their fecal waste around the walls of the city. These walls would have to be constantly built higher because the dung piles got so high that often invaders could just climb up the wall by walking up it.

6. What is the Middle East? What countries will we be focusing on?
The Islamic empire at its height span throughout the area we now refer to as the “Middle East”
Get one computer for your table group, and look up a map of the modern middle east and label the countries on your map.
YOUR MAP NEEDS TO BE CLEAR AND NEAT!! Do not color yet! Just label the countries

7. Arabian Tribes at the dawn of Islam
Muhammad: Born 570 CE (Mecca  Saudi Arabia) and died 632 CE
“Prophet” an founder of the Islamic religion
In his life, he reported receiving revelations from God and preached about them  the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.
At the time of Muhammad’s birth, the Arabian Peninsula was divided into many competing tribes. By the end of his life in 632 CE, most of the peninsula had converted to Islam and after his death became the first caliphate (Islamic government).
The ruler of the caliphate was called a caliph, who was considered the political successor of the Prophet Muhammad.
Arabia at the Dawn of Islam
Arabian Tribes at the dawn of Islam

8. Expanse of the Umayyad Caliphate
Umayyad Caliphate in 750 CE
The Umayyad family claimed to be decedents of Muhamad
Roman Empire in 117 CE
A little more than a hundred years later, the Umayyad Caliphate stretched across the Middle East, North Africa, and into Spain. It covered 5.8 million square miles at its largest extent, more than twice as large as the Roman Empire at its height. It was the largest empire ever up to that point.

9. The Caliphate (Islamic Empire)
622–750 
How did this empire expand?
Expansion under Muhammad, 622–632 Expansion during the Rashidun Caliphs, 632–661 Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661–750

10. How did the early Islamic empire expand?
In particular, you will be hypothesizing about what strategies Muslims used to expand.