A History of World Societies, Volume A: From Antiquity to 1500

by McKay, John P.; Hill, Bennett D.; Buckler, John; Buckley Ebrey, Patricia; Beck, Roger B.; Crowston, Clare Haru; Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E.

• ISBN13: 9780312682965
• ISBN10: 0312682964
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-10
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

More than any other text,A History of World Societiesintroduces students to the families, foods, workplaces, religions, and diversions of peoples of the past through lively, descriptive writing and extensive primary sources that give voice to a wide range of individuals. This hallmark treatment of social history combines with strong political, cultural, and economic coverage and a clear, easy-to-manage organization to provide students with the most vivid account available of what life was like throughout human history.The Eighth Edition welcomes to the author team Merry Wiesner-Hanks and Clare Crowston, experienced world-history teachers and highly regarded scholars who bring additional attention to gender and cultural history. It also expands the text's global perspective by strengthening coverage of non-Western topics and comparisons among world societies. A fresh, colorful look and a completely new map program showcase a narrative that the authors judiciously shortened for even greater power and accessibility.Bedford/St. Martin's is proud to have recently acquired the stellar McKay franchise in World History and Western Civilization. These wonderful books fit well with our publishing philosophy at Bedford/St. Martin's, emphasizing innovation, quality, and a focus on the needs of students and instructors. We hope to contribute to their future success with the care and attention to detail we give every book we publish.

Author Biography

John P. McKay, Professor of History at the University of Illinois, received his Ph.D. from the University of Columbia, Berkeley in 1968. Author of three books, he won the Herbert Baxter Adams Award from the American Historical Association with his Pioneers for Profit. He is a Senior Fulbright Fellow and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Bennett D. Hill (deceased), a former Chairman and Professor of History at the University of Illinois, received his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1963. He taught at the University of Maryland and was most recently a visiting professor at Georgetown University. He published two books and many journal articles.
John Buckler, a Professor of History at the University of Illinois, earned his doctorate at Harvard University in 1973. He has published numerous journal articles and written a monograph, The Theban Hegemony, published by Harvard University Press.
Patricia B. Ebrey, Professor with Joint Appointment: Early Imperial China, Song Dynasty, at the University of Washington in Seattle, received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1975. She has published numerous journal articles and published The Cambridge Illustrated History of China (Cambridge University Press, 1996), as well as numerous monographs. Merry Wiesner-Hanks, UWM Distinguished Professor at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, earned her B.A. from Grinnell College in 1973 and her Ph.D. in 1979 at University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is the co-editor of the Sixteenth Century Journal and the author or editor of nineteen books and many articles that have appeared in many languages. She is currently the Chief Reader for Advanced Placement World History.
Clare H. Crowston, Associate Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earned her B.A. in 1985 from McGill University and her Ph.D. in 1996 from Cornell University. The author of many articles, she has also written Fabricating Women: The Seamstresses of Old Regime France, 1675-1791 (Duke University Press, 2001), which won two awards, the Berkshire Prize and the Hagley Prize. She is a past-President of the Society for French Historical Studies and a former chair of the Pinkney Prize Committee.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Early Civilizations of the Near East, to 464 B.C.E

Birth and Growth of Mesopotamian Civilization

  (ca 3000-2331 B.C.E.)

        The Invention of Writing and Intellectual Advances

          (ca 3000-2331 B.C.E.)

        Sumerian Thought and Religion

        Sumerian Society

        The Triumph of Babylon and the Spread of Mesopotamian

          Civilization (2331-ca 1595 B.C.E.)

Egypt, the Land of the Pharaohs (3100-1200 B.C.E.)

        The God-King of Egypt

        The Pharaoh’s People

        The Hyksos in Egypt (1640-1570 B.C.E)

        The New Kingdom: Revival and Empire (1570-1075 B.C.E)

                 Individuals in Society: Nefertiti

The Rise of the Hittites

        A Shattered Egypt and a Rising Phoenicia

The Children of Isreal

        Daily Life in Israel

Assyria, the Military Monarchy (859-612 B.C.E)

The Empire of the Persian Kings (ca 1000-464 B.C.E)

        The Creation of the Persian Empire (550-464 B.C.E)

        The Religion of Zoroaster

        The Span of the Persian Empire

Chapter 2: The Foundation of Indian Society, to 300 C.E.

