A BIG POT OF SOUP!!!=THE WORLD!!!

The world is like "a big pot of soup" filled with different ingredients to make the delicious finish, with the different cultures, religions, and people as the ingredients. The Roman Empire and the Islamic world were different but yet similar in many ways. They had their own cultural, environmental, and political aspects.

The Roman Empire was the beginnings of Christianity as the Muslim territories mainly followed the Islamic ways of life. Both religions are very similar because they both believe in monotheism and that God(one and only Christian god)/Allah(Islamic version of God) is the creator of the world. Known as the son of God, Jesus taught his followers about God, heaven, and how to live a good life. Muhammad, known as the messenger of Allah(Islamic version of God),was a prophet. He taught the Islamic beliefs, practices, and laws. The Christians read from and Bible and attended church at least every Sunday to cleanse themselves from their sins while the Muslims had more strict practices. They had to recite parts of the Qur'an, read from the Sunnah, and follow the Five Pillars of Islam. Over many years, Rome and Islam expanded greatly. But just like almost every empire that became to large to control, they split. In 1024 AD, the struggle for final authority between the emperor and the pope split Christianity. And thus, the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church was made. There were four caliphs that ruled for short periods of time after Muhammad died, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. After Ali was assassinated, "a family known as the Umayyads took power and set up a hereditary dynasty". (pg 102) While most people accepted him as the new ruler, few believed that only relatives of the prophet could take Muhammad's place. To maintain peace, the Muslims split into two groups. The ones who believed that only the relatives of Muhammad's could replace him were part of the Shi'a group of Islam. The other group was called the Sunnis, they believed that anyone could rule Islam as long as they followed the Qur'an and the Sunnah. But all in all, Christianity and Islam are very well practiced religions to this day.

The Roman Empire and Muslim lands' environments differed tremendously. Rome originated from a location that gave them a great advantage. They had settled near the Tiber river and the Apennines Mountains while being surrounded by the the Seven Hills of Rome. The mountains provided protection from harsh weather and invaders while the Tiber River allowed them to "engage in a busy and prosperous trade network throughout Italy". (pg 47) But as Rome grew bigger and bigger, it became much more difficult to obtain water. Aqueducts, "a bridge-like structure designed to bring fresh water into cities and towns" (pg 69), was invented sometime after this problem had sprouted. They became an efficient and effective way to transport water for short or long distances and a few can be found in parts of the world. But besides the water situation, it had become inconvenient to travel in Rome. This resulted in one of the first roads ever built. Muslim lands, on the other hand, was mainly located in the Arabian Peninsula which is mostly desert land. There was little farmland and oases weren't very common. They had later invented the crank, but it couldn't transport as much water or as quickly as the aqueducts could. So, they relied heavily on trade, which wasn't a problem because the Arabian Peninsula is bordered by Asia, Europe, and Africa. The Roman Empire and Muslim territories definitely had own challenges with their environmental surroundings but they have all found some way to solve or at least improve the situation in their advantage.

Just like many other civilizations, the Islamic community and Rome had many political issues. The last king of the Roman Empire was Tarquin the Proud, who was overthrown by the citizens for ruling cruelly. Rome, then, changed into a republic in which "average citizens had a voice". (pg 48) As Rome expanded, it went from a republic to an empire. Julies Caesar brought back order but was later killed by those who opposed him. Caesar's adopted son, Octavian who later renamed himself as Augustus, took his father's place. Under Augustus's rule, the Roman Empire began to enlarge and grow stronger. In Islam, Muhammad was ruler for over twenty years until he passed away. His death caused some havoc in the Muslim communities until Abu Bakr, the first caliph, calmed and reassured the Muslims back to order. "By 661 AD, Muhammad's successors had increased the size of the Muslim Empire nearly four times, by either conquest or treaty". (pg 101) During the time that Rome had expanded, Christianity began to spread. Even as the persecutions were going on, the Christians remained loyal to their religion and grew stronger. But unlike the Christians, "Muhammad "fled with his supporters to Yathrib" and ended the killings against his followers to preserve peace. (pg 93) But disloyal military, an increase in taxes, and uninformed citizens led to the fall of most of Rome. Contantine and Diocletian made big contributions to the last of Rome in the process of trying to bring it back order.

Just like everything else in the world, no two things are alike. They may be similar, like Islam and Rome, but never exactly the same. They both have similar cultures, beliefs, and political issues. But each country will only tell its own specific histories, stories, and memories that occured there.

michelle ni