World Civilizations

This comprehensive, accessible survey of world history has been extensively revised to provide an even more global and comparative perspective on the events and processes that have shaped our increasingly interdependent world. Written by leading scholars in their respective fields, "Heritage of World Civilizations, 6/e," combines unusually strong and thorough coverage of the unique heritage of Asian, African, Islamic, Western, and American civilizations, while highlighting the role of the world's great religious and philosophical traditions. Interactive maps"--one Web-based interactive map in each chapter--provides readers with opportunities to explore the relationships between time and space in shaping world history. A three-volume organization (available in A, B, C splits)"-- Volume A covers antiquity to 1300; Volume B covers the period from 1300-1850; and Volume C covers the Enlightenment to the present. Sixth editions now provide roughly the same amount of coverage for European and non-European regions. Volumes include European events during the High Middle Ages and Renaissance; extensive discussion of globalization, terrorism, and the challenges facing the world in the 21st century; revised coverage of the ancient world--treatment of the origins of humankind has been completely rewritten to reflect the newest scholarship; provides significant new coverage of women in ancient Greece and Rome. For anyone interested in world civilization or world history.

From the intriguing world of pharaohs in Ancient Egypt, to the arts of Greece and Rome, to the amazing culture of the Mayans, Eyewitness: Ancient Civilizations looks at the world's most intriguing societies and the legacies they left behind. The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures.

This timely and original volume fills the gaps in the existing theoretical and philosophical literature on international relations by problematizing civilization as a new unit of research in global politics. It interrogates to what extent and in what ways civilization is becoming a strategic frame of reference in the current world order. The book complements and advances the existing field of study previously dominated by other approaches – economic, national, class-based, racial, and colonial – and tests its key philosophical suppositions against countries that exhibit civilizational ambitions. The authors are all leading international scholars in the fields of political theory, IR, cultural analysis, and area studies who deal with various aspects of the civilizational arena. Offering key chapters on ideology, multipolarity, modernity, liberal democracy, and capitalism, this book extends the existing methodological, theoretical, and empirical debates for IR and area studies scholars globally. It will be of great interest to politicians, public opinion makers, and all those concerned with the evolution of world affairs.

This book features reading selections exploring cultures from around the world and assessments that utilize a variety of questioning strategies, as well as map activities and a downloadable version of the reading text at a lower reading level for struggling readers.

From the History of the World series, Making Civilizations traces the origins of large-scale organized human societies. Led by archaeologist Hans-Joachim Gehrke, a distinguished group of scholars lays out latest findings about Neanderthals, the Agrarian Revolution, the founding of imperial China, the world of Western classical antiquity, and more.

Drawing on many avenues of inquiry: archaeological excavations, surveys, laboratory work, highly specialized scientific investigations, and on both historical and ethnohistorical records; Ancient Civilizations, 3/e provides a comprehensive and straightforward account of the world’s first civilizations and a brief summary of the way in which they were discovered.

In this concise, yet sweeping look at the origins and development of ancient new world civiliozations, Richard adams provides a superb introductory overview of these unique and fascinating cultures. Incorporating the latest breakthroughs in the study of the cultures of Mesoamerica and the Andes, Adams examines the development of the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, and Inca peoples, among others, from simple agricultural societies to urban civilizations with complex transportation networks, distinct social hierarchies, rich artistic and religious traditions, and writing systems that have defied anthropological investigation until recently.

When the World Was Black: The Untold History of the World’s First Civilizations (Volume Two of The Science of Self series) has been published in TWO parts. Why two? Because there are far too many stories that remain untold. We had over 200,000 years of Black history to tell – from the southern tip of Chile to the northernmost isles of Europe – and you can’t do that justice in a 300-page book. So there are two parts, each consisting of 360 pages of groundbreaking history, digging deep into the story of all the world’s original people. Part One covers the Black origins of all the world’s oldest cultures and societies, spanning more than 200,000 years of human history. Part Two tells the stories of the Black men and women who introduced urban civilization to the world over the last 20,000 years, up to the time of European contact. Each part has over 100 helpful maps, graphs, and photos, an 8-page full-color insert in the center, and over 300 footnotes and references for further research. “In this book, you’ll learn about the history of Black people. I don’t mean the history you learned in school, which most likely began with slavery and ended with the Civil Rights Movement. I’m talking about Black history BEFORE that. Long before that. In this book, we’ll cover over 200,000 years of Black history. For many of us, that sounds strange. We can’t even imagine what the Black past was like before the slave trade, much less imagine that such a history goes back 200,000 years or more.” “Part Two covers history from 20,000 years ago to the point of European contact. This is the time that prehistoric cultures grew into ancient urban civilizations, a transition known to historians as the “Neolithic Revolution.”