Name ______
AP World History Period _____
Introduction and Chapter 6: Discussion Questions, Timeline & Geography
Part III: Introduction
1. What are the four major themes of the postclassical centuries?
2. Where were some of the regions that developed civilizations during the postclassical era?
3. Describe the spread of the following religions during the postclassical era
a. Hinduism
b. Buddhism
c. Islam
d. Christianity
4. What were some of the factors that contributed to the growth of world religions?
5. What evidence does Stearns give for his contention that the increasing level of interchange between the major civilizations was the most important characteristic of the postclassical world?
6. What were the patterns of trade in relation to the cities of classical civilizations?
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Chapter 6
7. Which areas of the world became converted to Islam?
8. How did Islam provide key links in exchange between the major civilizations?
9. What were the interests and influences of Muslim scholars?
10. How did the geography of the Arabian Peninsula influence the lifestyles and political structure of the Bedouin?
11. Describe the political and historic context of the genesis of Islam.
12. Describe each of the following events in Muhammad’s life
a. his visions
b. his expulsion from Mecca
c. his triumphal entry in Medina
d. years of conflict with the Umayyads
e. his return to Mecca
13. How did Islam unify the various clans and tribes of Arabia?
14. What were the major differences between Islam’s monotheism and Judaism and Christianity’s monotheism?
15. What are the five pillars of Islam?
16. What were the major challenges that faced Islam after the death of Muhammad?
17. What were some of the reasons for the early Arab conquests and how do these reasons differ from traditional western thinking?
18. How did the Muslims defeat the Sasanian Empire of Persia?
19. What success did the Muslims have against the Byzantine Empire and what were some of the reasons for this success?
20. What were the two main camps that battled for control of Islam after the murder of the caliph Uthman?
21. Describe the Muslim conquests between the mid-600’s and the mid-700’s
22. Describe the rule of the Umayyads including
a. the capital move
b. social structure in their empire
c. efforts to separate Muslims and their subjects
d. tolerance of other religions
23. What were some of the causes for rebellion against the Umayyads?
24. How did the Abbasids end (for the most part) the rule of the Umayyads?
25. How did the policy change of the Abbasids to actively seek converts drastically change Islam?
26. Describe the growth of the power, wealth and corruption of the Abbasid caliphate.
27. What were some of the advantages of converting to Islam under new Abbasid policies?
28. What were some of the causes and effects of the merchant activity under the Abbasid caliphate?
29. What were some of the Muslim contributions to art, architecture, science, mathematics and learning?
TIMELINE
Insert the following events into the timeline. This should help you to compare important
historical events chronologically.
Ridda wars begin assassination of Uthman
end of Umayyad dynasty Battle of Siffin
Muhammad flees from Mecca to Medina Muhammad receives first revelations
_____ 610 C.E.
_____ 622 C.E.
_____ 633-634 C.E.
_____ 656 C.E.
_____ 657 C.E.
_____ 750 C.E.
MAP EXERCISE
The following exercise is intended to clarify the geophysical environment and the spatial
relationships among the important objects and places mentioned in the chapter. Locate thefollowing places on the map.
Mecca Medina
Damascus Baghdad
Starting with Mecca, draw an arrow to each of the succeeding capitals of Islam.
In what direction was the “center” of Islam moving?
How was this related to the areas of civilization?
Leader Analysis ~ Muhammad
Name of leader:
Lifespan:
Title:
Country/region:
Years in power:
Political, social, and economic conditions prior to leader gaining power:
Ideology, motivation, goals:
Significant actions and events during term of power:
Short-term effect
Long-term effects: