The Mental Floss History Of The World Part 17

6.

number of years it took to build the Hagia Sophia cathedral in Constantinople. (It was completed in 537. It dome was 180 feet high.)

6.

number of lashes recommended by St. Columba in the early seventh century for monks who sang out of tune

24.

number, in years, of the reign of Leo III, the Byzantine emperor who protected Eastern Europe from Arab invaders

34.

number, in years, of the reign of Constantine V, the son of Leo III 260.

number of days in the Mayan ceremonial year 289.

number of years the Tang Dynasty lasted in China 48,900.

number of poems included in the Quan Tang s.h.i.+ Quan Tang s.h.i.+ ( (Complete Tang Poems), written by about 2,300 authors 3,000.

number of people thought to be capable of writing poetry who were executed by Tang Dynasty ruler Huang Chan, after Chan was offended by an anonymous satirical verse about his methods of governing

70.

number of libraries in the eighth century in the Moorish city of Cordoba 50,000.

estimated population of Mayan city of Tikal around 800 30,000.

estimated population of London around 1200

42.

height, in inches, of the Frankish ruler Pepin the Short

76.

height, in inches, of his son Charlemagne 387,204.

area, in square feet, of the Great Mosque of Al-Mutawakkil, built at Samarra between 848 and 852. (For centuries, it was the largest mosque in the world.) 3,000,000.

estimated number of workers who labored on construction of the Grand Ca.n.a.l from 605 to 610 in Sui Dynasty China 1,000,000.

estimated number of workers who died working on the ca.n.a.l from various causes, such as disease and malnutrition

THE FAIR-TO-MIDDLIN' AGES (EVEN IF YOU LIVED IN EUROPE) (EVEN IF YOU LIVED IN EUROPE)

(10001300)

IN A NUTSh.e.l.l.

For many people, the term "olden days" conjures images of knights, castles and the Round Table. And yeah, it had plenty of the King Arthur stuff (although no real King Arthur). But there was a lot more to the age than just jousts, jesters, and pulling swords out of stones.

In reality, the late Middle Ages was a roughly three-to-four-hundred-year period that bridged the end of the after-Rome confusion known popularly (if a bit inaccurately) as the Dark Ages, and the beginning of the Renaissance and the Modern World. The period saw the beginnings of some pretty impressive empires, the end of others, and the beginning and the end of still others.

Among this last group were the Mongols, the nomadic group that rose early in the thirteenth century under Genghis Khan, and then Kublai Khan, to establish one of the largest empires ever, encompa.s.sing most of Russia, Central Asia, and China-only to begin disinte-grating by the middle of the fourteenth century.

The once-mighty Byzantine Empire shrank until it was little more than the city of Constantinople. When that city fell to the rising tide of Ottoman Turks in 1453, it marked the end of the last vestige of the glory that had once been the Roman Empire.

Meanwhile, the Muslim way of life continued to dominate over much of the Middle East, Arabia, and North Africa, although it was by no means a unified force. Seljuk Turks, Egyptian Mamelukes, and Syrians under the command of the great leader Saladin all vied for power over parts or all of the Muslim-dominated territories.

Much of the subcontinent of India was a collection of small warring states until the sultanate of Delhi came to dominate in the mid-fourteenth century. In Africa, flouris.h.i.+ng kingdoms existed among the Mali, and in Ghana and Zimbabwe. And in the New World, the Chimu in Peru, Toltecs in Mexico, and Mississippians and Anasazi in North America flourished, while even more powerful groups known as Incas and Aztecs waited in the wings.

In addition to war, virtually all of the Old World shared one other thing in common during this period: epidemics of plague that periodically swept from east to west and left populations decimated in their wake.

Ironically, the plagues' rapid spread was made possible by improvements in communication and transportation among countries. Those changes, in turn, had been made possible by the military successes of nomadic groups-most specifically the Mongols.

These nomads conquered areas that overlapped traditional national boundaries, bringing different groups together, albeit sometimes unwillingly. The result was increased trade and the sharing of ideas between groups of people who heretofore stuck to themselves. The spread of innovations such as the magnetic compa.s.s helped fire people's imaginations and jump-start the age of exploration that was just around the corner, historically speaking.

The earlier widespread establishment of religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam also served to create bonds among people in different geographic areas. And even the clash of major religions, such as between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades, increased more contact between the cultures and more familiarity with what each had to offer.

Despite man's seemingly best efforts to kill his neighbors rather than get to know them, the world was getting smaller.

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WHAT HAPPENED WHEN.

~1000.

Tula, capital of the Toltec Empire, is sacked and burned.

1015.

j.a.panese baroness named s.h.i.+kibu Murasaki writes The Tale of Genji. The Tale of Genji.

1016.

England, Norway, and Denmark are united under King Canute.

1055.

The Seljuk Turks conquer Baghdad and cement their dominance of the Muslim world.

1099.

Christian crusaders from Europe capture Jerusalem.

1120.

An Anglo-Saxon scientist named Walcher of Malvern pioneers the measurement of lat.i.tude and longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

1150.

The Hindu temple of Angkor Wat is completed in the capital of the Khmer Empire (now Cambodia).

1154.

Henry II ascends to the throne of England and rules both it and much of France.

1163.

Building begins on the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

1187.

Muslim forces under the leaders.h.i.+p of the Egyptian ruler Saladin retake Jerusalem.

~1200.

A heretofore-nomadic people called the Aztecs enter the central valley of Mexico.

~1200.

The Shona Empire in South Central Africa begins mining gold and copper.

1211.

The Mongol leader Genghis Khan invades China, adding chunks of the country to his expanding empire.

1215.

English n.o.bles force King John Lackland to sign a doc.u.ment known as the Magna Carta, which reaffirms individual rights and puts limits on royal power.

1231.

The j.a.panese shogun Yoritsune bans the practice of parents selling their own children into slavery.

1259.