The Early Middle Ages, 284--1000

Lecture Details

The Early Middle Ages, 284--1000 (HIST 210)In this lecture, Professor Freedman introduces Islam. He begins with a discussion of its geographical context the dry desert lands of the Arabian peninsula. The Bedouins, or nomadic Arabs of the region, lived in a tribal society somewhat similar to the Germanic tribes discussed earlier in the course. Their raids against the Byzantine and the Persian Empire, for lack of strong opposition, would lead to the Arab conquests. The second half of the lecture focuses on the life of Mohammed (570580 -- 632) and the early years of Islam. Mohammeds revelation was one of the unity of God and a progressive interpretation of Gods prophets, with Mohammed as the last of these. Early Islam was slow to differentiate itself for Christianity and Judaism, though this process accelerated after Mohammeds flight to Medina in 622. Professor Freedman ends with a discussion of the tenets of Islam and anticipates the discussion of the Arab conquests in the next lecture.0000 - Chapter 1. Islam and Its Arabian Context1128 - Chapter 2. Bedouin Tribes1807 - Chapter 3. Mohammed2920 - Chapter 4. Mohammed in Medina and the Differentiation of Islam3914 - Chapter 5. The Tenets of IslamComplete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website httpoyc.yale.eduThis course was recorded in Fall 2011.