World History (Eyewitness Companions)

E Y E W ITNESS c om pa n ion s

World History philip pa r k er

Civi l i zat ion s • E v e nts • idea s g r e at l i v e s • di s cov er ies

EYEWITNESS COMPANIONS

PHILIP PARKER

“THOSE WHO CANNOT REMEMBER THE PAST ARE CONDEMNED TO REPEAT IT.” Geo Ge eorge eo rge ge Sa Santa ntayan nta yana, yan na a,, 20t 20th-c 20 h-- ent h-c ntury uryy ph philo p ilo losop so sop sopher oph her er

“THINK OF TOMORROW, THE PAST CAN’T BE M E N DE D . ” Confuc Con Co fucius ius, us, Ana An le lec e ts ts,, 6th h cen ntur tury BCE

LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, DELHI Managing Editor Managing Art Editor Project Editor Project Art Editor Cartographers Production Controller Production Editor Art Director Publisher Associate Publisher

Camilla Hallinan Karen Self Sam Atkinson Anna Hall Simon Mumford, Paul Eames Imogen Boase Luca Frassinetti F Bryn Walls Jonathan Metcalf Liz Wheeler

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Foreword 10

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12 WHAT IS HISTORY?

Editors Marek Walisiewicz, Kati Dye, Louise Abbott, Judy Barrett, Robin R Sampson Art Editors Paul Reid, R Darren Bland, Claire Dale, Lloyd Tilbury, Annika Skoog First published in 2010 by Dorling Kindersley Limited 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL A Penguin Company

26 TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY 56 THE PREHISTORIC W WORLD to 3000 bce

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 Copyright © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited.

Human Ancestors 60

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

The Earliest Humans 64

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-4053-4124-0 Colour reproduction by Media Development Printing Limited. Printed and bound in China by Leo Paper Products Limited.

See our complete catalogue at

www.dk.com key to symbols used in this book

n Country of origin

d Date of origin

Early Societies 72

80 THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce The Near East 84 Egypt 92 Europe 100 South Asia 102 East Asia 104 The Americas 106

CONTENTS 108 THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce Persia 112

214 THE EARLY MODERN WORLD 1450–1750

Greece 116

Asia 218

Rome 128

The Americas 232

Celtic and Germanic Europe 142

Europe 238

People of the Steppes 142

256 THE WORLD OF EMPIRES 1750–1914

India 146 China 150 The Americas 154

158 THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

The Middle East and North Africa 180 India 184

World War I 314 Between the Wars 326 World War II 338

The Americas 260 Europe 270

Europe after World War II 358

Asia 294

The Americas 370

Oceania 302

Asia and the Middle East 380

Africa 306 East and Southeast Asia 162

310 THE MODERN WORLD 1914–

Africa 397 New Challenges 404

416 DIRECTORY

Sub-Saharan Africa 186 Europe 188

Kings & Rulers 418

Byzantine Empire 202

Wars & Battles 442

The Americas 204

Historical Landmarks 468

Polynesia 212

Index 497 Acknowledgments 511

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FOREWORD

HISTORY IS AN INESCAPABLE PART OF OUR LIVES. E H ELEMENT OF PRESENT-DAY SOCIETY H EAC HAS BEE EN SHAPED H BY THE ACTIONS OF OUR ANCESTORS, AN ND THOSE IN TURN BY CHAINS H OF EVENTS STRETCHIN IN NG BACK INTO AN ALMOST UNIMAGINABLY REMOTE PAST. THE GOAL OF HISTORY IS TO TRY TO BRING G SENSE AND ORDER TO OUR VIEW OF THAT H PAST. The past is frustratingly hard to pin down. It seems that the more we examine a historical event, the more any pleasing neatness of it simply having taken place falls away, and a chaos of complex and competing causes begins to cry out for our attention. Scores of reasons, for example, have been put forward for the fall of the Roman Empire, from an excess of other-worldliness caused by the rise of Christianity, to an excess of worldliness promoted by luxury imports into the empire from the east. More recently, historians have begun to question whether the word “fall”, with its resonance of sudden, violent change, is the right one to use at all, arguing that we should think in terms of a “transition” and look for continuity between Rome and the Germanic successor states which replaced it in western Europe. All of these theories seem to have at least some merit, yet not one of them, in truth, is the sole explanation for the collapse of Rome. There are many books on this single subject alone, and the life of just one person in the Roman world – Julius Caesar – has been the focus of dozens of works. TELLING THE STORY It might seem, therefore, a daunting task to attempt a “world” history. To select which of the myriad tales should be told, and which of the countless people described in the historical records should be included

The battles of the past comm man nd d our attention; historians invvestig stigat st sti gat ga ate their causes and conseque encce ess. s.

