The Germanic peoples and the Arabs were in a similar condition when they took over their respective parts of Roman territory. A century after they did, the West lived through the Dark Ages, while the East entered a Golden Age. What explains this? In this episode, we try to find out.

Most important (extra) sources for the episode (for general list see 3.1):

LEWIS D.L. God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215. Norton, 2009, 522 p.

BORRUT A., COBB P.M., Umayyad Legacies. Medieval Memories from Syria to Spain. Brill Academic Pub. 2010, 528 p.