History of Islamic Civilization 1Islam and Culture“For the first century following the Roman conquest, Egypt functioned in the Mediterranean world as an active and prosperous Roman province. The value of Egypt to the Romans was considerable, as the country's revenue was almost equal to that of Gaul and more than twelve times that of Judea. Its wealth was largely agricultural: Egyptian grain supplied the city of Rome. The country also produced papyrus, glass and various minor arts of fine workmanship which were exported to the rest of the Roman Empire. Its deserts produced a variety of minerals, minerals, and fine stones such as porphyry and granite, which were brought to Rome to be used for sculptures and architectural elements. Trade with Central Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and India flourished along the Nile, desert routes, and sea routes from the Red Sea port of Berenice. Cultural goods and influences flowed from Egypt to Rome via Alexandria, which Diodorus of Sicily described as "the first city of the civilized world" in the 1st century BC. Its great library and community of writers, philosophers, and scientists were known throughout the world ancient. The conquest of Egypt and its incorporation into the empire ushered in a new fascination with its ancient culture. Obelisks and Egyptian-style architecture and sculpture were installed in the Roman forums. The cult of Isis, the Egyptian mother goddess, had an immense impact throughout the empire. (especially those of Alexander the Great). The Greeks and Romans thrived on mathematics, drama, philosophy, literature... at the heart of the paper... with a major role in writing down many of these new sciences and studies instead of simply depending on their oral tradition. This way they were able to maintain this knowledge and then they will be translated into Latin and help Europe get back on its feet in and out of its dark ages. This is why I agree with this assignment's quote that "...Islam has found itself in vital and multiple cultural environments", because without these cultures and cultural interactions Islam would not have an impact so huge about our food, agriculture, architecture (such as buildings, mosques, etc.), our languages, and many of our Islamic governments that exist today.CitationDepartment of Greek and Roman Art. "Roman Egypt". In Heilbrunn's chronology of art history. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/regy/hd_regy.htm (October 2000)