I'm studying a unit in my european history book that has to do with Europe around 700 A.D. It says that Europe was split into three segments: The Byzantine Empire, the Arabic World, and the Latin Christendom. When I looked at a map of Europe around that time, it mentioned the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanid Dynasty/Persian Empire. Is the Persian Empire the Arabic world that my book is talking about it or is it just a part of it? If anyone could define what my book means by "Arabic world", that would be great. Thanks!

Question

I'm studying a unit in my european history book that has to do with Europe around 700 A.D. It says that Europe was split into three segments: The Byzantine Empire, the Arabic World, and the Latin Christendom. When I looked at a map of Europe around that time, it mentioned the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanid Dynasty/Persian Empire. Is the Persian Empire the Arabic world that my book is talking about it or is it just a part of it? If anyone could define what my book means by "Arabic world",  that would be great. Thanks!

anonymous · Answer

i would say that the arabic world probably had to do with some form of government or leadership in that section.

anonymous · Answer

The book sounds like it's glossing Arabs and Persians together which isn't actually right -- Persians are an ethnic group in Iran and actually take offense to being called Arabs and the Sassanid Dynasty was distinctly Persian. But the empire did have Arab subjects under their rule until its collapse. When Islam later united the Arab tribes of the Middle East, they would conquer the Persian Empire and its people absorbed into the Arab-led caliphates that came after.

anonymous · Answer

Okay; that clears up a lot of confusion. Thank you!