1. The World: 600 -1450 Expanding Communities

2. Demographic and Environmental Changes Nomadic Migrations Vikings Turks Aztecs Mongols Arabs Predict the impact of these movements.

3. Demographic and Environmental Changes Migration of Agricultural Peoples Bantu migrations Europeans to Eastern and Central Europe Consequences of Disease For ex. Black Plague 1348 Growth and Role of Cities Urbanization How much of this demonstrates continuity?

4. Inter-regional networks and Contacts Mediterranean trade circuit Silk Routes Indian Ocean Trans-Saharan Trade Trans-American circuits Religious connections: missionaries, inter-religious contact Impact of Mongols

5. Mediterranean Circuits

6. Silk Routes

7. Indian Ocean

8. Trans-Saharan Trade

9. Trans-American trade

10. Religious Connections

11. Impact of Mongols: Blessing or a Curse

12. China: Internal and External Expansion Tang Dynasty Technological innovations: compass, paper, gunpowder etc. Influence on Japan Footbinding, Neo- Confucianism Song Dynasty All the makings of an industrial revolution Early Ming Zheng He voyages, eunochs and nomadic threats

13. Islamic World: Dar al-Islam Expanding cultural, economic and political influence Al-Andalus/ Islamic Spain North and West Africa Indian Ocean: East Africa, India, SE Asia Technological accomplishments: astrolabe, algebra, philosophy, cartography…

14. Al-Andalus

15. Islamic World: Sample Comparisons Compare Islam to Christianity Compare Islamic contacts with Europe and with Africa Crusades- points of view compared Compare gender changes Compare support/ patronage of arts and sciences

16. Europe Break in eastern and Western Christendom: political significance? Religious schisms compared: Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism Sunni/ Shiite in Islam

17. Europe Restructuring of institutions Role of religion: Papacy, Crusades, architecture and education Development of feudalism Comparison of feudalism in Europe and Japan Increasing importance of monarchy over church

18. Amer-Indian World Migrations over the Bering Strait at least 10,000 years ago. Northern America: Cahokia Southwest: Hohokam Meso-America; Olmecs, Maya, Toltec (Aztec) South America: Nazca, Moche, (Inca)

19. Sub-Saharan Africa West African kingdoms: Ghana, Mali, Songhay East African city states: Axum, Kilwa, Mombasa Southern Africa: Great Zimbabwe Contacts with Islamic World, Indian Ocean world, and within Africa Role of Trade, Education and Religion

20. Questions we will focus on: Was there a world economic network in this time period? How did gender roles change? How can material culture and urban history help us to understand early societies?

21. Conclusions Examples of continuity? Examples of change? Think about new and old players. Similar patterns and trends: demographic, social and cultural, technological. New avenues of intersection.