World History Encyclopedia [21 volumes]: 1 volumes

An unprecedented undertaking by academics reflecting an extraordinary vision of world history, this landmark multivolume encyclopedia focuses on specific themes of human development across cultures era by era, providing the most in-depth, expansive presentation available of the development of humanity from a global perspective. Well-known and widely respected historians worked together to create and guide the project in order to offer the most up-to-date visions available. A monumental undertaking. A stunning academic achievement. ABC-CLIO's World History Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive work to take a large-scale thematic look at the human species worldwide. Comprised of 21 volumes covering 9 eras, an introductory volume, and an index, it charts the extraordinary journey of humankind, revealing crucial connections among civilizations in different regions through the ages. Within each era, the encyclopedia highlights pivotal interactions and exchanges among cultures within eight broad thematic categories: population and environment, society and culture, migration and travel, politics and statecraft, economics and trade, conflict and cooperation, thought and religion, science and technology. Aligned to national history standards and packed with images, primary resources, current citations, and extensive teaching and learning support, the World History Encyclopedia gives students, educators, researchers, and interested general readers a means of navigating the broad sweep of history unlike any ever published. Volume 1 Contents 7 World History Encyclopedia Staff 9 Volume 1 Contributors 11 SECTION 1 Introduction and Preface 13 What Is World History? 13 Preface: This World History Encyclopedia 17 SECTION 2 What Historians Do and Why They Do It 23 Introduction 23 How Does World History Differ from National and Regional Histories? 25 Ever-Changing Perspectives 31 Picturing World History 41 What Can We Learn from History? The Role of Social Scientists and Others 53 Writing World History 59 Teaching World History in Secondary Schools 71 SECTION 3 The Overarching Issues, Seeing the Big Picture 79 Introduction 79 Humans and the Natural World: The Long View 81 A Brief History of Human Society 89 Regional Geography and World History 123 Migration in Human History 185 Language Evolution and the History of Languages 195 Cosmology and Religion: The Human Quest for Meaning 205 Humans, the Tool Makers 213 Technology in World History 219 The Origins of Agriculture 227 Urbanization 233 The Evolution of Complex Political Organizations 251 Industrialization in World History 267 Globalization and World History 277 Glossary 287 A 287 B 290 C 292 D 296 E 299 F 301 G 302 H 304 I 307 J 309 K 310 L 311 M 312 N 317 O 319 P 320 Q 323 R 324 S 326 T 331 U 333 V 334 W 334 X 335 Y 335 Z 335 Era 1 Contents 341 VOLUME 2 339 Era 1 Maps 343 Era 1 Contributors 345 ERA 1: Beginnings of Human Society to 4000 BCE 347 Environment and Population 357 How We Study the Very Distant Past 360 What Causes Climate Change? 376 The Human Family Lineage—8 Million Years Ago to 20,000 Years Ago 384 Increasing Diversity—Our Ancestors of the Pliocene, 5–1.8 Million Years Ago 391 The Appearance of the Genus Homo at Two Million Years Ago 403 Out of Africa— Homo ergaster and Homo erectus 407 The Appearance of Modern Humans 415 Holocene Environments, 10,000–4000 BCE 436 The Lifeways of Our Earliest Ancestors—The Miocene to Neanderthals 449 The Lifeways of Early Modern Humans to circa 10,000 BCE 459 Lifeways after the End of the Glacial Epoch, 10,000–4000 BCE 473 Population Growth through Time 500 Society and Culture 509 The Origins of