The essay question needs to be at least two paragraphs long. You need to make an argument, that is, a point that you want to prove, and then you need to back up your argument with evidence from material weve covered in class. 

Based on the materials you’ve encountered in the class, compare and contrast how Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and eventually became the official Roman religion with the origin of Islam and the creation of an Islamic caliphate.  What were some differences?  What were some similarities?  Were the Christian and Muslim worlds more different or alike in history, institutions, and culture?
Compare and contrast the Mongols of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries (i.e. the 1100s, 1200s, and 1300s) with earlier pastoral nomads of the steppes that we’ve encountered in the course. In what ways were the Mongols similar to these earlier nomads? In what ways were they different? In the end, were the Mongol conquests of the thirteenth century more different or similar to earlier conquests by groups of pastoral nomads? Why or why not?