ROME & ISLAM: TWO INFLUENTIAL EMPIRES!!

Jonathon Xue
Period 3

Even though Islam and Rome thrived in different areas and time periods, there were as many similarities as there were differences in the areas of politics, the environment, and technological development. A few examples of these were Rome’s waterways and Islam’s arid climate. Altogether, Islam and Rome both had a strong influence on many modern countries, including the United States of America.

First of all, Rome and Islam had several political differences. One example was the way the two empires chose their leaders. According to Chapter 3 Lesson 3, Abu Bakr, the first caliph, was chosen because he was Muhammad’s close friend and was trusted and reliable. This is a more logical approach to selecting a leader. Furthermore, he did not announce himself leader; he had the support of many Muslims on his side. On the other hand, Rome’s government was more unpredictable. Their government changed from a kingdom, which was inherited through the generations, to a republic, where citizens voted, and finally transitioning into an empire, where emperors conquered more lands. In addition, rulers weren’t always chosen for reliability and trust. Some military generals named themselves the leader of Rome, and some even fought for more power in the empire (page 49). All in all, Islam’s political aspects were more stable than Rome’s.

Next, there were also technological similarities and differences between Rome and Islam. For instance, both empires had areas where merchants would gather and sell products, and this improved trade. However, because Islam was an important center of trade, the Islamic marketplace had a larger variety of items, livestock, and even sleeping quarters for merchants (pages 87-91). This shows that Islam was a multi-cultural empire because of all the trade occuring in Islam. Rome and Islam's aspects of trade were similiar and different in all these ways.

Lastly, the enviroment Rome and Islam were located in were very different. Rome was located mostly where present day Europe is, and Rome had access to areas of water, such as the Tiber River for drinking and irrigation, and the Mediterranean Sea for fishing and trade boats. Rome also built waterways like aquaducts to transport water to Rome cities. This relates back to the technological relations with land features. On the other hand, Islam didn't build waterways. Because Islam's land was more like a arid desert region, Islamic cities were built near water sources, like oases. This shows that Rome and Islam's differences were greatly influenced by enviromental features. In the end, both empires took advantage of their environmental features.

To sum things up, Rome and Islam showed many differences and similarities when their empires were thriving. These differences and similarites relate to trade, enviroment, politics, and technology. The comparisons and contrasts betweem these two empires show the different ways a strong empire is formed.