in the pages of a siingl nggllee volume might seem m almost impossible.. Yet by condensingg th th e whole of history doown to its essentials – th he personalities and eveents ts (as well as the causes)) th hat at shaped our world – the he whole scope of the human storry becomes more comprehensiblle.. CONTRASTS AND COMPARISONS In this book, the reader can traace the history of nations, such ass China – from the first villagess along the banks of the Yangtze to a sophisticated 21st-century soccieety ty that has sent men into space – yet also find out what was occurrin ng in n Central America, for example, whilile the Romans were conquering Britain. The final, reference sectiion n of the book brings together a weal altth of information that supplements an nd expands on the main text. Inevitab ablly ly there has been a process of selectio ioon as to what can be included, but I hope nevertheless that this book wilill introduce readers to the key element nts nt ts of of world history and give them a glim mps pse of a subject which, for me, contaains an almost infinite (and growing) sttor ore ore of fascinating stories. The tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs give uss an n unparalleled insight into the history and cus usto us tom to oms om oms of one of humankind’s most ancient civilizati attiion on ons nss.

FOREWORD

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WHAT IS HISTORY? R

issto tory ory is nott th thee sa am mee as th thee pa pas ast st. We caan ne n vveer di d reect c ly ly expeeri ex rien ence thee pastt – w wee caan nn nev evver er know now how no ho ow iitt fel elt lt too be a glad gl a iat iatorr fig fight h ingg in tthe he Col he olosseeum m of an ncien ciien entt Roome me, or exa xact xa cttly ly wh hatt Naap pol o eoon haad in n mind in nd wh when n he de decciide ide ded too invvad a e Ru Russiaa in 18812. 1 122 Wh What at act ctuaallly ha h pp ppen en ned d in tth he pa p stt is go gone – hissto tory ryy is ou o r a teemptt to at o rrec e on nst stru tru ucctt the paasst fr froom from m the he eviidencee th thaatt rem e ai ains ins n.

H

The word “history”, while commonly taken to mean “everything that has happened up until now”, has its root in the Greek word historein, meaning “to find out by enquiry”. The same root gives us the word “story”. We could say, then, that history is our enquiry into the story of the human race.

Whether oral or written, history is always an incomplete puzzle, made up of fragments, hints, and selections from the evidence that is available.

HISTORICAL SOURCES

The ingredients from which historians construct history are their “sources”. These may range from the types of HISTORY AND FACT pollen found in an ancient Near Eastern History is something very distinct from site (revealing which crops once grew facts. Historians ask not only “What there), to a charter recording a land sale happened?”, but also in medieval France, the “Why did it happen?”, writings of a historian “How did it happen?”, living in ancient Rome, and “What were the or the oral testimony of a consequences?”, and use World War II soldier. the answers to forge the Sources are themselves links in chains of events, subdivided into those that creating a continuous are primary and those that narrative. These are the are secondary. A primary kinds of “enquiries” that source is something historians make, and produced or written at the hee from their conclusions, time – the writings of the the past, for most of us, Latin author Tacituss aabo out becomes a much more 1st-century ce Rom ome, e,, sayy comprehensible place. – while a second dar ary so sour urce ur cee Passing on stories is a vital part Even today, however, of the oral culture of peoples such is something wri ritt ttten aaft fteer ft there are cultures that do as the San of Namibia. the event itseelf, maki king not concern themselves with recording use of primary sources. Th he di d ssttin i ct ctio tio i n history in the conventional sense – that between the two may not alw ways ys be is, as a chronological narrative that aims clear, of course. For exam mplee, e, Nic icco ccoolóó to represent what actually happened in Machiavelli’s 16th-century ry study of the past. Many indigenous peoples, Roman history is a secon on ndaary ry sou ourc ourc rce especially those with a strong oral about Rome, but the obvvioous iin nflu fluen ence cee tradition, instead weave together events on his writing of his own n view ew of th thee of the distant and recent past, and both world gives us a primaryy sou ourcce in into to life ife mythological and actual happenings. and attitudes in Renaisssan nce Itaaly ly. The result is a body of knowledge that In some eras, particcul ulaar arly the veerry is relevant to that culture, which is ancient past before writtin ng exxis isteed, d, passed down through the generations there are no primary soour ources at aalllll iin n via storytelling and ritual. the conventional sense. Here re,

WHAT IS HISTORY? R

archaeology – the study of bones, buildings, and artefacts recovered from past societies – must help out.