The Land and Its First Settlers (ca3000-1500 B.C.E)

The Aryans and the Vedic Age (ca 1500-500 B.C.E)

        Early Indian Society, 1000-500 B.C.E.

        Brahmanism

India’s Great Religions

        Jainism

                Individuals in Society: Gosala

        Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism

        Hinduism

India and the West (ca 513-298 B.C.E)

The Mauryan Empire (ca 322-185 B.C.E)

        The Reign of Ashoka (ca 269-232 B.C.E)

Small States and the Trading Networks (200 B.C.E. -300 C.E.

 

Chapter 3: China’s Classical Age, to 256 B.C.E.

The Emergence of Civilization in China

        The Neolithic Age

        The Shang Dynasty (ca 1500-ca1050 B.C.E)

The Early Zhou Dynasty (ca 1050-500 BCE)

        Zhou Politics

        Zhou Society

The Warring States Period (500-221 BCE)

Confucius and His Followers

        Individuals in Society: Guan Zhong

Daoism, Legalism, and Other Schools of Thought

        Daoism

        Legalism

        Yin and Yang

 

Chapter 4: The Greek Experience (ca 3500-146 B.C.E)

The Polis (ca 800 B.C.E)

The Archaic Age (ca 800-500 B.C.E)

        Overseas Expansion

        The Growth of Sparta

        The Evolution of Athens

The Classical Period (500-338 B.C.E)

        The Deadly Conflicts (499-404 B.C.E)

        Athenian Arts in the Age of Pericles

        Aspects of Social Life in Athens

        Greek Religion

        The Flowering of Philosophy

        From Polis to Monarchy (404-323 B.C.E)

The Spread of Hellenism

        Cities and Kingdoms

        Building a Shared Society

The Economic Scope of the Hellenistic World

Hellenistic Intellectual Advances

        Religion in the Hellenistic World

        Philosophy and the People

        Hellenistic Science

                Individuals in Society: Archimedes

        Hellenistic Medicine

 

Chapter 5: The World of Rome (753 B.C.E- 479 C.E.)

The Etruscans and Rome (ca 750-290 B.C.E)

        The Etruscans and the Roman Settlement of Italy

          (ca 750-509 B.C.E)

        The Roman Conquest of Italy (509-209 B.C.E)

The Roman Republic

        Social Conflict in Rome

Roman Expansion and Its Repercussions (282-27 B.C.E)

        The Age of Overseas Conquest (282-45 B.C.E)

        Old Values and Greek Culture

        The Late Republic (133-31 B.C.E)

The Pax Romana

        Augustus’s Settlement (31 B.C.E-14 C.E)

        Administration and Expansion under Augustus

The Coming of Christianity

        Unrest in Judaea

        The Life and Teachings of Jesus

        The Spread of Christianity

        The Appeal of Christianity

The "Golden" Age

                Individuals in Society: Plutarch of Chaironeia

        Life in the Golden Age

Rome and the East (235-284 C.E.)

        Conflict and Commerce between Rome and Parthia

        Contacts Between Rome and China

The Empire from crisis to Triumph (284-337 C.E.)

        Reconstruction under Diocletian and Constantine

          (284-337 C.E.)

        The Acceptance of Christianity

        The Construction of Constantinople

        From the Classical World to Late Antiquity

 

Chapter 6: East Asia and the Spread of Buddhism,

  256 B.C.E.–800 C.E.

The Age of Empire in China

        The Qin Unification (256-206 BCE)

        The Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE)

        Inner Asia and the Silk Road

        Han Intellectual and Cultural Life

        Economy and Society in Han China

                Individuals in Society: The Ban Family

        China and Rome

        The Fall of the Han and the Age of Division

The Spread of Buddhism Out of India

The Chinese Empire Re-created: Sui (581–618) and

  Tang (618–907)

        The Tang Dynasty (618-907)

        Tang Culture

The East Asian Cultural Sphere

        Vietnam

        Korea

        Japan

 

