Dark Ages: Timeline

476: Rome falls to Odavacer

483-511: Clovis unites Franks

493: Odavacer overthrown by Ostrogoths

527-65: Reign of Justinian I

  -529-34: Justinian compiles Corpus Juris Civilis

535-54: Gothic War

541-42: Plague of Justinian

547: St. Benedict dies

568: Lombards invade Italy

590-604: Gregory the Great is Pope

610: Muhammad's vision

  -610-32: Muhammad spreads Islam

  -622: Flight from Mecca

  -630: The Return

610: Heraclitus I assumes power

627: Battle of Ninevah breaks Sassanid power

632-732: Muslim Conquest

  -717: Assault on Constantinople

  -732: Battle of Tours

730-87: Iconoclast Controversy

782: Verdict of Verdun

793: Viking raid on Lindesfarne

800: Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor

814: Charlemagne dies

867-1056: Macedonian Renaissance

919: Gunpowder used at The Battle of Long-Shan Jiang

1000: Vikings discover North America

Roman Empire timeline (337-476 A.D.)

360-363: Julian the Apostate

350: Huns invade east/push Goths west

376: Huns arrive/Goths pushed into Empire

377-82: Gothic War

378: Battle of Adrianople

382: Goths settled, but not tamed

395-7: Alaric's Revolt

405: Huns push barbarians west again

410: Rome sacked

429: Vandals invade Africa

439: Vandals take Carthage

441-53: Attila the Hun

442: Constantinople pays off Attila

452: Attila in Italy

453: Attila dies

453: Aetius dies setting off final crisis

453-69: Hunnic Empire collapses/Barbarians splinter

455: Rome sacked

455: Barbarian proclaimed emperor

461: Majoran's fleet destroyed in Spain ending invasion of North Africa

468: Eastern invasion fleet defeated-bankruptcy-ends of any chance of restoring Roman Empire in west

474: Constantinople negotiates treaty with the Vandals

476: Western Emperor deposed

476: Odacer becomes king of Italy

Roman Empire timeline (217-337 A.D.)

217-284: Crisis of the Third Century

260: Valerian murdered by Persians

268-9: Goths defeated

284: Diocletian restores order

284-305: Diocletian's reign (Tetrarchy)

301: Edict of Maximum Prices

303-11: The Great Persecution

305-337: Reign of Constantine

312: Battle of Mivian Bridge

313: Edict of Toleration

325: Council of Nicea

324-330: Constantinople founded

337: Constantine dies

History Shorts: The Third Crusade (1189-1191)

Saladin took Jerusalem igniting the Third Crusade. The Crusaders defeated the Muslims at key points during the adventure, but could not take Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Richard the Lionheart’s reign was threatened by his brother John. The English king was captured in the way back home and ransomed. The Crusade was a success, but failed in its ultimate goal of retaking Jerusalem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ILS7gs84Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiYNdexDwYw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFgmRb1WXHA

History Shorts: Saladin captures Jerusalem (1187)

The Crusaders in the Holy Land lost a decisive battle to Saladin at Hattin. Afterward, the Islamic warlord slowly pushed back Christian forces. By the end of 1187, he retook the holy city of Jerusalem from the Crusaders. The defeat horrified and galvanized Europe and led to the Third Crusade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71LUlwXr_KM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PMjG3xF2ts

History Shorts: The Viking Age begins (793 A.D.)

The Vikings left Scandinavia for new lands. In 793, they raided the English monastery at Lindesfarne ushering in the Viking Age. Europe seemed on the verge of exiting the Dark Ages when the Vikings struck.  Viking raids over the next few centuries bankrupted kingdoms and tossed the continent back into disarray. The Viking Age ended when the Earth entered into the Little Ice Age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBVh53a8aRo

History Shorts: Muslims invade Spain (711 A.D.)

Islam expanded dramatically after Muhammad’s death. Eventually, their empire ran from Afghanistan to Portugal and Spain. During the first century of the religion’s existence, Muslims conquered Arabia, the Middle East, parts of India, Afghanistan, parts of Africa, and invaded Spain. The invasion of the Iberian Peninsula marked Islam’s attempt to convert the world by sword. They eventually conquered most of modern Spain. The Spanish did not liberate themselves until 1492.

The first link is a brief overview of the Muslim occupation of Spain. The second is a NBC News report on modern Spanish Muslims.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91-NpyEKXWU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJMw0RBCFOM

Sci-Fi History: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

A humanoid alien, Klaatu, visits Earth and delivers an ultimatum to humanity. He tells a professor that other planets worry that nuclear power will destroy Earth.  Klaatu warns people not to extend their violence into space.  He dies, is resurrected, and returns to the heavens.

In 1951, many believed Klaatu represented Christ and that annoyed and frightened some studio execs. The film also explores humanity’s capacity for violence.  Hollywood remade the film in 2008, but it lacked the power of the original. Without the Cold War, it’s message faded.

History Shorts: Council of Nicea (325 A.D.)