VARYING PERSPECTIVES History can be written from many different viewpoints. A 19th-century European writing shortly after the French Revolution is likely to have very different interests from a Chinese bureaucrat living in the 2nd century bce, or a 10th-century Muslim traveller. Moreover, the interpretation of facts is always open to dispute, and historians often disagree about how one fact is linked with another. Throughout history itself, we see evidence of different ideas about the same events. The perspective of

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chroniclers such as the French scholar Geoffrey Villehardouin, who travelled with the Christian forces on the Fourth Crusade, is very different from that of his contemporary on the opposing side, the Arab historian Ibn al-Athir. Inevitably, we are all prone to adjusting history according to our own prejudices and beliefs, but for most, at its simplest, history answers a very human desire for order. Names for eras and ages (the Classical world, the Medieval world, and so on), and for movements and cultures, may not necessarily have been used at the time, but today they serve to break down the past and its interpretation into convenient and digestible blocks, making history accessible for all.

“THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY, THEY DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY THERE.” L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between (1955)

Mo onume ume menta ntt l re nta remn emnant an nts ts of o lon o g-d dead ci civil viliza vil izatio iza tions tio i nss ins inspir p e pir ah host oss off qu ost que estiion estion es est ns abou ns abou bout bo out the e peo p eop ple les that att b bu uilt th hem. em

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THE ANCIENT PAST The era before humankind invented writing is called “prehistory”, and our knowledge of this time relies largely upon the skill of archaeologists. Once early societies developed scripts, they left not only artefacts but also written evidence from which their history could be deciphered. Fascination with the far-distant past is not a new phenomenon. In 81 bce, the Roman general Sertorius had his men dig up a skeleton in North Africa, doubtless that of a dinosaur, but which he decided were the bones of the giant Tingi, the traditional founder of the local town. However, it was not until the 19th century, when a fierce debate erupted over Charles Darwin’s Descent of Mann (1871) – which argued that humanity had descended from apes – that the greatest advances in the study of the ancient world were made. Inspired by Darwin’s theories, the Dutch scholar Eugene Dubois set out to find an early ancestor of humankind and in 1891 unearthed the remains of Pithecanthropus erectuss or “Solo Man” (later called Homo erectus) s in Java in Indonesia. Dubois’ 20th-century successors, such as Richard and Louis Leakey working in East Africa’s Rift

Valley, have since discovered remains that shed valuable light on humanity’s physical evolution into its modern form.

THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS European scholars and archaeologists of the 19th and early 20th centuries became fascinated by the remote past, and in particular, the rise and fall of ancient empires. This was, after all, an age of empire for Europe, and the wealthy travelled abroad as part of their education. On the “Grand Tour”, as it was called, they inspected the ruins of Classical cities such as Athens and Rome, but soon the older civilizations of the Near East drew attention. Scholars began to uncover evidence that revealed previously little-known cultures, or shed dramatic new light on more familiar ones. For example, in a single decade – the 1920s – Leonard Woolley excavated the early Sumerian city at Ur; Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings; Sir John Marshall began the first consistent study of the Indus Valley civilization with his digs at Mohenjo-Daro; and Sir Arthur Evans’ work at Knossos revealed the Minoan civilization.

WRITTEN CLUES The first steps to decipher Sumerian cuneiform script were also taken in the 1920s. While paintings, carvings, and other early The Sumerians made records of, for example, livestock tallies, in a we ge-shaped script we call cuneiform. wed

THE ANCIENT PAST

How How ward d Ca Carte rter’s t rr’s ’s di d dis isco scover scover very y off Tut T tank ankh nkkham ha ha amun’ un s tomb un b is perhaps even more famous, as a historical event, than any of the details of the boy-pharaoh’s reign.

artforms all reveal something of the ancient world, the most illuminating records were left once writing had been invented, in around the mid-4th millennium bce. The earliest pieces of written evidence – dating to before c.500 bce – were not narratives about life at the time, but lists and rosters on practical matters: cuneiform records of merchants’ stocks from Sumeria, and royal archives from Assyria. Hieroglyphic tomb inscriptions that identify the Egyptian dead may not provide us with stories, but give us a lot of information about how ancient peoples lived.

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eexampl plle, e or or the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. Few have survived so intact as the traditions in the Old Testament of the Bible. Stories such as the exodus of the Jews from persecution in Egypt, and their subsequent conquest of Palestine, doubtless reflect the chaotic migrations and political instability of the Near East in the late 2nd millennium bce. But the purpose of these accounts was primarily cultural or religious, and the task of relating the stories within them to precise historical events is not easy.

MYTH AND TRADITION Perhaps the most colourful insights into the ancient world are preserved in myth and tradition. Some of the earliest stories to be told by early societies relate to the origins of their race, or its legendary heroes: Aztec tales of their wanderings before settling at Tenochtitlán, for

The ancient Epic of Gilgamesh contains an account of a great flood, a mythic legend that has many parallels with the story of Noah’s ark in the Bible.

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WHAT IS HISTORY?

