"Mumble with authority."

--Steve Post
   Classical Music Radio Announcer

"Rome" signifies that the line deals with events in the Classical Mediterranean world, including both ancient Greece and Rome.

"Islam" signifies that the line deals with the Middle East, the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean after the twelfth century A.D. The few applications of Islam outside this geographical region are self-explanatory.

"Egypt" and "China" are self-explanatory.

Note on Commentary usage:

The terms "West" and "Western" refer primarily to western and central Europe and the English-speaking world (especially the United States) from the late eighteenth century onwards.

The West is discussed in the past tense.