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Streams of Civilization

Mary Stanton & Albert Hyma

Table of Contents

Foreward and Acknowledgments

Earliest Time to the Discovery of the New World

Introducing History

Why History? ..................... 1
History's Building Blocks ..................... 3
Historical Time Periods ...................... 6
Views of History ............................. 7
Message to Students of History ..................... 8

Chapter 1—How Did it all Begin?

In the Beginning ..................... 10
Men, Monkeys, and Missing Links ..................... 15
The History of the Earth ..................... 22

Chapter 2—Dawn of Civilizations

c. 4000-1785 B.C.

Dawn of Civilizations ..................... 30
The Fertile Crescent ..................... 33
The Indus River Valley ..................... 39
Ancient Egypt ..................... 42

Chapter 3—Expanding Civilizations

c. 2100-1085 B.C.

Expanding Civilizations ..................... 52
Egypt's New Kingdom ..................... 52
The Old Babylonian Kingdom ..................... 61
The Aesean Civilization ..................... 63
The Western Hemisphere ..................... 68

Chapter 4—Rise of Small Kingdoms

c. 2000-550 B.C.

Rise of Small Kingdoms ..................... 74
The Middle East ..................... 74
The Early Russians ..................... 81
The Greek Dark Ages ..................... 84
The Earliest American Civilizations ..................... 91

Chapter 5—Sunset of Mesopotamian Influence

c. 1500-521 B.C.

Sunset of Mesopotamian Influence ..................... 96
The Assyrian Empire ..................... 96
The Chaldean Empire ..................... 100
The Persian Empire ..................... 104
The Indian Vedic Ages ..................... 109

Chapter 6—Classical Greece and Hellanization

c. 625-133 B.C.

Classical Greece and Hellenization ..................... 113
Greek City-States and Colonies ..................... 116
Greek Freedom Threatened ..................... 121
The Golden Age of Greece ..................... 126
Spread of Greek Culture ..................... 131

Chapter 7—Risk of the Roman Republic

c. 2000-30 B.C.

Rise of the Roman Republic ..................... 140
Early Beginnings ..................... 140
Roman Expansion ..................... 145
Fall of the Roman Republic ..................... 150

Chapter 8—The Roman Empire

c. 30 B.C.—180 A.D.

The Roman Empire ..................... 158
The Pax Romana ..................... 158
The Germanic Tribes ..................... 171

Chapter 9—Christianity, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire

c. 180-867 A.D.

The Development of Christianity ..................... 180
The Fall of Rome ..................... 187
Influence of the Byzantine Empire ..................... 192

Chapter 10—The Dark Continent and the Mysterious East

c. 3000 B.C.-400 A.D.

The Dark Continent ..................... 200
The Indian Middle Ages ..................... 206
The Origins of Chinese Civilization ..................... 216

Chapter 11—The Early Middle Ages

c. 400-925 A.D.

European Dark Ages ..................... 228
Islam—A New Faith Emerges ..................... 236
Feudalism ..................... 244

Chapter 12—England, The Norsemen, and the Age of Chivalry

c. 500 B.C.-1300 A.D.

The Development of England ..................... 250
The Norsemen of Scandinavia ..................... 253
The Age of Chivalry ..................... 261

Chapter 13—The Development of European Nations

c. 911-1328 A.D.

The Crusades—For Glory, God and Unity ..................... 270
Twilight of Feudalism ..................... 284
European Society Changes ..................... 288
Russia and the Golden Horde ..................... 292

Chapter 14—Far East and African Developments

c. 400-1500 A.D.

China and the Mongols ..................... 298
Japan: Land of the Rising Sun ..................... 304
The Muslims Conquer India ..................... 310
Muslim Influence in Africa ..................... 313

Chapter 15—Pre-Columbus America

c. 500 B.C.-1600 A.D.

The Pre-Aztec Civilizations ..................... 318
The Mayas ..................... 321
The Aztecs ..................... 326
The Pre-lncan Civilizations ..................... 331
The Incans ..................... 333
The North American Indians ..................... 338

Chapter 16—Nationalism and the Renaissance

c. 1300-1584 A.D.

French and English Nationalism ..................... 346
Eastern European Nationalism ..................... 352
The European Renaissance ..................... 360

Chapter 17—The Reformation and a New World

c. 1294-1600 A.D.

The Eve of the Reformation ..................... 370
The Reformation ..................... 376
A New World ..................... 383

Epilogue ..... 391

Credits ..... 392

Bibliography ..... 393

General Index ..... 400

Return to Book Index

Published: 9 February 2006