Daily Update 2.3 Week 3: Module 2: Date 2/14/13 Happy Valentines
Day! Christopher Columbus, Leif Ericsson! Anyone else want a
shot at the title of “first to discover” the Americas? When
talking of discovery by Europeans or Africans or Chinese it must
be noted that this is only a discovery in the sense that they
were ignorant of the existence of this giant landmass filled
with millions of people and numerous different cultures. All of
these explorers are second to the indigenous people of the
Americas who had been living there and prospering for thousands
of years. Today we will consider another group of explorers that
haven’t made it into many school textbooks of the past. The
Islamic Golden Age, which lasted roughly from 750 AD to 1258 AD,
was a period filled with discoveries and inventions and
expansion of the Muslim world. During this time the Muslims made
many contributions to medicine, art, architecture, philosophy,
science and exploration, including intricate mosaics and inlaid
stonework such as this mo