the Human Family 511 The Social Organization of Modern Mobile Humans 521 Social Life and the Family in Early Village Communities, 15,000–5000 BCE 524 Migration and Travel 535 Out of Africa—The First Time 537 Out of Africa—The Second Time 542 The First Americans 549 Miscellaneous Movements 556 Politics and Statecraft 565 Forms of Leadership and Dominance in Primate Societies 568 How Archaeologists See Early Social Complexity 570 Economics and Trade 581 How Our Primate Relatives Make a Living 582 Food Sharing and Cooperation among Our Earliest Relatives 585 The Ancient Household as the Primary Economic Unit 589 The Social and Economic Meaning of Exchange 591 War and Diplomacy 599 Conflict and Cooperation in Primate Societies 600 Conflict and Aggression in Early Human Societies 602 Conflict in Ancient Village Societies 608 Thought and Religion 615 The Evolution of Human Language 617 The Origins and Evolution of Art 624 The Nature of Ritual and Religion 642 Religious and Ritual Practice until 15,000 BCE 646 Ritual and Religious Beliefs, 15,000–4000 BCE 657 Science and Technology 673 Tools and Technologies of the Early and Middle Paleolithic, 2.5 Million–100,000 Years Ago 675 The Tools and Technologies of Early Modern Humans, 100,000–10,000 Years Ago 689 Tools and Technologies of Modern Humans, 10,000–4000 BCE 707 Era 2 Contents 725 VOLUME 3 723 Era 2 Maps 729 Era 2 Contributors 731 ERA 2: Early Civilizations, 4000–1000 BCE 735 Environment and Population 751 The Environmental Framework 759 Climate Change and Natural Disasters 773 Crops and Animal Products 782 Food Production 803 Pastoralism 816 The Americas—Many Ecozones, Many Ecostrategies 826 Urbanization and Demographic Trends 840 Religion and the Environment 861 Society and Culture 873 The Family 874 Social Classes 883 Ethnic Identities 888 Law 895 Gender 903 Education 915 Early Writing 918 Cuneiform Scripts 929 Leisure 936 Architecture and Urban Planning 947 Art 984 Fashion 1001 Death and Dying 1008 Migration and Travel 1033 Strangers in a Strange Land—Ancient Travelers 1034 Migration Mysteries 1040 Movement and Material Culture 1052 The Kingdom of Punt 1058 The Sea Peoples 1064 The Exodus 1071 The Issue of the Conquest and Settlement of Canaan 1076 Kassites 1082 The Movements of Cultures in Bronze Age Europe 1089 Avenues and Routes of Travel 1096 Modes of Transportation 1102 Thinking about Foreign Lands 1110 VOLUME 4 1119 Era 2 Maps 1125 Politics and Statecraft 1127 City-States and Chiefdoms 1129 The Development of States 1146 Secondary States 1151 The Origins of Kingship 1157 The Dynasties of Egypt 1164 The Mesopotamian States 1179 Political Entities in Ancient China 1196 The Arts and Ideologies of Governance 1204 Economics and Trade 1215 From Hunting and Gathering to Farming—The Development of Social Complexity 1217 Mining and Resource Acquisition 1244 Ancient Workshops and the Organization of Production 1251 Taxation and Tribute 1258 The Myth of the Temple Economy 1268 Currencies, Trading Media, and the Problem of Money 1272 The Old Assyrian Trade Network 1279 Regional Exchange Networks 1285 War and Diplomacy 1293 Technologies of Warfare 1294 Experiences of War around the World 1305 Egypt and Its Enemies 1317 End of the Late Bronze Age 1328 Thought and Religion 1333 Creation Myths and Cosmology 1335 Ancient Deities 1345 Atenism 1363 Temple Architecture and Practices 1367 Diviners, Shamans, and Other Specialists of the Unseen World 1383 Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean Literature 1398 Early Works of the Hebrew Bible 1412 Vedic Religion 1419 Science and Technology 1429 Metallurgical Production 1432 Subsistence Technologies 1438 Seals, Stamps, and Gems 1447 Archaeoastronomy 