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Category History & Events

When was the start of Saxon Britain?

In the late AD 300 s the Roman army was hard pressed to fight off waves of barbarian invasions. Troops in distant outposts, such as the British Isles, were needed to defend the empire, and by AD 410 the last Roman soldiers had left England for mainland Europe. Without the Roman army to protect them, the Roman Britons of England were unable to prevent these mercenaries, and any new bands of invaders, from taking over land they wanted. The newcomers were a mixture of people – Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Frisians – who became known as the ‘English’. The invaders came to England to find land to farm. They were well armed and tough, and drove away many Britons, who moved into western England.

Fact File:

Treasures unearthed from a burial site of Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, included a gold belt, a sword and shield, an iron helmet, and several items of jewels. Finally there was a scepter and standard which must have belonged to the dead King Redwald.

 

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When was the biggest growth of the Muslim empire?

The advance of Islam seemed unstoppable in the late 600 s. The Byzantine and Persian empires could not halt the armies of Islam, and nor could Egypt. By AD 700 Muslims controlled most of the North African coast and ships patrolled the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. Muslims from Morocco invaded Spain, but the advance of Islam into Western Europe was stopped in AD 732 by the Frankish army of Charles Martel.

Under the Ummayad family rule there were four classes of citizens: Arabian Muslims; new converts; Christians, Jews and Mandaens (a Persian sect); and slaves. The new converts included people from Egypt, Syria, a Persia and Asia Minor. They adopted Arab ways, but brought to the Arabs a wealth of new learning in philosophy, medicine, art and science.

Fact File:

The crescent moon and star became important symbols in Islam, and were often incorporated into architecture and other designs.

 

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When was the start of the Islam faith?

In the first centuries after Christ, Christianity spread from Palestine into North Africa, Asia Minor and across Europe. Further east, many people in the Arabian Peninsula were still pagans, worshipping ancient gods. In this region, during the 600 s, there arose a new religion called Islam.

Islam had its roots in the Hebrew-Christian belief in one God, and its prophet was Muhammad (AD 570-632). Through Muhammad’s Mecca became the holiest city of Islam. Muhammad’s teachings appear in the Koran, the holy book of the Islam.

Fact File:

The people of Arabia traded by camel caravans, which broke their journeys at an oasis.

 

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When was Hadrian’s Wall built?

Hadrian’s Wall was built in AD 122 to defend the northern frontier of Roman Britain. It acted as a checkpoint on movement between England and Scotland. The wall took eight years to build and stretches for 118 km.

At this time the Roman Empire was governed by the personal will of the emperor, but the emperor’s power rested on his army. Weak or bad emperors were sometimes overthrown by army generals. Some emperors ruled well – Hadrian, for example, travelled widely to inspect building projects. Others, such as Nero and Caligula, were cruel or mad. The Romans were such good organizers that the empire usually kept working even when there was a fool at its heart.

Fact File:

A Roman coin stamped with the head of the Emperor Hadrian. During his reign, he personally visited nearly every province in the Roman Empire.

 

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When was the Parthenon built?

The ancient Greeks were pioneers in medicine, mathematics and science. They looked at the world in the light of logic and reason, and made some important discoveries. In the year 432 BC a building called the Parthenon was completed. The Parthenon was built in Athens to honour the city’s protector, the goddess Athene. Her gold and ivory decorated statue was inside the great hall, enclosed by columns which supported the roof like a forest of stones.

The Greeks built many beautiful temples to their gods. Stone columns, as used in the Parthenon, were a typical feature of many Greek buildings.

Fact File:

Greek actors wore masks to show what kind of character (comic or tragic) they played. Audiences would sit in the open air on a hillside to watch the plays.

 

Picture Credit : Google