Reading Blog #9

In chapter 9, Islam was discussed, not only as a religion but also as an empire. The islamic empire is one of the best examples of showing that the classical era did not end in 500 AD. One way that this is the case is in conquest. The Mongols and the crusaders both came in conquest against Islam and this is one of the characteristics of the classical era. Spanning more than one continent was another characteristic of the classical era and Islam was the first global civilization according to Strayer. This shows that they were also a classical era civilization. Lastly Islam had cosmopolitan centers, another characteristic of the classical era. One cosmopolitan center was Baghdad, established in 756 AD. this date shows that Islam was a classical civilization after 500 AD. This shows that the classical era did not end until way after its established date. Reading this chapter really opened my eyes up to this fact, and that is what made it most interesting.