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Overview of the history and civilization of Ancient China
Population
Africa: societies and cultures of sub-Saharan Africa
1. Geographical background The geography of Sub-Saharan Africa poses severe challenges to the rise and spread of pre-modern civilization. A hard environment The ancientness of the continent’s rocks, whose minerals have leeched out over the aeons, mean that the soil is generally of a poor quality, posing challenges for farmers. In many regions low or […]
The Steppe Peoples of Central Asia
Introduction Take a step back and look at the history of Eurasia as a whole, however, and a different picture emerges. One sees that the steppes play a central part. Moreover, one can see that their influence is not merely destructive, but contains much that is constructive as well. So what, actually, was going on […]
Society and Economy in Medieval China
Section 1: The end of the Han empire and the period of division A census in 140 CE showed that the Han empire (201 BCE to 220 CE) had a population of some 50 million people. This was down from nearly 60 million at the beginning of the 1st century CE. The large-scale wars and […]
Medieval China
Historical overview of Medieval China After the fall of the Han empire, the first great empire in Chinese history (202 BCE to 220 CE), China experienced more than 350 years of disunity (220 to 589 CE). Division and reunification In northern China, these centuries were characterized by barbarian invasions and other upheavals, followed by the […]
The Native Americans of North America – II
Section 1: Early contacts with Europeans The coming of the Europeans to the Americas was a catastrophe for the Native American peoples. This can be seen in something as basic as population figures. In pre-contact times estimates of total numbers of Native Americans vary from just under one million to as much as ten million. […]
The United States of America – I
The American Revolution Background The Great War for the Empire, 1754-1763 (otherwise known as the French and Indian War, or in Britain as the Seven Years’ War) eliminated French power from North America and extended British power to all territories east of the Mississippi river. Ironically, the completeness of the British victory set the scene […]
The Mughal Empire
A Historical overview of the Mughal Empire Babur In 1525, a minor Afghan chieftain called Babur, invaded northwest India. The ruler of the Delhi sultanate, the large state which covered much of northern India at that time, moved up to meet him. The two sides met at the Battle of Panipat, in April 1526. There, […]
Colonial North America
Early colonization The Spanish had long been in control of Mexico, and claimed a huge swathe of territory reaching from high into what is now the USA, by the time the first English colonies were being planted on the eastern seaboard of North America. At the same time, the French were installed along the banks of […]
The History of the Deccan Empires of Ancient and Medieval India
Historical overview The Satavahana Satavahana was the first large kingdom of central India. It probably came to power at the end of the third or beginning of the second century BCE (it’s not known exactly when), as one of the major successor states to the great Mauryan empire. It was based in the great plateau of […]