Medieval Arabic culture did not attribute qualities of barbarism based solely on religious grounds. China was highly admired as a fellow civilized culture. India was thought eccentric, but accorded nearly the same status. Far northern and southern cultures were thought exceedingly barbaric because of imbalances in the qualities of their blood brought on by extremes of climate. Lack of culture was primary to a determination of barbarism, but other factors such as cannibalism, unusual funeral rituals or sexual excesses or deficits were cited in descriptions of peoples from both north and south.
