War on camels and war on horses Hmm... how are these two cultures similar? Let' s find out through: STEEP!!! Not pest... :D

Courtney Shin
Pd. 2-History
11/16/09

Because of the fact that Rome and the Arabian Peninsula are some thousands of miles apart, we can easily figure that the two vast empires that flourished in these regions could have absolutely nothing in common. Yet, may it be a religious, economical, or even environmental aspect of these two cultures, many would be surprised at the numerous similarities and obvious differences between these two grand empires.


One of the main aspects in which we can look at the Roman and Islamic Empire and find many similarities and differences, thoroughly comparing and contrasting is the socio-cultural view of these two cultures. Just from its title, the Islamic Empire, we can immediately realize that Islam, the culture’s religion, played an excessively big role in society. For the Roman Empire, at the time of the Byzantine Empire, Christianity was its main religion. But did these religions have the key role it now maintains in society from its birth? No; we find that the followers of Christianity and Islam were persecuted at first. “Roman officials imprisoned and killed many Christians.” (pg.51) Similar persecution arose at Muhammad’s hometown when, “Meccans persecuted the early Muslims.” Yet, Christianity and Islam came out to be the main religions of each empire. When each religion grew, it was not because of powerful Christian or Muslim leaders, yet, because of the increasingly growing population of citizens being converted into these religions each religion earned the status it has today in society. Thus, the people had a very powerful impact on socio-cultural aspects because, of course, society was made up of citizens. Yet another similarity is that both religions experienced a type of split. For Christianity in Rome, an official split occurred: a schism. This was a result of “growing differences and ideas between the Eastern and Western churches.” (pg. 62) Two new Christian religions were founded after the schism: Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In a similar way, the Muslim community was separated. This split occurred when a family, known as the Umayyads became caliphs, successors of Muhammad, even though they had no family relationship to the prophet. This became very controversial throughout the community. “Because they wanted peace, most Muslims accepted the Umayyad’s rule. But a minority resisted.” (pg. 102) They minority did not follow those who were not related to Muhammad were in a “party” called the Shi’a while the majority was called the Sunnis, accepting the non-related. This schism and the split are very similar to each other because both Roman and Muslims had a group that held on to rules of the past, Roman Catholicism and the Shi’a party, and another group where they accepted new ideas, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the Sunnis. When religions hold on to ideas of the past, it may even be a way of showing loyalty to their forefathers. They may shun the other, thinking that they do not honor those who founded the religion. Also, the religious "conservatives" may believe that the other party is not worshipping, for Christianity, God, and for Islam, Allah, in a respectful way. Yet, no one can truly say which one is over another. Each have its disadvantages and advantages. Lastly, while the Romans’ social lives were based on power, the Muslims were committed to Islam. For instance, the Romans conquered nations for more power and control while “Muslim troops (on camels) conquered much territory in the name of Allah.” (pg. 101) For instance, think about Julius Caesar. He conquered and conquered. "The victory gave the Romans CONTROL over much of the Mediterranean Sea (Punic Wars)." (pg. 49) "In the name of Allah" most likely meant that they conquered not to take over, but to convert others to Islam. Also, public baths at the Roman and Muslim Empire were to, of course, improve hygiene. Yet, although baths both helped the community socialize, Roman baths were built for the community and the community alone while the Muslim baths, or better worded, fountains, were built in front of mosques so that Muslims could "sanctify" themselves. Rome was based around power, which was shown in their ways of conquest while the Muslim empire's society was based around Islam. Maybe Muslims even made friendships throughout the trekking to Mecca. Thus, while Rome did everything for power, the Muslim empire did everything for Allah. That means that society effected politics because high-position leaders in the Roman empire were from a military background while Muslim leaders were elected for their faith. By looking at these two cultures from a socio-cultural aspect, we find some of the many similarities and differences between the Roman and Muslim Empire.

