The West in the World, 4th Edition (Sherman)Chapter 6:
A World DividedChapter Summaries
The Roman Empire underwent a major transition as it lost the ability to maintain peace within its borders. The empire fragmented into three culturally distinct parts, in which language, religion, and loyalties separated people. In the west, Germanic invaders established new kingdoms, converted to Christianity and blended their own culture with that of Romans now living under their rule. In the east, the Roman Empire persisted for approximately another thousand years, but Byzantium was centered upon Constantinople and began to develop different characteristics with time. The language changed to Greek, while Slavic tribes in the north and Latins in the west influenced the development of a new empire. Finally, in the desert of Arabia, a prophet founded a new religion, which would soon spread rapidly, conquering the eastern and western shores of the Mediterranean and most of the Iberian Peninsula. These three civilizations coexisted uneasily, and their differences and conflicts would destroy Roman unity and shape Europe's future.
|  |
|
