Medieval Ages
Explore the Medieval Ages across the world—from Byzantium and the Islamic Golden Age to Song China, the Mongols, medieval Europe, and the Americas—in a global perspective. Introduction The Medieval Ages, often called the Middle Ages, refer to a broad and diverse period in world history…
Second-Wave Civilizations
Second-wave civilizations explained, from ancient Persia and classical Greece to Rome, China, India, and the Silk Road, exploring empires, ideas, and global exchange Introduction Historians use the term second-wave civilizations to describe a group of societies that emerged after the world’s earliest river-valley civilizations, roughly…
Early Civilizations
Early civilizations explained through archaeology and history, from Mesopotamia and Egypt to the Indus Valley, Shang China, and ancient American societies. Introduction The study of early civilizations seeks to understand how humans moved from small-scale societies to large, complex communities organized around cities, states, and…
Early Human Societies
Introduction Understanding early human societies is essential for understanding the entire course of human history. Long before writing, cities, or states existed, humans lived in small groups that developed ways of surviving, cooperating, and making sense of the world. These early societies laid the biological,…
The Origin of Humans
Introduction The question of the origin of humans is one of the most fundamental questions humans have ever asked. Where do we come from? How did our species arise? And what does our past tell us about who we are today? These questions sit at…