1451 Engineering and Construction 1464 Ancient Mathematics 1470 The Natural World, the Human Body, and Medicine 1476 Era 3 Contents 1491 VOLUME 5 1489 Era 3 Maps 1495 Era 3 Contributors 1497 Era 3: Classical Traditions 1503 Environment and Population 1529 Climate Change and Natural Disasters 1531 Changes in Food Production and Water Management 1535 Urbanization 1547 Religion and Environment 1578 Envisioning the Landscape 1584 Society and Culture 1597 The Family 1599 Social Classes 1604 Ethnic Identities 1620 Law 1632 Gender 1638 Education 1654 Food and Cuisine 1659 Leisure 1666 Domestic Architecture 1687 Art 1693 Death and Dying 1707 Migration and Travel 1725 Migration 1727 Nomadic and Seminomadic People 1746 Armies and Associated Travelers 1750 Pilgrims and Missionaries 1757 Changes in Trade Networks 1767 Modes of Transportation 1788 The Origins of the Pacific Peoples 1794 Politics and Statecraft 1799 Political Life in Ancient Egypt 1801 The Waning of Egypt and Mesopotamia and the Rise and Fall of Persia 1803 The Kingdoms of Syria-Palestine 1814 Greek Democracy 1833 Rome—from Monarchy to Republic to Emperor 1845 Politics in India 1860 The Rise and Fall of Chinese Dynasties 1869 Agriculture, Trade, and Social Stratification in Asia 1881 "Barbarian" Politics in Europe and Asia 1884 Political Life in the Americas 1888 Imperial Structures, Bureaucracies, and Administration 1899 Politics and Art 1915 VOLUME 6 1933 Era 3 Maps 1939 Economics and Trade 1941 The Development of Industrial-Scale Agriculture 1943 The Exploitation of Natural Resources 1952 Industrial Developments and New Types of Manufacturing 1959 New Features for Promotion of Commerce and Trade 1964 Types of Labor Forces 1974 Art and Economy 1979 War and Diplomacy 1985 The Rise and Fall of Empires 1988 Captains and Common Soldiers 2018 Practicing Peace 2029 Changes in Warfare 2034 The Arts and War 2051 Thought and Religion 2061 Development of Philosophy in Greece 2065 Judaism and Zoroastrianism—Iron Age Traditions 2075 Christianity 2082 Nonmonotheistic Religious Traditions 2090 Religious Developments in India 2101 Philosophical and Religious Developments in East Asia 2110 New Religious Lifestyles 2127 Religious Literature 2134 Art Inspired by Religion 2155 Science and Technology 2167 Understanding the Physical World 2171 Treating the Abstract—Mathematics 2178 Understanding the Body 2183 Understanding Human Action 2188 Technological Developments 2193 Monumental Wonders of the Ancient World, 1000 BCE–300 CE 2209 Era 4 Contents 2226 VOLUME 7 2224 Era 4 Maps 2230 Era 4 Contributors 2232 Era 4: Expanding Regional Civilizations, 300–1000 2238 Environment and Population 2256 Environmental Events 2263 Environmental Constraints and Human Adaptation 2272 Demographic Change 2282 Society and Culture 2290 Early Medieval Families and Gender—A Global View 2297 Social Order of the Early Medieval World: Class, Caste, Slavery 2315 High Culture and Popular Culture 2343 Varieties of Material Culture 2363 Literature in the Age of Expanding Regional Civilizations 2379 Art and Architecture 2396 Migration and Travel 2424 Ethnic Migrations and Diasporas 2429 Trade Diasporas 2458 Pilgrimages 2463 Politics and Statecraft 2472 Sources of Political Power in the Early Medieval Age 2476 Sub-Saharan States 2487 Eurasian States in Late Antiquity 2501 Islamic Political History 2520 Political History of India 2539 Indian Influences in Southeast Asia 2546 The Radiance of the Tang Dynasty in Southeast Asia 2553 Early Medieval Inner Eurasian Empires 2571 European States and Empire, 650–1000 2576 Political Change in the Americas 2590 Andean Political History 2602 VOLUME 8 2612 Era 4 Maps 2618 Economics and Trade 2620 Agriculture in