pre-islamic arabia up to the 600s
DESCRIPTION
Pre-Islamic Arabia up to the 600s. Chapter 6 (part 1 of 5). Islam did not arrive until the 600s. Arabian Peninsula Before Islam. People considered backwards Lived in the desert Nomads who rode camels. Bedouins = Arab nomads who rode camels. Clans. Rubin Family. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Pre-Islamic Arabia up to the 600sChapter 6 (part 1 of 5)
Islam did not arrive until the 600s
Arabian Peninsula Before Islam• People considered
backwards• Lived in the desert• Nomads who rode
camels
Bedouins = Arab nomads who rode camels
Clans
• Tough to survive in desert• Families joined to form
clans• Clans joined to form tribes
Rubin Family
Insana Family
Bergersen Family
Costello Family
Rubinsana Clan
Bergello Clan
L’Town Tribe
Clan LeadershipClan councils – Shaykhs met to make rules, enforced by warriors
Shaykhs = Clan leaders selected by elders
Examples of Rules:Regulated use of watering holes and grazing land
Clan HierarchiesShaykh
sLarge herds, several wives, many
children
WarriorsFrom families who made up
the clan
Slave Familiesconquered from other clans
Wealth Disparities
Wealth DisparitiesWithin clans some families were wealthy, while some were poor
Within tribes, some clans wealthy, some poor
Series1
Rubins
Insanas
Rubinsana
Berglo
The Big Problem – Clan Fighting
• Fights constantly broke out between clans
• Fought over issues such as:- Grazing land- Defeat in horse race- An insult
• These feuds often lasted 100s of years
• Constant infighting hurt the bedouins:- Drained resources- Weakened bedouins compared to their neighbors
Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia
Had more status than in surrounding empires (Byzantine and Sasanian)
Played key economic roles: milking camels, weaving clothes, raising children
Women did not have to wear veils, that came later
Women still not equal: couldn’t be warriors, and property inheritance/divorce laws favored men
ReligionIn Pre-Islamic Arabia, religion was mostly mix of:
1. Animism2. Polytheism
Animism = worship of nature Polytheism = belief in many gods
Pre-Islamic Arab Culture
Poetry was main cultural output and how we know what life was like
Pre-Islamic art and architecture
not advanced
Visitors to Arab cities like Mecca thought architecture was
unimpressive
2 Major Cities: Mecca and Medina
MeccaGrew b/c along trade route
Ruling Tribe = Quraysh
Ruling Clan = Umayyad
The Ka’ba
1) Religious shrine in Mecca
2) Site of yearly truce as pilgrims came to Mecca
3) Helped business b/c visitors traded in peace
4) Big reason for Mecca being major city
MedinaCity of the Prophet Muhammad
Constant fights for control left Medina behind Mecca
Like Mecca, grew b/c along trade route
(formerly called Yathrib)