THE FIRST HISTORIANS It was in ancient Greece that historical “enquiry” first arose, perhaps inspired by the questioning spirit of the age that also produced the world’s first philosophers. In the new empires of Rome and China, scholars were prompted to investigate their people’s rise to greatness. The Classical era has left us some of the finest literature and most majestic architecture ever produced – the latter embellished with statues and inscriptions that provide crucial evidence for the power and extent of empires, their social structures, and rituals of the time. But even seemingly trivial finds give us clues about the minutiae of daily life – for example, the discovery at a watchtower in southwest Germany of a shoehorn showed that the Romans wore sandals closed at the back, whereas previously they were believed to have been open. However, it is not only through art and artefacts that we can understand the Classical world. From around the 5th century bce appear the first writers whom we can call “historians”.

incredibly lengthy accounts of the political and military manoeuvres of each side, and his attention to detail and careful narrative were to become a model for many histories in the centuries to come.

THE ROMANS R

By the early centuries bce, Rome, the Mediterranean’s new imperial power, was inspiring histories of its own. Scholars such as Livy (59 bce–17 ce) and Tacitus (55–120 ce) analysed the reasons for their city’s power – and the start of its perceived decline. In the view of Tacitus, the effect of imperial rule had been to undermine the moral fabric of the state. Roman historians were also not averse to purveying gossip about their emperors, such aass the salacious details of THE GREEKS im imperial habits that Known as the “Father appear in Suetonius’s Greek art provides a window on Classical life – for example, what of History”, the Greek Lives of the Twelve Caesars. a hoplite soldier wore into battle. scholar Herodotus More akin to the military (c.485–c.430 bce) travelled widely histories of today is Julius Caesar’s throughout the Aegean and Near East Gallic Wars, an account of the conquestt in search of the raw material for his of Gaul in which Caesar was the Histories. What makes Herodotus commanding general – a history exceptional is that he was the first that also served to glorify Caesar’ss chronicler of the past to state openly reputation and promote his politiccall that he intended to discover the reasons career. From Pliny the Younger behind events, rather than simply (61–c.112 ce), we have a graphic icc recording the events themselves. description of the eruption of Mou ount nt A generation later, Thucydides Vesuvius in southern Italy in 799 cee (c.460–c.411 bce), in his History of the which destroyed the city of Pomp mp pei eii Peloponnesian War, recounts the conflict and killed his uncle, the naturaliliistt Pliiny ny between Athens and Sparta. He gives the Elder. Although Pliny’s desc s ript ript ri p io on

THE FIRST HISTORIANS

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Sima Qian, a scholar in the Han court of China, sought to document imperial history, largely through a series of mini-biographies of important persons.

is almost scientific in its precision, giving no role to supernatural forces, other Romans believed that such events were caused by the anger of the gods. This was not merely common superstition: as late as the 4th century ce, even educated Roman senators sacrificed at the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, believing that abandoning the old ways might cause their city’s ruin.

THE CHINESE Other Classical cultures also produced histories, entirely separate from the Greco-Roman tradition that began with In 79 ce, the volcan can ano o Ve esu s viu iu us, in n southe he ern n Ita Italy, l ly, erupted, d, buryin yin i g the h cit cityy of of P Pomp omp mpeii e – a cata ei eii a strroph o ic i event ntt gra graphi raphi hical ca cal ally llyy d doc ocume um men me ntte nte t d by Plin liny the he Yo You Y ou unge ger. ge r r.

Herodotus. From China, in particular, much has survived from this period. There are accounts as early as 753 bce of official scribes at the court of Ch’in tasked with compiling records of significant events, and a set of such annals covering the period 722–481 bce in the state of Lu has survived. Perhaps the most famous Chinese historian, Sima Qian (c.135–86 bce) – son of the official astrologer at the court of the Han emperors – composed the Shih Chii (“Records of the Historians”), the first attempt to compile a complete history of China from ancient times. Falling out of favour with the emperor, he was sentenced to castration. But rather than committing suicide (the expected outcome of such a sentence), Sima Qian accepted his punishment so that he might finish his history.