Early Medieval Economies 2626 Early Medieval Industry 2642 Early Medieval Commerce 2647 Cities in Early Medieval Economies 2672 War and Diplomacy 2680 War and Diplomacy in Eurasia, 300–632 2688 Conflicts Relating to the Emergence of Islam 2697 Conflicts in China and East Asia 2717 South and Southeast Asian Wars 2732 Inner Eurasian Wars 2740 Early Medieval West European Wars, 650–1000 2746 Warfare in the Americas and Oceania 2752 Fighting Forces—A Global Overview 2757 Thought and Religion 2768 Non-Eurasian Religions 2774 Eastern Eurasian Religions 2780 Western Eurasian Non-Christian Religions of Late Antiquity 2808 Christianity 2819 Early Islam 2840 Early Medieval Monasticism 2862 Mysticism 2869 Science and Technology 2880 Agricultural Technology 2887 Early Medieval Industrial Technology 2897 Travel Technology 2919 Early Medieval Medicine, Science, and Alchemy 2929 Early Medieval Military Technology 2948 Mathematics and Astronomy in the Early Medieval Age 2962 Early Medieval History and Geography 2975 Era 5 Contents 2989 VOLUME 9 2987 Era 5 Maps 2993 Era 5 Contributors 2995 ERA 5: Intensified Hemispheric Interactions, 1000–1500 3001 Environment and Population 3013 From the Great Warming to the Little Ice Age 3017 The Human Environmental Imprint—Cities around the World 3033 The Human Environmental Imprint—Natural Resources 3058 Population Trends 3077 Envisioning the Environment 3099 Society and Culture—The Longue Durée and Innovation 3115 Families, Hierarchies, and Class Relationships—Cultures of Lordship 3117 Medieval Identities—Confronting the Other 3140 Gender Relations around the World—Does One Model Serve All? 3158 Centers of Religious and Secular Learning—Were the Great Academies Outside of Europe Universities? 3185 Art and Architecture—The Monumental Balanced by the Human-Sized 3208 Literature and the Performing Arts—A Flourishing of Bards around the World 3232 A World on the Move—The Growing Interconnectedness of Peoples 3255 The Road to Sanctification—Pilgrimage Routes 3258 Peoples on the Move—The Passage of Willing and Unwilling Migrants 3270 The Vicissitudes of Avenues for Exchange—Caravan Routes and Sea Lanes 3289 Politics and Statecraft—Internal and External State Expansion 3335 Sub-Saharan Africa 3339 Islam—Ideally a Single Community, in Reality Diversity 3349 India—The Heart of the Indian Ocean Community 3383 China and Chinese-Influenced East Asia 3399 The Mongol Empire—A Trans-Eurasian Ecumene 3427 Christendom—The Ideal of a Single Community; The Reality of Diversity 3440 Pre-Columbian Complex Societies—The Case of Amazonia 3465 VOLUME 10 3487 Era 5 Maps 3493 Economics and Economic Activity 3495 Sub-Saharan Africa—Not as Isolated as Many Suggest 3498 The Mediterranean and the Black Sea—The West's Portals to the Riches of the Indies 3504 The Indian Ocean—Market Place of Afro-Eurasia 3524 China, Economic Powerhouse of Afro-Eurasia 3537 Europe's Economic Revolution 3552 Overcoming the Challenges of Geography 3562 War and Diplomacy 3585 The Ideology of War and Peace 3588 The Many Ways to Conduct War 3604 Diplomacy around the World 3631 An Era of Large-Scale Conflicts 3644 The Age of Great Captains and Their Warriors 3674 The Tools of Warfare 3695 Thought and Religion 3715 The Search for the Divine Other 3717 Aristotelianism—Acceptance, Rejection, Accommodation 3768 The Place of the Human in the Cosmos 3780 Science and Technology 3793 The Advances and Limits of Medieval Science 3795 Expanding Knowledge of the World 3830 Diffusion vis-à-vis Independent Invention 3839 Technologies of the Ocean and the Sea 3851 Era 6 Contents 3865 VOLUME 11 3863 Era 6 Maps 3869 Era 6 Contributors 3871 ERA 6: The First Global Age, 1450–1770 3877 Environment and