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| 1 | |
Why did the Eastern Roman Empire survive after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire?
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| 2 | |
Which of the problems facing the Byzantine emperor had also been problems for the Roman Empire? Discuss how the Byzantines addressed these problems. Were their strategies different from their predecessors? Were their strategies less or more successful?
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| 3 | |
In what ways was Byzantine culture "Hellenic" as well as "Roman"?
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| 4 | |
Was the Byzantine Empire simply a continuation of the Roman Empire? At what point (if ever) can we say that it became distinctively different?
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| 5 | |
"Constantinople...appears to have been formed by nature for the centre and capital of a great monarchy." (Edward Gibbon). Discuss.
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| 6 | |
What was Theodora's role in the governance of Constantinople?
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| 7 | |
What were the outstanding accomplishments of the Byzantine Empire under Justinian and Theodora's rule?
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| 8 | |
"The Byzantine Empire was the creation of Heraclius rather than of Constantine." Discuss.
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| 9 | |
What were the challenges facing the Byzantine Empire? How did the Byzantines cope with these problems?
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| 10 | |
What were the factors leading to the increasing distance between the eastern and western parts of the empire?
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| 11 | |
What were the religious disputes that led to the split between the eastern and the western churches?
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| 12 | |
How were the Slavs and the Russians converted to the Greek Orthodox church?
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| 13 | |
Who was Muhammad and how did he become the leader of a new religious movement? How might a pious Muslim answer this question?
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| 14 | |
Is Muhammad best understood as a "prophet" or a "statesman"?
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| 15 | |
"Muhammad is the most important individual in history." Discuss the "pros" and "cons" of this statement.
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| 16 | |
Why was Islam able to defeat the two great powers of the early 7th century -- the East Roman Empire (Byzantium) and Sassanid Persia?
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| 17 | |
Did Islam improve the position of Arab women?
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| 18 | |
What is it about the new faith that led to a social and political transformation in the societies it entered?
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| 19 | |
What are the basic beliefs and practices of Islam?
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| 20 | |
What accounted for the rapid expansion of Islam?
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| 21 | |
What was the outcome of the controversy over who would succeed the prophet?
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| 22 | |
What was the importance of the Battle of Tours for Christian Europe?
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| 23 | |
What problems did the Muslims face in governing their quickly acquired empire? What solutions did they adopt?
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| 24 | |
Compare and contrast the beliefs of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. What do they have in common? How do they differ?
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| 25 | |
Compare the spread of Islam with the spread of Christianity. What do the two processes share? How do they differ? Do you think that Islam will continue to spread at the same rate?
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| 26 | |
Why was Muslim rule successful in unifying conquered territories?
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| 27 | |
Describe the Umayyad and the Abbasid caliphates. What were the differences in their rule over the empire?
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| 28 | |
What were the intellectual gains made in the Muslim world?
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