The Trinitarian issue threatened to rip the early Catholic Church apart. At issue was god’s nature. Some believed in the trinity while others believed it smacked of polytheism.  The Emperor Constantine called a conference to settle the dispute. The Trinitarians won leading the emperor to enforce the decree. The council also created the first portion of the Nicean Creed, calculated Easter’s date, and settled some early canon.

This clip is a dramatization of events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBszFV90ZSE

History Shorts: The Edict of Milan (313 A.D.)

After Constantine won the Battle of Milvian Bridge, he assigned his victory to the Christian god. In response, he legalized Christianity, ended Diocletian's persecutions, and included incentives for the faithful. By the end of the century, church and state became one. Two hundred years later, the church became the only organization in Western Europe capable of preserving civilization and record keeping.
The first link is a student project. The second is from the Catholic Church.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5XeVWEFSO4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqLBeCmyaKY

History Shorts: The Battle of Milvian Bridge (312 A.D.)

Diocletian’s tetrachy disintegrated after his death. Constantine and others vied for control of the Roman Empire. The Civil War raged until Constantine defeated his final rival at Milvian Bridge. Prior to the engagement, Constantine saw something in the sky, which he interpreted as a sign from the Christian God. He placed the Christian symbol on his men’s shields and went into combat. Following his victory, Constantine credited his victory to the Christian god and legalized the religion.

Here is a dramatization of events:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_P0FZfPlSA

Star Trek timeline: 1st-10th century A.D.

33: Christ Crucified

3^rd century: Spock’s family claim a ceremonial ground which remains in the family into the 23^rd century

220: Han Dynasty falls

312: Christianity legalized

320: Vulcans discover warp drive

4^th century: Vulcan ripped apart by nuclear war

4^th century: Surak leads Vulcan awakening

4^th century: A group of Vulcans leave for Romulas and Remus after rejected Surak

4^th century: The Jem Hadar become the Dominion’s front line troops

4^th century: The Phage strikes the Vidiians

476: Fall of the Roman Empire

6^th century: Kukulkan visits Mayas

610: Muhammad has his revelations

9^TH century: Kahless unites the Klingons

9^th century: Klingons develop warp drive

9^th century: Kaelon II adopts “resolution”

History Shorts: The Bible is written

The Bible is a collection of religious stories compiled into one text. It includes the Hebrew Bible, which represents the Old Testament and the Christian texts that make up the New Testament. The New Testament was written by a number of authors between 50 and 150 A.D. Later, the church decided which books to include and exclude. Since the Bible’s conception, it has served to govern nations, inspire believers, and inform church doctrine. It’s also a masterpiece of literature.

The following clips deal with the Bible and pop culture’s take on the book.

Who Wrote the Bible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suseKsLEWKo

Mel Brooks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk

Charlton Heston:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7dFrzrjSRg

Noah’s Ark:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M6VKgyz8eI

The Sermon on the Mount:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDCbJ4vnMNg

Jesus Christ Superstar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvVr2uks0C8

Superman as a Christ figure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3keuiWzY-Q



　

History Shorts: The Jewish Revolt (66-73 A.D.)

Greek-Jewish tensions over taxation led to a general revolt. Jewish rebels quickly overwhelmed Roman garrisons launching a general war. It took nearly a decade for the Romans to suppress the revolt. In 70, Titus broke resistance in Jerusalem and then moved steadily on other strongholds. The war ended with the fall of Masada.

In the aftermath, Christianity and Judaism split forever. The Christians did not wish to be associated with the unpopular Jewish religion and began playing up the differences between the two groups. At the same time, the Romans inadvertently wiped out Christian leadership in the Holy Land. As a result, Christians in Rome assumed leadership of the religion.

For the Jews, it led to a new Diaspora. Many died, fled, or sold into slavery. Judaism itself went through a reformation. For the first time, Rabbis did not inherit their positions. Lastly, it led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. To date, it has not been rebuilt.

The first two links are from a documentary. The final clip is of Massada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3-jIjrQ1XM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cn9bP06KFs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKe3pXCjCy0

History Shorts: Paul's Conversion (36 A.D.)

Paul of Tarsus persecuted Christians for blasphemy. One day, on the road to Damascus, a vision of Christ blinded him. He converted on the spot and changed the course of history. There are a variety of theories as to what happened to Paul, but what matters is he believed he talked to Christ.

Paul enjoyed Roman citizenship and wealth. As a result, he could travel the empire unencumbered and used his connections to spread the word. Additionally, he reworked Christianity making it more palatable for pagans. For example, he eliminated the need to circumcise new converts. He also argued that salvation came from faith and not works. Paul was executed by the Emperor Nero who needed a scapegoat for the Great Fire of Rome. In 2009, the Vatican announced an excavation of Paul’s tomb, which included carbon dating confirming the remains date to the 1^st century A.D.

The first link is "Saint of Me" by the Rolling Stones. The song mentions St. Paul and tells his story. The second is a cartoon dramatization of Paul's conversion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ej0D0NHfMI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ZJxb4uW-E

What Happens When We Die?

No one knows for sure, but here are some interesting theories.