Population 3903 The Little Ice Age and Climate Change 3909 Natural Disasters and Population 3918 Human Environmental Impact 3929 The Columbian Exchange and Human Adaptation 3941 Demographic Changes 3963 Envisioning the Environment 3986 Society and Culture 3999 Village and Town Life—Traditions and Innovations 4005 City Life around the World 4024 Hierarchies and Colonial Relationships 4049 Gender and Social Hierarchies 4070 Society and Culture in the Age of Accelerating Contact 4097 Global Cultural Exchange 4122 VOLUME 12 4147 Era 6 Maps 4153 Migration and Travel 4155 First Encounters 4161 New Channels for Cultural Contact and Exchange 4192 Agents of Contact 4219 Traditions and Adaptation in Slavery 4222 Politics and Statecraft 4243 Control, Coercion, and Crime in State and Empire 4249 Early Modern Political Systems 4280 Innovations in Political Thought 4313 Politics and Religion 4328 Politics and Gender 4355 Patterns of Conquest and Rebellion 4365 Economics and Trade 4403 Innovations in Domestic Economy and Trade 4416 Fashioning Global Organizations 4435 Sea Lanes and Marketplaces—Early Global Trade Centers and Networks 4452 Trade Goods for a World Market 4478 VOLUME 13 4489 Era 6 Maps 4495 War and Diplomacy 4497 Ideologies of Domination 4509 Diplomacy and Diplomats 4525 A Military Revolution or Evolution? 4556 Wars of Empire 4567 Wars of Colonial Expansion 4596 Europe's Wars of Religion 4621 Alliances of Convenience 4636 Thought and Religion 4647 Invention and Innovation in Ways of Thinking 4651 Envisioning Each Other 4680 Global Religious Movements—New Wine in Old Bottles 4702 New Sites of Intellectual Inquiry 4743 Cycles of Tolerance and Persecution 4761 Ecclesia and Doctrine 4787 Science and Technology 4807 Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution 4810 Expanding Knowledge of the World—Knowledge Transfers 4827 New Technologies of Learning 4841 "Guns and Steel"—Military Technology and Conquest 4851 Innovations in Medicine 4864 Science and Gender 4877 Era 7 Contents 4888 VOLUME 14 4886 Era 7 Maps 4892 Era 7 Contributors 4894 Era 7: The Age of Revolutions, 1750–1914 4906 Environment and Population 4924 Weather and Climate 4930 Environmental Consequences of Human Activities 4938 Disease Epidemics and Human Response 4960 World Population Patterns 4985 Thinking about Nature 5017 Society and Culture 5032 Families 5038 Social Change 5052 The End of Slavery and Serfdom 5074 Gender and Sexuality 5086 Education and Literacy 5124 Food and Drink 5152 Leisure in the Industrial Era 5172 Cross-Cultural Encounters 5202 The Birth of Modernism in Europe, 1880–1914 5217 VOLUME 15 5230 Era 7 Maps 5236 Migration and Travel 5238 Involuntary Migration 5243 Voluntary Migration 5264 Exploration 5291 Travel and Tourism 5305 Politics and Statecraft 5316 Government and Politics, 1750–1800 5320 Revolts and Revolutions, 1770–1820 5330 African Politics before the Scramble 5354 Political Developments in Europe, 1815–1914 5359 Political Developments in the Americas to 1914 5397 The Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Persia in the Nineteenth Century 5418 East Asia 5436 The Formation of New Empires 5456 Colonial Rule in Africa to 1914 5474 South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania in the Nineteenth Century 5487 Economics and Trade 5516 Agriculture 5522 The Energy Revolution 5536 The Industrial Revolution in the West 5547 Industrialization in Africa, Asia, and Latin America 5567 International Trade 5580 Money and Banking 5598 Labor in Industrial Societies 5610 Systems of Forced Labor—Slavery and Indentured Servitude 5629 Consumerism 5646 VOLUME 16 5662 Era 7 Maps 5668 War and Diplomacy 5670 Planning and Organizing for War in