Topic > The role of science and technology in the ancient Muslim and Byzantine empires

Due to differences in history, culture and circumstances, the ancient Muslim world and the Byzantine empire developed with very different scientific goals and achievements . Muslims worked with a large spread of mathematical and scientific work, while the Byzantine Empire focused on architecture. These different objectives would influence both the populations of the empires themselves and those of the surrounding areas in the years to come. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe ancient Muslim empire made great progress especially in astronomy, mathematics and medicine thanks to Islam, their capital Baghdad and the House of Wisdom. The reason Islam helped focus the population on the sciences begins with their prophet Muhammad, who personally supported learning in these fields (Beck, 274). However, a more important push towards astronomy in particular was how knowledge in that field was necessary to fulfill 3/5 of the pillars of Islam: fasting during the month of Ramadan, performing the hajj, and praying towards Mecca (Beck, 275). The religious need to measure time and position eventually created the Astrolabe, consisting of a fixed plate containing a map of the sky, and a rotating “net” that simulated the movement of the Earth (Beck, 275). In later years, the House of Wisdom was opened in Baghdad as a library, academy, and translation center for scholars of all different beliefs and cultures (Beck, 276). Texts on everything from philosophy to medicine would be translated from the Greek, Indian, and Persian languages ​​into Arabic (Beck, 276). The House of Wisdom has given birth to many great scholars. For example, Muslim scholars believed that mathematics was “the basis of all knowledge,” leading a mathematician Al-Khwarizmi to study Indian sources (Beck, 278). He then wrote about al-jabr, or “the art of bringing together unknowns to match a known quantity,” known today as Algebra (Beck, 278). Another mathematician, Ibn al-Haytham, wrote Optics on vision, going against common belief by saying that rays go from objects to the eyes rather than vice versa (Beck, 278). This knowledge was used to make lenses for telescopes and microscopes (Beck, 278). Another great science studied in Baghdad was medicine, which was studied especially by the Persian al-Razi, perhaps the best doctor of his time (Beck, 278). His Complete Book was an encyclopedia of knowledge from Greek, Syrian, Arabic, Indian, and personal sources (Beck, 278). This demonstrates the positive effects of the cultural diversity of the House of Wisdom. The Byzantine Empire concentrated its scientific studies on architectural creation, which was strongly influenced by history and religion. Byzantine architecture was inspired by that of its predecessor, Rome (Greenfield). However, there are many aspects of Roman architecture that the Byzantines expanded upon. For example, commonly used spandrels were four curved, notched triangles used to build large domes (Trachtenberg, Hersey). These were often seen in churches, which played an important role in Byzantine architecture and culture (Trachtenberg, Hersey). One of these churches was the Hagia Sophia, known as the “most splendid church in the Christian world” (Beck, 303). This was rebuilt on the orders of Justinian, as he considered churches the most visible sign of his Empire's connection between church and state (Beck, 303). Justinian also had a passion for architecture, carrying out a program that significantly expanded his palace, as well as creating new baths,.