Interesting, I learned a few things: > Cataclysmic struggle between the eastern Rome and Persia opened the door for Arabs to stream through and build one of th

Interesting, I learned a few things: > Cataclysmic struggle between the eastern Rome and Persia opened the door for Arabs to stream through and build one of the greatest empires in history. More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine%E2%80%93Sasanian_wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine%E2%80%93Sasanian_war... ... I dimly knew these two empires fought but could not have named any of the episodes nor did I realize the direct link to the Muslim conquests. > Cities like Venice, Verdun, Utrecht, Prague and Mainz all did good business trafficking slaves to Arab lands, above all, women and children. It was the Vikings, however, who seized control of this lucrative business, eventually building trading stations along the Russian river systems flowing south towards the Black and Caspian seas that grew into towns such as Kiev and Novgorod. I knew about the Vikings and the Volga slave trade but did not know it previously extended to northern and central Europe; not sure if Wikipedia has a detailed article, but there's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_medieval_Europe#Slave_trade https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_medieval_Europe#Sla...