“MANY BESOUGHT THE AID OF THE GODS, BUT STILL MORE IMAGINED THERE WERE NO GODS LEF FT.” Plililinyy tth P Pl the he Yo he ou ung ng nger, ge err, on er, on th the e erup up ptio on of Ve Vesu esuviu esuviu vi s, 11st stt ce en ntttu ntu ury ry CCEE

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WHAT IS HISTORY? R

AN ERA OF SCHOLARSHIP The western Roman empire became Christian in the early 4th century ce, but collapsed around 150 years later, leaving the Christian church in possession of the most widespread network of power throughout Europe. Its scholarship was soon matched by that of a rising eastern faith – Islam. After the fall of the western Roman empire, a series of national histories written in Europe sought to discover, rediscover, or even invent the origins of the Germanic kingdoms that had inherited formerly Roman-occupied territory. The writers were ecclesiastical figures such as bishop Gregory of Tours and the English monk Bede. Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the European record becomes rich with chronicles. At first simply monks’ scribbled notes on ecclesiastical calendars, these became more elaborate accounts of whatever interested the author, from the Creation onwards – often a litany of fables, plagues, and disasters that cannot be relied upon as historical evidence. Almost all chronicles had their origins in the Ecclesiastical chronicles owed much to royal patron pat ronage age g ; here th the e monk monk o Gu Guillaum au e de Nang aum N gis prre p pre resen en e nts ts his his hi i Chr Ch C Chroni h hrroni oniq onique que qu ues to ue to Ph Phiili illliip p IV of FFran rran an nce. nce ce. ce

Christian church, which, as virtually the sole fount of literacy at the time, had tight control on what books were written, copied, and circulated. Later in the Middle Ages, however, some chronicles escaped their ecclesiastical origins and religious bias to give a more rounded view of events – for example, Geoffrey Villehardouin’s account of the Fourth Crusade.

THE RISE OF ISLAM The Islamic world of the 6th to 10th centuries experienced an era of expansion, political strength, and cultural creativity. Islamic scholars were keenly interested in establishing accurate biographical information from the past, prompted by the need to determine which of the traditions about the life of the prophet Muhammad and the first caliphs were accurate. It was Muslim scholars, too – chiefly i tthe in h Abbasid capital of Baagh Ba g dad – that preserved the gh work wo r s of many ancient Greek aan nd Roman authors lost to nd Eu Eu urrope. The Islamic hiist h storical tradition ccu u ullminated in such great wrriters as Ibn Khaldun w ((11332–1406), a North African scholar whose monumental work, the Muqqadimah, covered the whole of Islamic history, and included aspects of social history and economics that

AN ERA OF SCHOLARSHIP

European historians would investigate only some centuries later.

THE EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE

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Macchiavelli produced works such as The History of Florencee in imitation of their Roman ancestors. Renaissance authors wrote not only in Latin, but also in the vernacular, or everyday language, making their works much more accessible.

From the 12th century, key Classical texts such as those by the philosopher Aristotle and the medical writer Galen started to NEW MEDIA return to Europe through Muslim-controlled Sicily The spread of printing and Spain. Soon yet more at this time dispersed new Classical works became works more widely, and available, some from also resulted in a wealth the dwindling Greekof printed “primary speaking territories of the Islamic manuscripts feature sources” for historians. scenes and accounts of events at Byzantine empire. The Pamphlets, posters, and pace of scholarly change court and diplomatic encounters. news-sheets were used to in Europe quickened into a cultural disseminate news and also to spread flowering known as the Renaissance. new ideas to a wider audience: for A central preoccupation of Renaissance example, the distribution of printed writers, artists, and scholars was the material greatly assisted the success of rediscovery of the past. The Roman the radical religious changes of the era in particular was perceived as a Reformation as it swept through time of scientific, literary, and artistic Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. achievement. The study of Roman Printed sheets brought news to a wide audience, history and historians became extremely detailing in words and pictures events such as the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 against the British king. popular, and writers such as Niccolò

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A NEW AGE OF EMPIRE The 18th and 19th centuries were a time of expansionism and empire, and much of our information about this era displays the bias of the empire-builders. But it was also a time of revolution, with established power structures being questioned, challenged, and often overthrown. During the 18th century (1744–1803) encouraged in Europe, religion gave his fellow historians to ground to the human“feel” their way inside centred ideology of the historical cultures and, Enlightenment, and it through empathizing, to is evident from the really come to understand works of thinkers and how they worked. writers how the scope of GREAT POWERS history and commentary widened. The Scottish As European empires economist Adam Smith gathered power, other (1723–90) included in writers viewed national his Wealth of Nationss a and imperial greatness new, historical approach as the pinnacle of to the study of human achievement. capitalism. The French In Germany, historians Newspapers brought eagerly awaited news and colourful images of events philosopher Voltaire began to concentrate on (1694–1778) argued not and practices in far-flung lands. tracing the history of only that social and economic history their nation (which was unified, wass ju just as im important as th he prevaililiing poliliti ticalllly, iin 18 1871 71)), whi hille th he focu fo cuss on pol polit lit itic ical cal and and d diiplo iploma mati tic ic ma matt tter ers, s, Hi Hist stor oryy off Eng Englla landd wri ritt itten en by by butt al bu also tha thatt much ch could ld b be le learnt nt b byy Baro Ba ron n Ma Maca caul ulay ay ((18 1800 00–559) sttudyi stud dying ing tthe he h his isto tori ries es ooff ci civi vilililiza vi zati za tion ti onss on deta de tail aililed ed wha wha hatt he ssaw aw aass such su c as Ch ch Chiin ina and and Indi Indi dia. a The he thee st th steea eady ead dy, vi virt irtu uallllllyy philililos ph osop os op phy hy ooff Ro Roma Roma mant ntic nt iciis ic ism fou ism fo oun und it und itss unin un inte in terr te rrup rrup rr upte ted te d Engl glis lis ish ish wayy in into his into isto tory to ry as ry, as Joh ohan ann an n vo von n Herd der asscend ndan danc ncy cy ttoo gr grea eattn ea tnes ess. s