Chapter 7: Europe and Western Asia, ca 350-850

The Byzantine Empire

        Sources of Byzantine Strength

        The Sasanid Kingdom of Persia and Byzantium

                Individuals in Society: Theodora of Constantinople

        The Law Code of Justinian

        Byzantine Intellectual Life

        Constantinople: The Second Rome

The Growth of the Christian Church

        The Church and its Leaders

        The Western Church and the Eastern Church

        The Iconoclastic Controversy

        Christian Monasticism

Christian Ideas and Practices

        Adjustment to Classical Culture

        Saint Augustine

        Missionary Activity

        Conversion and Assimilation

Migrating Peoples

        Celts, Huns, and Germans

        Barbarian Society

        Social and Economic Structures

        The Frankish Kingdom

        Charlemagne

 

Chapter 8: The Islamic World, ca 600-1400

The Origins of Islam

        Muhammad

        The Islamic Faith

Islamic States and Their Expansion

        Reasons for the Spread of Islam

        The Caliphate

        The Abbasid Caliphate

        Administration of the Islamic Territories

Fragmentation and Military Challenges (900-1400)

        The Ascendancy of the Turks

        The Mongols Invasions

Muslim Society: The Life of the People

        The Classes of Society

        Slavery

        Women in Classical Islamic Society

Trade and Commerce

Cultural Developments

        Individuals in Society: Abu ‘Abdallah Ibn Battuta

        Education and Intellectual Life

        Sufism

        Muslim-Christian Encounters.

 

Chapter 9: African Societies and Kingdoms, ca 400-1450

The Land and Peoples of Africa

        Egypt, Africa, and Race

        Early African Societies

        Bantu Migrations

        Kingdoms of the Western Sudan, ca 1000 BCE-1500 CE

        The Trans-Saharan Trade

African Kingdoms and Empires (ca 800-1450)

        The Kingdom of Ghana (ca 900-1100)

        The Kingdom of Mali (ca1200-1450)

        Ethiopia: the Christian Kingdom of Axum

                Individuals in Society: Amda Siyon

        The East African City-States

        Southern Africa

 

Chapter 10: Civilizations of the Americas, 2500 BCE- 1500 CE

The Early Peoples of the Americas

        Settling the Americas

        The Development of Agriculture

Early Civilizations

        Mounds, Towns, and Trade in North and South America

        The Olmecs

Classical Era Mesoamerica and North America

        Maya Technology and Trade

        Maya Science and Religion

        Teotihuacán and the Toltecs

        Hohokam, Hopewell, and Mississippian

The Aztecs

        Religion and War in Aztec Society

                Individuals in Society: Tlacaélel

        The Life of the People

        The Cities of the Aztecs

The Incas

        Earlier Peruvian Cultures

        Inca Imperialism

        Inca Society

 

Chapter 11: Central and Southern Asia, to 1400

Central Asian Nomads

        The Turks

        The Mongols

        Daily Life

Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Empire

        Chinggis’s Successors

        The Mongols as Rulers

East-West Communication During the Mongol Era

India, 300-1400

        The Gupta Empire (ca 320-480)

        India’s Medieval Age (ca 500-1400) and the

          First Encounter with Islam

                Individuals in Society: Bhaskara the Teacher

        Daily Life in Medieval India

        Southeast Asia, to 1400

        The Spread of Indian Culture in Comparative Perspective

 

Chapter 12: East Asia, ca 800-1400

        The Medieval Chinese Economic Revolution (800-1100)

China During the Song Dynasty (960-1279)

        The Scholar-Officials and New-Confucianism

                Individuals in Society: Shen Gua

        Women’s Lives

Japan’s Heian Period (794-1185)

        Fujiwara Rule

        Aristocratic Culture

The Samurai and The Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333)

        Military Rule

        Cultural Trends

 

Chapter 13: Europe in the Middle Ages, 850-1400

Political Developments

        Feudalism and Manorialism

        Invasions and Migrations

        The Restoration of Order

        Law and Justice

Revival and Reform in the Christian Church

        Monastic Reforms

                Individuals in Society: Hildegard of Bingen

        Papal Reforms

        Popular Religion

The Expansion of Latin Christendom

        Toward a Christian Society

The Crusades

        Background of the Crusades

        The Course of the Crusades

        Consequences

The Changing Life of the People

        Those Who Work

        Those Who Fight

        Towns and Cities

        The Expansion of Long-Distance Trade

The Culture of the Middle Ages

        Universities and Scholasticism

        Cathedrals

        Troubadour Poetry

Crises of the Later Middle Ages

        The Great Famine and the Black Death

        The Hundred Years’ War

        Challenges to the Church

        Peasant and Urban Revolts