1. Fade to black: After the initial explosion of endorphins, a bright light appears, and then everything goes dark. The life cycle comes to an end as does consciousness. It's like the period in between dreams while sleeping. Absolute nothingness. Since there is no evidence for an afterlife, some scholars, including Stephen Hawking,  believe this is the inevitable result of death.

2. Heaven/Hell: The concept of an afterlife predates Christianity. Christians perfected and added to the Grecko-Roman concepts of heaven and hell. The only evidence for the existence of these destinations comes from near death experiences. However, those accounts are suspect. It is unclear as to whether these experiences are the result of the brain attempting to make sense of death, reacting to extreme stress of the event or something else.

3. Reincarnation: Reincarnation is the cycle of life, death, and rebirth advocated by Buddhists, Hindus, early Christians, and other faiths. People are born, live their lives, die, and then return to live again as another person (or even as an animal). Some faiths tie reincarnation to behavior in this realm. If a person behaves badly, they accumulate bad karma, and return in a lower state in the next life. If they accumulate good karma, they return better off in the next life.

Unlike options 1 and 2 above, there is some evidence for reincarnation. There are many stories of people speaking dead languages or recognizing images and people that they have no connection to. Some of these incidents are explainable. However, a number of them are not. This does not indicate that reincarnation is fact. However, it does mean that more research is required.

4. Become one with the Force: Any engineer will explain that there is no reason for the human body to function. The body runs on electrical energy. Once the body dies, that energy must go somewhere. Energy can not be created nor destroyed. Where that energy goes is anyone's guess. Christians claim it is the soul and it goes to heaven or hell. A Buddhist might say that energy is reincarnated or reaches Nirvana. Nirvana might simply be the natural world. What happens to consciousness is another question.

5. Nothing ever dies: Time is not linear. We just perceive it that way. As a result, we are born, grow up, get old, and die. However, all of time occurs at once as opposed to linearly. Therefore, nothing ever dies. Life is eternal because all of time happens at the exact same time. Some believe the mind simply reboots after death like a computer or a video game because of how we perceive time.

History Shorts: The First Olympics (776 B.C.)

The first Olympic games occurred in Ancient Greece in 776 B.C. The origins of the games are shrouded in mystery. The Greeks used the games as a tribute to the gods and they later became a political tool for the competing city states. Athletes from various city states competed in various competitions as they do today. The original games lasted until 393 A.D. when the Roman Emperor Theodosius ended the games in an attempt to stamp out non-Christian religions.

This clip is from Chariots of Fire (1981) and is synonymous with the modern Olympic Games. The theme song became a major hit that same year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7Vu7cqB20

Greatest Person ever Tournament

This one may take awhile to do...64 people....4 brackets...names came from a list of the 1000 greatest people in history. I placed this on multiple message boards and tallied the votes.

Here are the 1 vs. 16 winners.

The Western Bracket: Newton defeats Cortes

The Ancient Bracket: Jesus over Leif Ericson

Middle East, Africa: Muhammad over Mehmet the Conqueror

The Far East and Russia: Confucius over Sun Yat-Sen

Ten Plagues of Egypt

Could the ten Plagues of Egypt have occurred? Of course. The question is whether or not they could have occurred in a short period. Some think they never happened. Some think they did happen, but occurred over a long period of time. Could they have happened in quick succession? It is possible.

Let’s assume there was a volcanic eruption (yes back to volcanoes). Here is how an eruption could have pulled off the ten plagues:

1. Water turned to blood. Pollution from an eruption turns the Nile Red. This kills the fish.

2. Frogs. The frogs left the polluted river. Kermit is not dumb.

3 and 4. Biting Bugs/flies. Frog population is depleted leading to a bug invasion.

5. Disease. Bad water, dead animals, lots of insects=disease.

6. Boils. Same explanation as 5.

7. Fire hail. Volcano-duh!

8. Locusts. Locust swarms are common today, so this is nothing unusual for this area with or without a plague. However, dead predators and dead crops means more locusts.

9. Darkness. Volcanic Ash.

10. Death of the firstborn. OK, this one is tougher. However, if the food supply was cut because of the volcano and volcanic ash contamination, then the first born would have received most or all of the rations. The end result was illness from poisoning. Another explanation is sleeping arrangements. Sleeping closer to the ground was a privilege as it was cooler. The first born usually received this privilege. When gasses were released due to geologic activity, they were poisoned.

Also, the parting of the Sea of Reeds (not the Red Sea) could have been achieved by a Tsunami caused by an eruption. This is not to say a volcanic eruption caused these events or that they even happened. However, it is an explanation based on science.

Christmas vs. Mithras

Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25 when we do not know the exact date of Jesus' birth? Public Relations!

The early Christians did not celebrate Christmas. However, some religions and cults did have winter festivals and holidays around the winter solstice. As a result, the early church was worried about losing followers to the cults.

One of the competitors was the Cult of Mithra. The Mithradic Cult was a growing Persian religion that celebrated at the winter solstice. They'd have a party and sacrifice a bull to their god.

Early Church officials then decided to have their own celebration around the solstice and decided Christ's birthday would be the focus.

Merry Christmas! ho-ho-ho