Acknowledgements
Setting the Stage
Act One: Complex Societies Develop in the Americas
Setting the Stage
Scene 1: The Olmecs: The Foundation of Mesoamerican Civilization
Scene 2: Cosmopolitan Teotihuacan
Scene 3: Achievements of the Maya
Critics corner
Act Two: The Development and Spread of Universal Religions (200 B.C.E. to 800 C.E.)
Setting the Stage
Scene 1: The World of Mahayana Buddhism
Scene 2: Christianity Becomes Christendom
Scene 3: Muhammad and the Spread of Islam
Critics Corner
Act Three: The Flowering of Empires (300–1200)
Setting the Stage
Scene 1: The Glory of the Guptas
Scene 2: The Splendor of the Byzantine Empire
Scene 3: The Golden Age of the Tang and Song
Critics Corner
Act Four: New States Emerge in Afro-Eurasia (500 to 1450)
Setting the Stage
Scene 1: Extension of Indian, Byzantine, and Chinese Influences
Scene 2: City-States and Empires in Africa
Scene 3: From the Abbasid Caliphate to Dar al-Islam
Scene 4: Europe Under Christendom
Critics Corner
Act Five: Hemispheric Interaction (1100 to 1450)
Setting the Stage
Scene 1: The Mongols
Scene 2: Travelers, Germs, and Ideas on the Move
Scene 3: Seas of Change in the Indian Ocean
Critics Corner
Sources of Illustrations
Sources of Quotes
Index