HANDOUT FOR DEC. 7: CONCLUSION
Chronology:
227-637: Sasanian dynasty rules in Persia; claims descent from ancient Persian Achaemenids (Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, etc.)
260: Persian king Shapur defeats and captures Roman emperor Valerian.
330: Foundation of Constantinople ("Byzantium") as the Roman Empire’s eastern capital.
395: Final division of Roman empire into eastern and western halves.
527-565: Emperor Justinian.
Builds church of Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom").
c.570: Prophet Muhammad born in Mecca.
590-628: Khusro II king of Persia.
602-628: Long war between Rome and Persia leaves both empires exhausted.
622: The Hijra: Muhammad and followers flee to Medina. Year One of the Islamic calendar.
630: Muhammad enters Mecca. Most Arab tribes convert to Islam.
632: Death of Muhammad.
634-642: Arab Muslim armies conquer all of Persia and much of the Roman Near East.
762: Foundation of Baghdad as capital of the Islamic Caliphate.
786-809: Harun al-Rashid reigns in Baghdad. Sends an elephant as gift to Charlemagne.