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Period: 500 to Jan 1, 1500
Cultural Timeline
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570
Birth of Muhammad
Description: Born in 570 C.E., Muhammad was Allah's prophet and ultimately the founder of of Islam and the Muslim religion.
Signifigance: Throughout Muhammad's life, he established the hijra, founded the Five Pillars of Faith, and delivered the Quaran, which all were the foundation of Islamic culture, traditions, and beliefs. Muhammad shaped the people of Dar al-Islam's everyday lives and culture. -
Oct 5, 632
The Hajj
Description: In 632, Muhammad left the first pilgrimage from Medina to Mecca.
Signifigance: The Hajj brought Muslims togther creating culural unity in the Dar al-Islam. It helped spread Muslim faith and ideas as well as establishing the importance of Islamic traditions -
Jan 1, 1054
Great Schism
Description: Also known as the East-West Schism, which resulted in the division between the Roman Catholic Church (west) and the Eastern Orthodox Church (east). The patriarch and pope mutually excommunicated each other.
Signifigance: The Great Schism caused a cultural divide between the East and West that would last for many centuries and create high tension between the two. Ultimately cultural unity disappeared causing Christianity to have two very distinct groups
with different beliefs. -
Jan 1, 1130
Life of Zhu Zi (1130 C.E. - 1200 C.E.)
Description: Zhu Xi was a extremely important and influential representative of the philosophy Neo-Confucianism during the Song Dynasty.
Signifigance: Zhu Xi revolutionized Neo-Confucianism by incorporating Confucian philosophy such as li, while incorporating Buddhist themes & reasoning to Confucian values. He wrote influential treatise called Family Rituals that had instructions for weddings, funerals, celebrations, & venerations of ancestors. Overall,he shaped Chinese culture and philosophy. -
Jan 1, 1196
Muslim Forces Overrun City of Nalanda
Description: In 1196, Muslim forces take over the formerly Buddihist city of Nalanda. They destroy Buddhist libraries and kill thousands of monks.
Signifigance: This event led to the rapid decline of Buddhism in India and the increase of Hinduism. Hinduism benefited from this event by gaining more converts and allowing for the creation of cults known as the Vishnu and Shiva, shaping Indian culture. -
Jan 1, 1500
Conversion to Islam
Description: By 1500, there were 25 million Muslim converts in India.
Signifigance: Mostly through trade over the Indian Ocean Basin, India had a signifigant amount of cultural diffusion of the Islamic culture and religion that allowed 1/4 of the population in India to adopt the Islamic faith. -
Completion of the Grand Canal
Description: Completed by Sui Yangdi in the Sui Dynasty, the Grand Canal was one of the world's largest waterwork projects before modern times and linked many earlier canals.
Signifigance: The Grand Canal spread culture and traditions between Northern and Southern China through trade. It culturally unified China as a whole. -
The Conversion of Prince Vladmir
Description: In about 989, Prince Vladmir of Kiev Russia converted to Orthodox Christianity and demanded that his subjects to convert as well.
Signifigance: The conversion of Prince Vladmir served as an example of cultural diffusion bewteen the Byzantine Empire and Slavic peoples. Even after Prince Vladmir's death, Byzantine influences such as the Cyrillic alphabet, literacy, education, Byzantine priests , architecture, and caesaropapist ideas were adopted by Kiev and other Slavic lands. -
St. Benedict Writes Rule
Description: St. Benedict completes a set of rules for Christian monasticism during the early monacstism movement known as the Rule. Provided guidance for Christian monks and monastaries.
Signifigance: During this period Roman Christianity provided the cultural continuity and unity in western Europe. The monastic movement and St. Benedicts Rule were powerful institutions that helped to preserve Roman traditions and develop a unique European culture. -
Coronation of Charlemagne
Description: Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne the emperor of the Carolingian Empire.
Signifigance: The Coronation of Charlemagne by the pope shows cultural unity through Christianity and throughout the Carolingian Empire, Charlemagne uses Christianity as a tool to culturally unify the Empire. For example through the destruction of the Lombards, support of scholarship, and the fight between the Saxons.
