Why should we study these two great civilizations?

Islam and Byzantine : Civilizations that changed our worldBy Lindsey ViewegJason YanarosMario MarenaRebecca SkowronekPeriod 1June 9th 2011 Why should we study these two great civilizations?

So why study Islam andByzantine? • They helped us in math and gave us architecture • Created many amazing inventions that have helped us even today like: • Toothbrushes • Pendulums • And many more • It is important to learn about the people that helped shape our lives today

Islamic Designs 1.Mosque 2.Palace 3.Tomb

Mosque • The first mosques that were ever constructed were simple squares. • As the Islamic Empire grew the mosque became more complex. • Then the mosques had roofed arches and had domes on them.

Mosque • The Great Mosque of Kairouan is considered to be the ancestor of all the mosques in the western world.

Tomb • The TajMahal is one of the finest works of Islamic architecture. It is was built when Shah Jahan’s 3rd wife died after giving birth to their 14th child. So it is a tomb built for her.

Palace The Dolmabahce Palace was built between 1843-1856. The palace used 14 tons of gold in the form of gold leaf.

Art • The art wasn’t just restricted to religious art, but was based on the rich and varied cultures of Islam.

Art • Islamic art is usually based on a floral design or vegetables designs.

Islam and Byzantine Contributions to Mathematics

Algebra and Geometry Al-Khwarizmi is believed to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time The word algorithm comes from his name His book explains how to solve these six different equations; (ax² = bx); (ax² = b); (ax = b); (ax² + bx = c); (ax² + c = bx); (bx + c = ax²)

Math Books & Equations • Abu Kamil wrote The Book of Algebra which consists of the application of algebra to geometry • Kamil discovered these formulas; • (ax)bx=abx² • a(bx)=(ab)x • (10–x)(10–x)=100+x²–20x

Math Equations • Al-Karkhi figured out how to solve this equation; ax²ⁿ+bxⁿ=c • He also introduced x³, x², x, ⅟x, ⅟x², and ⅟x³

Binomials • Omar Khayyam discovered how to expand a binomial • He describes both arithmetic and geometric solutions to second degree equations

Zero • The concept of zero is introduced by Khwarizimi • The book of Hisab Al-JabrwalMuqabala by Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi is about Al-Khwarizmi • Algebra comes from the name Al-Jabr which is in the title of Khwarizimi’s book mentioned above.

Islam and Byzantine accomplishments in science

The help of others Islamic and the Byzantinian people were among the first people to involve other countries in an effort to learn more about medicine and healthcare.

Encyclopedias The first encyclopedia of medicine was Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari'sParadise of Wisdom. It was written in seven parts and put an enormous amount of the knowledge of medicine known at that time into a central place, something that had not been done before.

Women in medicine The role of women as practitioners appears in a number of Islamic books. Two female physicians from IbnZuhr, a famous doctor’s family helped the Almohad ruler Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur in the 12th century.Later in the 15th century, female surgeons were talked about for the first time in the book Imperial Surgery.

Pendulum The Pendulum was invented by Ibn Yunus, a scientist who lived in the reign of Aziz Billah. The invention of the Pendulum led to the measurement of time by its oscillations. Another major break though in science

Mariners Compass The invention of Mariners Compass, which revolutionized sea trade and shipping, allowed the Islamic people to travel over the sea in order to conquer new land and find additional markets for their merchandise.

Astrolabes In the Islamic world, astrolabes were used to find the times of sunrise and the rising of fixed stars, to help schedule morning prayers. Although not invented by the Islamic people, Astrolabes were developed in the medieval Islamic world , Muslim astronomers put into the astrolabe angular scales and circles.It was widely used throughout the Muslim world as a way of finding the direction of Mecca. The first person to build the astrolabe in the Islamic world was the 8th century mathematician, Muhammad al-Fazari.

Incredible Islamic Inventions

Principal for the Parachute • Accidentally created by AbbasibnFirnas. • He jumped off a high building with a cloth wing attached to his back. • His attempt at flight failed, but the cloth saved his life/fall. • This failed flight led to the invention of the parachute.

Process of Distillation • Distillation was invented around the year 800 by Islam's foremost scientist, Jabir ibnHayyan. • Distillation is separating liquids through the differences in their boiling points. • Ironically distillation is a process of purifying alcohol, and Muslims don’t drink alcohol.

Crank Shaft • A Muslim engineer called al-Jazari wanted to raise water for irrigation. • He created a device to translate rotary into linear motion. • The crank shaft is one of the most important mechanical inventions.

The Toothbrush • A twig from the Meswak tree was used to clean teeth and freshen breath. • According to Hassani, the Prophet Mohammed made the use of the first toothbrush popular in around 600.

“Quilting” • The colder climates demanded more insulated clothing. • Quilting was developed as a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating material in between.

Windmill • The desert rivers often ran dry and the only reliable resource of energy was the wind. • Invented for a Persian caliph and used to grind corn and draw up water for irrigation.

Carpets • Because of the five daily prayers and quest for cleanliness, Muslims created a mat as a barrier between them and the dirty floor. • Carpets were then decorated with colors and evolved to be the modern carpet.

Militarizing Early Gunpowder • Gunpowder already existed in China for fireworks. • Muslims realized gunpowder could be purified using potassium nitrate for military use.

Other Interesting Inventions • Soap – perfected with vegetable oils and aromatics • Three Course Meal - Ali ibnNafi’s soup, fish/meat and fruit/nuts • Fountain Pen – for the Sultan of Egypt • Garden – use for beauty and meditation • Modern Check – saqq (promise of money) • Coffee – berry giving goats energy

Inventions from Byzantine Empire

The Counterweight Trebuchet • Counterweight Trebuchet is a catapult using a counterweight to toss a projectile. • The earliest written record of the counterweight trebuchet is found in the work of the 12th century historian, NiketasChoniates.

The Hand-Held Trebuchet • The Hand-Held Trebuchet was a mini-trebuchet and used as a weapon. • This version allowed easy transportation and operation by one person.

Greek Fire • A very flammable substance that was used in many Byzantine pyrotechnic weapons. • Greek fire was a devastating weapon, and the actual make up was so closely held that today, we can only speculate at the ingredients.

The Grenade • First Grenade is a weapon using Greek Fire. • The Byzantine people figured out if they enclosed Greek Fire in clay or stone jars, light a fuse, it would explode.

The Flamethrower • Flamethrowers were used both as portable and ship based weapons. • The Byzantine people used siphons for Greek Fire set ablaze.

Icons • Icons are religious paintings of Christianity. • These paintings actually started the Iconoclast and were very important in the history of Rome and the Byzantine Empire.

The Shipmill • The historian Procop records that ship mills were introduced by Belisarius during the siege of Rome. • Belisarius ordered boats to be fitted with mill gearing; these were moored between bridge piers where the strong current powered the water wheels mounted on the vessel.

So why study Islam andByzantine? • They helped us in math and gave us architecture • Created many amazing inventions that have helped us even today like: • Toothbrushes • Pendulums • And many more • It is important to learn about the people that helped shape our lives today

Why should we study these two great civilizations?