Gone Medieval – "Medieval Roots of the Modern Alphabet"

Podcast: Gone Medieval (History Hit)
Date: December 5, 2025
Host: Dr. Eleanor Janega
Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Drayson, historian and author of "Crucible of Islam and the Forging of Europe from the 8th to the 21st Century"

Overview

This episode of Gone Medieval explores the profound influence of Islamic civilization on the development of European identity, culture, and learning—especially in the Middle Ages. Dr. Eleanor Janega invites Dr. Elizabeth Drayson to discuss her new book, which challenges simplistic "clash of civilizations" narratives and instead highlights how Islamic, Christian, and Jewish societies intertwined, sharing knowledge that fundamentally shaped Western science, medicine, philosophy, and language.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Transmission of Knowledge Across Cultures

• Constantine the African, Adelard of Bath, and Fibonacci:
  Dr. Janega opens with vivid stories of three pivotal medieval figures whose journeys symbolized the transfer and transformation of intellectual traditions from the Islamic world to Europe:
  • Constantine the African brought Arabic medical works to Salerno, introducing Avicenna and Al-Razi’s texts to European students (03:18).
  • Adelard of Bath studied in the Islamic world and imported both texts and experimental methods, reasoning, and calculation to England (03:42).
  • Fibonacci, inspired by the Hindu-Arabic numeral system in Algeria, introduced these numerals to Italian merchants, revolutionizing European commerce and book-keeping (04:17).
  • "[...] the very fabric of trade—double-entry bookkeeping, contracts, loans—would rest on a foundation that can be traced back to Baghdad, Damascus, and Cordoba." – Dr. Janega (04:55)

Collaboration in Translation and Learning

• The Toledo School and Interfaith Scholarship:
  • Major Greek mathematical and scientific texts were first translated into Arabic and then, through places like Toledo, were painstakingly rendered into Latin and vernacular European languages across centuries.
  • Translators often worked in multicultural teams including Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars.
  • “What happened was that scholars traveled from northwestern European countries…to translate collaboratively...with an Arab colleague and a Jewish colleague. Jewish scholars often acted as intermediaries...” – Dr. Drayson (07:40)

The Political Manipulation and Erasure of Islamic Contributions

• After the Fall of Granada (1492):
  • Spain saw a systematic suppression of Islamic culture, lasting until the late 20th century.
  • Renaissance scholars preferred to credit only Greek and Latin sources, erasing the critical role of Arabic preservation and expansion of classical texts.
  • Even luminaries like Isaac Newton and Copernicus relied on Arabic sources, often unacknowledged (11:05).
  • “We have examples like Copernicus...everyone thinks...he discovered the heliocentric system for the universe himself, and in fact, he based it very closely upon 12th-century Arab astronomers’ work.” – Dr. Drayson (11:54)

The Complexity of Medieval Christian-Muslim Relations

• Beyond the "Clash of Civilizations" Myth:
  • Islamic and Christian societies often engaged in collaboration and coexistence, not perpetual antagonism.
  • The encounter between these cultures catalyzed not just conflict but immense creativity and transformation.
  • Myths of Christian-Muslim enmity were advanced later for political reasons, including during Francoist Spain and in Central European imperial contexts (09:21).

The Expansion of Islam into Europe

• Historical Context:
  • The quick rise of Islam coincided with the fall of the Roman and Persian empires, filling a political and spiritual vacuum (13:19).
  • The conquest of Iberia involved both military actions and negotiated entries, often with cooperation from local elites (15:23, 17:14).
  • The famous legend of Count Julian illustrates how even so-called invasions could be collaborative at times (17:14).
  • Early Islamic rule often benefited Jewish populations, who faced persecution under Visigothic Christians: “Jewish groups often welcomed in the Muslims...because they knew they were going to live under far less severe conditions...” (17:14)

Myths, Literature, and Historical Narratives

• Formative Myths:
  • Creation of anti-Islamic narratives in Christian sources, e.g., the "Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius," and refiguring of historical events in works like the Chanson de Roland (Roland Song).
  • The Chanson de Roland transformed a war against Basques into a foundational myth of Christian-Muslim conflict, which shaped European perceptions for centuries:
    • “It lionizes Charlemagne as a champion of Christianity over Islam and created...one of the great constitutive myths of Christendom.” – Dr. Drayson (23:10)
  • “Historians have to keep doing the work...it's so easy to just kind of go along with the story that, that you're told, and that's why we do the digging in the first place.” – Dr. Janega (29:54)

The Umayyad Golden Age in Cordoba

• Abd al-Rahman I:

  • Established Cordoba as Europe’s first true Islamic emirate, fostering an environment of tolerance and intellectual prosperity (30:39).
  • Introduced green agricultural techniques and spearheaded a “cultural utopia,” including the construction of the Great Mosque.
  • “It was an extraordinary state because it had an ethos of tolerance. It was environmentally green... It was a remarkable place and it brought huge prosperity.” – Dr. Drayson (31:23)

• Cordoba as a Center of Scholarship:

  • Home to dozens of libraries, botanical gardens, and a book market that became the largest in Europe in the 10th century (33:13).
  • The Great Mosque, later appropriated as a cathedral, remained a symbol of cultural hybridity—and of later, often brutal, cultural suppression (36:39).

