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Milan, City of Splendour and War 1277-1515
Milan’s most important business street had no displays of velvet cloaks, bright bolts of silk, or cloth-of-gold. It was a
Florence in the Golden Age 1469 -1498
Lorenzo de’ Medici was far from handsome. His skin was sallow, his eyes had a short-sighted squint and his nose
Florence, First City of the Renaissance 1200-1480
March 25, 1436, was the Feast of the Annunciation and the city of Florence was decked out for a celebration.
Early Civilizations to Modern Age
Cracks in the Wall of Islam A.D. 656-750
THE FIRST three caliphs — Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman — had all known — Mohammed well. In 656, Othman,
The Abbasids: Glory and Decay 750 -1258 A. D.
UNDER THE Omayyads, who ruled from 661 to 750, Islam had grown into a mighty empire. Arabic had become its
Rival Caliphs and Amirs in the West A.D. 750-1492
IN 750, when the first Abbasid caliph ordered a wholesale massacre of the family that had ruled before him, hardly
Distant Past and New Challenges
Milestones of History
Hannibal Challenges Rome (217 B.C.)
Hannibal alone, would have dared embark on such a venture. Two powers confronted each other to dispute mastery of the
Slaves in the Ancient World (217 – 73 B.C.)
Slaves could be imported to Italy when and where they were needed. The demand for labour was immediate and there
The Slaves Revolt (73 B.C.)
As Rome’s armies marched victorious across the known world and her fleets patrolled the Mediterranean, hundreds and thousands of slaves