Western Societies 5674 War and Warfare in Europe 5694 War and Warfare in Africa 5708 War and Warfare in South, Central and Southwest Asia 5728 War and Warfare in East and Southeast Asia 5742 War and Warfare in the Americas 5759 International Cooperation, Pacifism, and Peace Movements 5778 Thought and Religion 5792 Islam 5798 Native Religions in Africa, the Americas, and Oceania 5811 Judaism in the Age of Emancipation 5819 Christianity 5834 Christian Missionary Endeavors in Africa and Asia 5855 Thought and Religion in South and East Asia 5865 Trends in European Thought 5884 Science and Technology 5902 Technology and Industry 5908 Technologies to Communicate and Record 5923 Technology and Transportation 5935 Technology and Weapons 5958 Science and Scientific Activity, 1750–1820 5975 Europe's "Second Scientific Revolution," 5983 Scientific and Technological Education 5993 Medicine 5999 Era 8 Contents 6015 VOLUME 17 6013 Era 8 Maps 6019 Era 8 Contributors 6021 ERA 8: Crisis and Achievement, 1900–1945 6027 Environment and Population 6045 Environmental Events 6050 Industrialization and Natural Resources 6058 Societal Responses to Environmental Pressures 6064 Warfare, Population, and Environment 6074 Society and Culture 6083 Class and Gender 6087 Cultural Shapers 6111 Colonialism in Shaping Society and Culture 6126 Imperialism 6143 Nationalism in Shaping Society and Culture 6156 Workforce and Workplace 6175 Social Upheavals and Social Change 6189 Literature 6194 Visual Arts 6210 Performing Arts 6236 Migration and Travel 6257 Urbanization 6260 International Migrations 6266 Domestic Migrations 6283 Ethnic and Forced Migrations 6291 Travel and Technology 6299 Politics and Statecraft 6315 Imperialism 6319 Socialism 6331 Fascism 6345 Revolution and Rebellion 6364 Collapse of Empires 6382 The Mandate System 6395 Political Transformation in Africa, Asia, and Oceania 6403 Political Transformation in Europe and the Americas 6421 National Policy 6438 Official and Nationalistic Art 6448 VOLUME 18 6457 Era 8 Maps 6463 Economics and Trade 6465 A Global Economy 6469 The Great Depression 6477 Half Century of Global Economic Change 6490 Socialism 6503 War and Diplomacy 6511 Revolutions 6516 International Conflict 6524 The First World War 6533 The Second World War 6556 Nationalist Movements and Conflict 6586 Sports and Statecraft in the Early Twentieth Century 6602 Ethnic Conflict and Genocide 6610 Peace and Stability 6619 Atrocities of Modern Warfare 6631 Thought and Religion 6643 Nationalism as an Intellectual Current 6648 Socialism 6657 Traditionalism versus Modernism 6666 Religion 6676 Political and Sociopolitical Ideologies and Systems 6695 Social and Behavioral Sciences 6711 Science and Technology 6727 Manufacturing, Industrialization, and Urbanization 6732 Biomedical Advances 6740 Age of Invention 6759 Warfare and Technology 6769 Communication 6792 Agricultural and Animal Sciences 6802 Scientific Theories 6808 Era 9 Contents 6827 VOLUME 19 6825 Era 9 Maps 6831 Era 9 Contributors 6833 Era 9: Promises and Paradoxes, 1945–Present 6841 Environment and Population 6861 Environmental Challenges 6865 Environmentalism in Thought and Practice 6885 Feeding the World—Agriculture, Livestock, and Fishing 6908 Resource Industries 6920 Land Use and Population 6928 Society and Culture 6945 Social Class Dynamics since 1945 6948 Gender and Sexuality 6962 Families and Family Planning 6977 Cold War Culture 6988 Consumerism 6997 Music and Social Change 7011 The Growth of Sports around the World, 1945–Present 7023 Film and Television since 1945 7034 Visual Arts and Architecture 7047 Literature and Theater 7059 Food 7074 Migration and Travel 7083 Transportation and Trade 7085 Global Tourism 