A NEW AGE OF EMPIRE

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Images of slavery cast a shadow over imperialism, even though support for the sale of slaves was widespread at the time.

Outside Europe, views of empire were at times similarly positive. In the view of the Indian writer Ghulam Hussain Tabatabai (in his Siyyar al-Muta’ ’akhkhirinin of 1781), the gradual British takeover of India was valuable in filling a power vacuum created by the decline of Mughal power. In Japan, the Nihon Gaishi (“Unofficial History of Japan”) by Rai Sanyo (1780–1832) argued that domination by powerful military clans had been Japan’s undoing, and that power rightfully belonged to the emperor alone. This proposal influenced many of the leaders of the movement that restored imperial power to Japan in 1868.

NEW SOURCES The spread of literacy in this era compared to previous centuries has left le ft h his isto tori rian anss a wi wide derr ra rang ngee of sour so urce cess th than han jjus ustt th the he vi view iewss off th he educat d ed d cllasses. Th There aree re ar reve veal alin ingg ac acco coun unts un ts,, ts for ex for exam ampl ple, mad ade de by by coomm m on on sol sol oldi dier di erss du er duri ring ri ngg thee Pe th Peni nins ni nsul ns sul ular larr W War ar

campaign (1808–14) of the Napoleonic Wars. Alex de Tocqueville (1805–59) wrote his history of the French Revolution making use of first-hand accounts of events and a huge range of administrative documents, such as the cahiers de doléancess (lists of grievances) that the French communes sent to the legislature in 1789. In the 19th century, the vastly increased availability of primary sources was complemented by new methods of recording events as they happened. The spread of photography from the 1830s made ma de it it po poss ssib ible le ffor or ffut utur uree hi hist stor oria ians ns to to seee wh se hatt the he p pas astt ac actu tual alllly ly lloo ookked ked lilikke. ke By th he end d off the h 20th h centuryy, the h first movi mo ving ngg p pic ictu ture ress an and d th thee fir first st voi voice ce reco re cord rdin dings g had gs d given iven u uss th the he po p ss ssib ibil bililit ityy of aan n ev even en m mor oree th or thri rillllllin ri in ngglly di dire rect re c iins ct nsigght ns nsig into in to the h pas astt. t. His His isto tory to ryy h had ad com omee al aliv ivee. iv e. The Neo-C Neo-Cl Ne Clas lassical lassic al styl al sty ty yle le in n archit archit hitect itecture ture allied all d itsel ittse self to to the nob noble le ideals ide deals lss of o th the e past sstt, both bot h in impe mperia riall Euro ria urope pe and pe an , in in b buil uiildi uildin din ngs gs su h as Wash suc Wash as ing ng gton ton’s n’ss Cap pito itoll, l, the th burgeo burgeo eonin ning nin gn new nat ation ion of the the USA USA. A

24

WHAT IS HISTORY? R

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE The revolutions and terrible wars of the 20th century profoundly affected people’s views of their times and the histories that they wrote. The 21st century has continued to confront us with deeply shocking events, on which we have yet to gain a full perspective. The Revolution of 1917 that toppled the Russian tsars had at its base a brand-new ideology – Marxism. Karl Marx (1818–83) argued that history should be seen as a process by which societies develop p througgh a seeri ries es of of stag st ages es, fr from om aanc ncieent to feudal,, th then en bour urge geoi oiss, w whi hich ch w wou ould ld iin n tu turn be su upe pers rsed rs eded ed e by a “c ed “com ommu om muniist st” t” soci so ciet ety. yM y. Mar arxx ar argu g ed gu d th that hat th ther eree is i an unc unc ncontrrol olla lla lab ble de bl ble deve eve v lo lopm p en pm entt from fr o oone om nee ssta tage ta ge tto an anot othe the herr, r, fuelled d by sstr by trug tr ruggl gles bet etwe weeen en ssoc occiaal cl clas lassses over ov er the he o ow wnersship ooff we wner weal alth al th. In th Marrx’ss vvie Ma iew ie w, viiole io ent soci so cial rev ci evol olut ol u io ut ion wa wass nece ne ceess ssar aryy to mov ovee f om one p fr pha h se to ha anot an otthe h r.. Thi his iss

