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The Indian subcontinent has largely been isolated from its neighbors due to certain geographic features; this has fostered a sense of cohesion for the Indian people despite great diversity and political fragmentation. One of the greatest agents of this isolation has been [BLANK-1]. This mountain range, the highest on Earth, marks the northeastern boundary of the Indian subcontinent and its snowmelt serves as a source for the Ganges River.

The most notable Sufi Muslim was the Spanish mystic-philosopher [BLANK-1] (1165-1240). He traveled extensively in Muslim areas such as Spain, North Africa, and Arabia seeking the knowledge of the masters of Sufism. He wrote notable works such as The Meccan Revelation, The Interpreter of Desires, and The Bezels of Wisdom. His writings are considered among the greatest works of Sufism.

Dictator was an official Roman position during the Republican Era. In times of crisis, the Roman Republic would name a man dictator and give him absolute power in order to manage the crisis; Roman law mandated that the dictator had to relinquish his emergency powers after six months. One Roman general, [BLANK-1], gained power and ruled as a dictator in 81 B.C.E.; however, he refused to give up his power for nine years. This violation of the republican constitution and the shattering of the Roman traditions it represented helped to hasten the end of the Roman Republic.

[BLANK-1] was a Confucian follower who recorded Confucius’s sayings for posterity. Unlike Confucius and many of his followers, this man had served for many years in the court of his home state. He believed that human beings were innately selfish and evil, but that through education and ritual they could learn to put moral principle above their own interest. He believed that Heaven does not intervene in human affairs.

Muhammad gave Muslims the idea of a unified [BLANK-1]. This was a community that consisted of all people whose bond was a common religious faith. This concept was instrumental in helping Islam become both a political and religious movement; it also facilitated conversion to the faith.

Muhammad’s life, as demonstrated in the Hadith provides the “normative example” of a well-lived life for a Muslim believer, a concept that came to be known as [BLANK-1].

Ancient Egypt’s fiercest foe during [BLANK-1] was a group of Indo-Eurasian speaking people who settled in Anatolia known as the Hittites. In 1258 B.C.E., Pharaoh Ramses II established a peace treaty with this group but it failed to lead to continued peace between the groups. This period of Egyptian history also saw Akhenaten’s religious revolution as well as an emphasis on military expansion

After the Bronze Age Collapse, the Kingdom of Kush rose to power in Nubia and, thanks in part to its abundance of iron ore, expanded its territory into Egypt. A Black Kushite King named [BLANK-1] conquered southern Egypt and by 727 B.C.E. ruled the entire Nile Valley to the delta in the North. He united Egypt once more and Egypt enjoyed a brief period of prosperity under his and his son’s rule.

Comment on the appropriateness of the methodology/approach to executing this research? Explain and properly cite with additional supporting literature. 

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