7094 Global Migrations, Transnational Diasporas, and Responses 7104 Politics and Statecraft 7139 International Institutions and Laws 7142 Decolonization 7162 Neocolonialism 7172 Creation of New States 7183 Human Rights Mobilization 7197 Indigenous Groups and Sovereignty 7219 The United States in the World 7233 Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics 7243 China in the World, 1945–Present 7257 VOLUME 20 7269 Era 9 Maps 7275 Economics and Trade 7277 Globalization 7280 Economic Policy since 1945 7297 Trade 7307 Labor 7318 Oil Economics 7330 Shadow Economies 7338 War and Diplomacy 7349 Cold War Conflicts 7351 Regional Conflicts 7376 Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide 7399 Terrorism 7410 Militarization and Peace Movements 7425 Thought and Religion 7445 Major World Religions 7448 Modern Religious Trends 7461 New Religions and Archaic Revivals 7485 Age of Ideology 7495 Theology and Thought 7512 Science and Technology 7537 Scientific Developments 7540 Cold War, Science, and Space 7551 Medicine and Health Care 7576 Technology, Post-1945 7596 Science, Technology, and Culture 7609 Volume 21 Contents 7634 World History Encyclopedia Staff 7636 What Is World History? 7638 Preface: This World History Encyclopedia 7642 Index 7648 A 7650 B 7660 C 7661 D 7675 E 7679 F 7692 G 7697 H 7703 I 7709 J 7718 K 7719 L 7720 M 7725 N 7736 O 7738 P 7738 R 7745 S 7753 T 7766 U 7774 V 7776 W 7777 List of Maps 7788 Maps 7800 Contributors 7970 An Unprecedented Undertaking By Academics Reflecting An Extraordinary Vision Of World History, This Landmark Multivolume Encyclopedia Focuses On Specific Themes Of Human Development Across Cultures Era By Era, Providing The Most In-depth, Expansive Presentation Available Of The Development Of Humanity From A Global Perspective. Well-known And Widely Respected Historians Worked Together To Create And Guide The Project In Order To Offer The Most Up-to-date Visions Available. • Contributions By A Team Of Over 800 Historians, Anthropologists, Sociologists, And Other Academics, Focused On A World-based View Of History, Including Well-known Researchers As Well As Innovative Newcomers Who Have Made Remarkable Contributions. This Multi-faceted Approach Offers A Work That Combines Orthodox Views With Creative New Perspectives • Twenty-one Volumes Covering The Breadth Of Human History, In Nine Eras: Beginnings Of Human Society; Early Civilizations, 4000–1000 Bce; Classical Traditions, 1000 Bce–300 Ce; Expanding Regional Civilizations, 300—1000; Intensified Hemispheric Interactions, 1000–1500; The First Global Age, 1450–1770; The Age Of Revolutions, 1750–1914; Crisis And Achievement, 1900–1945; Promises And Paradoxes, 1945–present • General Chronologies Plotting Large-scale Changes In Human Organization, In Areas Such As Population Flow, Technological Development, And The Evolution Of Social And Political Institutions • Hundreds Of Images And Maps, Plus Charts And Bibliographies • A Wide Range Of Primary Source Excerpts (some Translated Into English For The First Time) Giving Students Firsthand Exposure To The Raw Materials Of Historical Research In order to broaden our perspective and gain the deeper understanding necessary to function effectively in today's global arena, we need to focus on ""big picture"" trends and phenomenaÑreligion and philosophy, science and technology, political organization, art and culture, population changes, environmental interactions, human migrationsÑacross many countries and regions, rather than dwelling on the dates and details of traditional country-based history. This is what study of world history in the 21st century requiresÑand what ABC-CLIO's World History Encyclopedia provides.|