exactly what occurred in Russia in 1917, but it was not, as Marx predicted, repeated in the more industrialized countries of Europe, such as Germany. Marxism may have challenged mode mo dern rn historians to take a different view vi ew oof history, b but ut tthe advent of tw wo wo world d wa wars rs lled to ot othe h r major preo pr eocc eo ccup upat attio ions n . Wo World Wars rs I and II d va de vast stat ated d llar arge ar ggee par arts ts of Eurrope and Asia,, an Asia and d pr profou un nd dly l affected d tthe he poliiti po tica call sy ca syst stem st em ms of of lar arge ge p par arts ts of the woorl w rld. d The sh heeer er quant ntiity it of e iden ev id den e ce ava v ililab a le ab l from a confl flic ict su suc uch ch aass Worrld d War II – from m first fir st-h -han -h a d accco ounts un to ph phot hoottog ograph phs and an d fil films – app peaars r to maake k the jjob b of the of he his i tooriaan an dis isar a mi minglyy ssimp ple, bu b ut it has a alsso be beco c mee dau unt n in ngl glyy comp com co mp x in th mplex, hat a there re is so much mu c inf ch nfoor nf ormati maation n ffro rom m ever ery siidee of tth he co onfl nflic i t to bee siift ic f ed th hrou roough an and co and c mpared ed..

IN INST NST TAN AN ACCE ANT CESS S At the hee beg egin nni ning ng of the 21st cen nturyy, teech chno n lo no logy gy haas be has b come com mee soo ad a va vanc n ed d that th that a it ggiivess uss m mul u ti tiple r co re cordss off maajjorr eve vent entts. Thesse ar Th aree re r cord rd ds th hat can an alll be aacceesseed in al in an in instant, inst t thrroug th ugh ug h ou ur teleevisi visi sioon set ets, pers pe rsoon rson naall ccom o pute om pu uterrs, and d noow ev n e en en ourr m mob oob bililee ph p hon oness. Th T he d deevelo veelo lopm opm p en nt of the the he Int ntter e net er neet si sinc ince nce th the 1990 19 90s 0s meaan ans th haatt we we can now ca can noow capt p urre,, ssto tore, to Th T The he R Russi sian si ia an n Rev evolu ev lu ution of of 19 917 pro rom omised ise s a new ne ew worl orl rld d orrd o order, rder, r, yyet Communi mm nissm sm iit its tself was o was ovver ert rthro hro own in n 19 989. 9

P ST, PA T PRESEN T, T AND FUTURE

and transmit information at a speed that would have seemed supernatural only 200 years ago.

FUTURE PERSPECTIVES Access to information, as well as the first-hand accounts we can hear for ourselves from people who have made history (such as the veterans of World War II), can lull us into feeling as though somehow we “know” our recent history. However, just as the “enquiries” of the ancient Greeks were only the first step in producing a history, so our recordings and

25

Art gives us a very different perspective on the past; Picasso’s visual interpretation of the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War provokes a more visceral response than any documentation.

with hindsight that we can focus fully on the causes and consequences of events. In years to come, our own ideas and biases may well be held up for scrutiny (and perhaps disapproval) by the historians of the future. And when these individuals ask not only “What happened”?” but “Why did it happen?”, they may arrive at answers that are very different to those we may think we are so certain of today.

“REVOLUTIONS ARE THE LOCOMOTIVES OF HISTORY.” Karl Marx (1818–83)

trranscriptions of events in the modern world are simply contributions to an wo ab bundance of sources that we leave for thee historians who will look back on the 20th and 21st centuries. Then, as th evver,, it will be how historians interpret th heiir sources that makes history, not the sources themselves. th H storians perpetually revisit the Hi pastt, reassessing it in the light of u dated social attitudes – for example, up to owa ward women or ethnic groups – as tth h hey ey do so. In many cases, it is only

Television has become an important medium for propaganda, used ably by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to disseminate his messages worldwide.

28

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD 4.5 mya–3000 a bce Measured against the estimated 4.5-billion-year age of the Earth itself, modern man – Homo sapienss – evolved astonishingly recently, becoming the sole survivor of several “hominin” species around 25,000 years ago. By 5,000 years ago, several sophisticated civilizations had evolved. c.4 mya

c.40,000ya

c.6000 bce

Australopithecines (“southern ape-humans”) in East Africa; walk upright: brain one-third the size of modern humans.

Cro-Magnon cave art and decorated artefacts in Europe.

Early town cultures, such as the Halafian in Mesopotamia.

c.25,000 ya

c.5500 bce

c.3.75 mya

Disappearance of Homo neanderthalensis.