Second, we can also compare and and contrast the Roman and Muslim empires from an environmental view, no matter how odd. The Arabian Peninsula is mainly desert, and only a small amount is useful for agriculture. This differs from Rome's geography, with the "Apennines Mountains protecting the region from harsh weather," (pg. 47) while the Tiber River was a great source of water and trade. Because Rome's environment was a more positive attribute to the empire while it was the opposite way for the Muslims, the Muslims probably had a harder time, not only agriculturally but also in migrations and trade. The Muslim way of life was a challenge to overcome. Imagine yourself, living in the midst of a desert 24/7. Sand dunes would not be rare and a camels spit was what you were taught to avoid as a young child. Wouldn't that ype of life be hard? For the Muslims, life in Rome would have probably been a blessing. Yet, the Muslims and the Romans both made technological discoveries from the environment they lived in. In the vast desert, no landmarks could be seen to help navigate through the monstrous sand dunes. Thus, the very intelligent Muslims invented the astrolabe, a device used to tell time, be a navigation device, and to even measure objects. This device was a breakthrough in technology at the time, only needing the sun for its calculations. (Video: What the Ancients Did for Us: Arabs and Muslims) The Romans advanced their already great landscapes by first making trade routes more convenient. Thousands afnd thousands of miles of roads were built, stretching across the empire. Although the Muslim and the Roman empires' landscapes are entirely different, the Romans and the Muslims were clever enough to not let their environmental circumstances be a disadvantage. It's obvious that the Roman empire had it better, but think about this: If we didn't have the tough Arabian environment to build the astrolabe, many of our inventions; the clock and such, would not have been made! Because the Roman empire was situated near the Tiber River, the Romans built aqueducts and pipelines to bring water to the people and cities, this being yet another technological discovery. On the other hand, Muslims had to relocate themselves to oases for water inconveniently. Even more inconvenient, oases were hard to find. These types of people that moved constantly were called nomads and they sadly made up the majority of the empire. Thus, when there was no water to be found, nomads moved and moved again. This shows yet again how the Roman empire had an advantage through their environment. It affected society and the people very much. An inconvenient environment made an inconvenient way of life. The people in the Muslim empire had to search for water and continuously move while for the Romans, water was brought to them. When we look at these two culures from an environmental aspect, we can abviously state that, yes, Rome had it better.

Lastly, as we saw before, environmental issues affect society and economy. But although Rome had it a little better in terms of environmental aspects, both empires flourished economically. Both the Roman and Muslim empires used their surroundings to start booming trade throughout the region. "In addition, the nearby Tiber River enabled the Romans to engage in a busy and prosperous trade." (pg. 47) The Romans used this river to start a trade throughout the Mediterranean regions. Similarily, the Muslims used their location as a crossroad of Asia, Africa, and Europe to engage economically. Although both regions' environments were entirely different, both used their location as an advantage for trade. When it came to trade, you had to use everything around you that could contribute to your economy in a positive way. Although the environment of the Arabian Peninsula was not the best, the Muslims could not waste their time being envious of other nations. They had to work with what they had. Although the Arabian Peninsula was literally made up of deserts, they could start an equally prosperous trade as Rome. Yet, again, similarities are shown in the ways that both empires transported goods. While the Romans used the Tiber River and roads as trade routes, Muslims similarily used their few but very resourceful sea ports and also, although it was nothing like roads, crossed deserts by camel. Again, we see that Rome had the advantage, but nothing could stop the growing population of citizens in the Muslim empire to back down economically. The Muslim empire's hard work in making trade networks work eventually paid off in its benefits and productivity. Environmental issues, for Rome, was an advantage in trade, while for the Muslims, their thinking and ideas were an advantage. Yet again, environmental aspects hit the Muslim empire hard. While the Romans had a prosperous agricultural trade network, resulting because, "The region experienced cool, rainy winters that created acres of productive farmland." (pg. 47) Yet, only a too small portion of the desert Arabian Peninsula was useful for farming. This was a result of the horrifying lack of water. Thus, while the majority of common citizens in the Roman empire were farmers, the majority in the Muslim empire were, sadly, nomads. Not only was this a drawback for trade, it was a drawback for society, as the people did not have much access to the luxurious items of the Roman empire. We can see that each aspect triggers the next: environmental disadvantages made the economy a little more difficult for the Muslim empire, affecting society. Economically, Rome and the Muslim empire were quite similar. Yet again can we compare and contrast to grand and vast empires.

Despite widely separated locations, the Roman empire and the Muslim empire are very similar and obviously different. As we even found, the aspects of STEEP triggered another, while disadvantages became inevitable and effected society. We have explored through socio-cultural, environmental, and economical aspects, the Roman and Muslim empires have been successfully compared and contrasted!