Muhammad

Muhammad was the Arab prophet that founded Islam. He received his first revelation in Mecca around 610. The revelations were later written down and became what is know as the Koran today. In 622 he was forced to flee Mecca with his followers, and go to Medina because of the large opposition to his preaches. He later led his followers into a series of battles against the Meccans. The Meccans surrendered in 630, and by the time he died he had united most of Arabia.

Art & Culture

Aeschylus

As a playwright, Aeschylus made important contributions to the dramatic art form. He was the first playwright of ancient Greece to include scenes containing multiple actors. Prior to his work, all Greek plays consisted of a single actor and a chorus that served as a sort of narrator. This development presaged the shift towards character and individual actors that would become the hallmark of modern theater. His plays are striking because they so closely resemble the modern conception of drama. The "Father of Tragedy," as he has been called, Aeschylus is also the father of character-driven drama as a whole

The Roman Empire

CAESAR ERA (100 - 44BC) 53-50 BC - Julius Caesar conquers Gaul. The Gauls resist Caesar's army and revolt, led by a young Gallic chieftain, Vercingetorix. The siege of Alesia forces them to surrender and Gaul is won. Julius Caesar turns his attention to seizing supreme power in Rome itself.

Classical and Hellenistic Greece

Alexander the Great

A king of Macedon, a state in northern Greece. By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalayas. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander was tutored by the famed philosopher Aristotle. In 336 BC he succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon to the throne after Philip was assassinated. Philip had brought most of the city-states of mainland Greece underMacedonian hegemony, using both military and diplomatic means.