Название: Exploring World History through Geography: From the Cradle of Civilization to A Globalized World
Автор: Julie Crea Dunbar
Издательство: ABC-CLIO
Год: 2022
Страниц: 375
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true)
Размер: 56.6 MB

From the early civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia to our present-day globalized society, readers will learn how humans interacted—and still interact—with the environment around them, as well as the environment's role in not only shaping the society's world view but enabling the building of socially stratified and successful civilizations. Not your run-of-the-mill world history tome, this book examines world history through the closely related discipline of geography.

The civilizations and events represented in the book, while not exhaustive, were selected to highlight geographic themes and areas of study. Upon completing the book, readers should have a firm understanding of the expansive, cross-curricular study of geography—from the study of world cultures and history to politics to the environment and Earth's physical processes. In addition, they will have a new understanding of the relevance of geography to not only human history but contemporary events, as well as their day-to-day lives. By presenting this history from a slightly different, geographic point of view, Exploring World History through Geography will inspire fresh curiosity in the world, both past and present.

About 7,000 years ago, give or take a year or two, civilization, as we know it, began in Mesopotamia. Over thousands of years, a number of tribes contributed to the science and culture of the region, building on each other’s knowledge. They invented the wheel, written language, hours and minutes, geometry, and the precursor to everyone’s favorite school subject: algebra. They built vast transportation and trade networks, connecting faraway settlements both inside and outside Mesopotamia, allowing for exchange of not only goods but also culture. In fact, the Mesopotamian cultures viewed the world as one full of resources to acquire and build their empires with through trade relationships, military expedition, and political control. They demarcated territorial boundaries and established far-reaching laws to keep their growing empires in order—laws that would eventually spread through the same transportation and trade networks and be adopted by other cultures.

Contents:
Preface
Introduction
1. Ancient Mesopotamia
2. Ancient Egypt
3. Ancient Greece
4. Ancient Rome
5. China
6. Mesoamerican Civilizations
7. South American Civilizations
8. North American Civilizations
9. The Byzantine Empire
10. The Islamic World
11. Europe in the Middle Ages
12. The Age of Exploration
13. Sub-Saharan African Kingdoms
14. Australia and Oceania
15. The Industrial Revolution
16. Colonizing Africa
17. World War I
18. World War II
19. The Cold War
20. Middle East Resource Conflicts
21. Global Challenges of the 21st Century
Bibliography
Index