Islamic Contributions to Science and Medicine

• Mathematics:

  • Al-Khwarizmi (House of Wisdom, Baghdad) and Ibn Firnas were instrumental in bringing algorithms and the “Arabic” (Hindu-Arabic) numeral system to Europe (41:29).
  • “Algorithms, which, of course, is a Latinized version of Al Khwarizmi's name...underpinned the whole mathematical knowledge of the...Western world.” – Dr. Drayson (42:20)

• Medicine:

  • Al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis), born in Cordoba, wrote medical texts influencing European surgery, including techniques and instruments still recognizable today (43:04).

• Translation and Assimilation:

  • The process of translating and assimilating scientific knowledge was gradual, spanning several centuries and involving figures like Gerbert of Aurillac (later Pope Sylvester II) and Gerard of Cremona (43:56).

Sicily as a Multicultural Bridge

• The Norman Kingdom:
  • Sicily was a Muslim-controlled island for 250 years before Norman conquest. Roger II created a uniquely pluralistic society, integrating Latin, Greek, and Arabic traditions (46:58).
  • “He dressed in Muslim clothes, had coins minted with Arabic inscriptions...and even had a Muslim chef.” – Dr. Drayson (48:22)
  • Roger II’s Book of Roger, produced by the Muslim scholar Muhammad al-Idrisi, was the world’s best map for 300 years (49:00).

Cross-Religious Encounters During the Crusades

• Diplomatic and Cultural Exchanges:
  • Stories like that of St. Francis of Assisi visiting Sultan Al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade show surprising cross-cultural contact, contradicting stereotypes of relentless holy war (52:34).
  • “It is an example of a surprising and peaceful encounter between a Muslim ruler and a Catholic monk at the height...of violent confrontation.” – Dr. Drayson (53:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the hybrid identity of Europe:
  “Europe isn’t separate, it isn’t ‘here’s Europe and here are the Islamic empires.’ They are on a continuum and part of each other...so deeply interwoven at all levels that we need to think of it in a different way historically entirely.”
  – Dr. Elizabeth Drayson (55:49)

• On the motivations for historical erasure:
  “Nobody wants to admit that the way that we got [Aristotle] was through the Arabic line of thinking...this desire to simply erase an entire mode of philosophy in order to serve a very particularized political agenda.”
  – Dr. Janega (12:37)

• On the persistence of fabricated myths:
  “Changing the Basques into an army of Muslims is a pretty big deal...historians have to keep doing the work, right? Because it’s so easy to just kind of go along with the story that you’re told.”
  – Podcast Host (29:29, 29:54)

• On the importance of societal diversity:
  “These places where we have this heavy diversity ... [are] at the forefront of driving progress, of driving forward intellectual pursuits...a willingness to take on other viewpoints and to truly consider things from the outside.”
  – Podcast Host (50:09)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Personal stories of transmission: 02:16–05:45
• Translation Schools and Interfaith Collaboration: 07:40–09:21
• Erasure of Islamic Scholarship from European Memory: 11:05–13:19
• Rise and Expansion of Islam into Europe: 13:19–17:14
• Legends, Myths, and History’s Shaping: 20:58–26:17
• Abd al-Rahman I and the Umayyad Golden Age: 30:39–36:39
• The Great Mosque of Cordoba’s legacy: 34:50–38:53
• Islamic Advances in Science and Medicine: 41:29–46:32
• Multiculturalism and Pluralism in Norman Sicily: 46:32–49:00
• Christian-Muslim Encounters during Crusades: 51:09–54:44
• Rethinking European Identity and Historical Narratives: 54:44–56:45

Conclusion

Dr. Janega and Dr. Drayson affirm the need to interrogate oversimplified historical narratives, emphasizing that Europe's intellectual and cultural achievements are fundamentally indebted to prolonged, multifaceted interaction with Islamic civilization. The episode is a thoughtful, accessible journey through the realities—rather than the myths—of medieval cross-cultural exchange, making a persuasive case for reimagining the roots of "Western" identity in a more intertwined, inclusive way.