World’s earliest irrigation system, Mesopotamia.

Australopithecus afarensis inhabits East Africa.

c.20,000 ya

c.5500–4500 bce

c.2.75–1 mya

Ice Age populations live by hunting and gathering, building shelters from scarce resources.

Linearbandkeramik farming culture, with distinctive pottery, flourishes in Europe.

c.11,000 ya

c.5000 bce

Rising temperatures, retreating ice sheets, rising sea levels. Siberia becomes separated from North America.

Copper first used, Mesopotamia; gold and copper artefacts produced in southeast Europe.

Earliest-known stone tools found, Ethiopia. Meat now apparently a central part of energy-rich diet of hominids.

c.2.3 mya Evidence of early species of human, Homo habilis, Olduvai Gorge, East Africa.

c.5000 bce c.10,000 bce

Earliest evidence for deliberate use of fire.

Earliest pottery from Jomon, Japan, heralds gradual revolution in transportation and storage of food.

c.1 mya

c.8500–6000 bce

Homo erectus well established in North Africa and Middle East.

First settled agriculture in Anatolia (Turkey), Middle East, and Mesopotamia. Evidence of sheep and goat domestication in northern Mesopotamia.

c.1.8 mya–500,000 ya

c.400,000 ya Homo heidelbergensis flourishes in Central Europe; uses stone tools carefully flaked on both surfaces.

c.350,000 ya Homo neanderthalensis emerges in Europe.

c.150,000 ya Emergence of Homo sapiens, Africa; subsequently coexists with Homo erectus in Asia and Homo neanderthalensis in Europe and Middle East.

c.70,000 ya Population spread halted, possibly owing to catastrophic volcanic eruption of Toba, Sumatra; global temperatures lowered for a millennium.

Corn (maize) cultivated in Ecuador, parts of North America, and in the Tehuacán Valley, Central America.

c.4800–3750 bce Emergence of world’s first city-states in Mesopotamia; Uruk possibly the first city.

c.4500 bce

c.8000 bce

Introduction of irrigation techniques in Indus Valley. Horse domesticated in Asia.

Jericho, Palestine, is the world’s oldest inhabited town.

c.4000 bce

c.7000 bce

First use of the plough in Mesopotamia.

First Chinese agricultural communities, Yangtze Valley. Agriculture spreads into the southeast of Europe from modern Turkey.

c.6000 bce Copper smelting and trade in obsidian at Çatalhöyük, modern Turkey.

c.6500 bce Cattle are successfully domesticated in North Africa, the Indus Valley, and Asia.

c.3200 bce First hieroglyphic script in Egypt. Evidence of use of wheeled transport in Sumer. Stone circles and rows of standing stones built in north and west Europe.

c.3100 bce King Narmer completes unification of Upper and Lower Egypt and becomes first pharaoh. Nekhen, Egypt, an important trading town.

THE PREHISTORIC AND ANCIENT WORLD

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THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce Trade, increasing prosperity, and technological advances produced T increasingly powerful centralized states and, in time, empires. The same factors also brought many of these new societies into conflict with each other, particularly in the relatively highly populated Middle East. c.3000 bce

2649 bce

c.2550 bce

Beginning of Early Dynastic period of Mesopotamian citystates, including Sumerianspeaking Uruk and Ur.

3rd dynasty of Egypt heralds the beginning of the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

Outer stone circle erected at Stonehenge, Britain.

c.2610 bce

Great Pyramid of Khufu built in Giza, near Memphis, Egypt.

c.3000–2750 bce First cities develop in South America; several settlements featuring temple complexes, such as Caral, emerge in coastal Peru.

c.2900 bce Early marble figurines made by the Cycladic culture of Greece.

c.2800 bce End of Early Harappan phase of Indus Valley civilization, which began c.3300 BCE.

c.2750 bce First Chinese bronze artefacts. Start of Bronze Age in Europe – in Crete and the Cyclades island isl andss of of Gree Greece ce.

c.27700 c. 00 bc bcee Myt M Mythi ytthic hical hi al kin king g Gilg Gilg ilgame amesh ame sh mayy ha have h v rul ve ruled ed Uru Uruk k in in Mesopo esopo p ta tamia. Si S lk l weavin vi g pra acti ctised d iin n Ch Chiina ina. in

Step Pyramid of Djoser built at Saqqara; start of great period of pyramid-building in Egypt.

c.2528 bce

c.2500 bce

Evidence for use of plough, Indus Valley.

Indus Valley civilization reaches its peak. Metalworking, in the form of copper, spreads across Europe to British Isles.

c.2600 bce

c.2500–2350 bce

Rich array of grave goods buried at Royal Graves at Ur, Mesopotamia, indicates trade links extending as far as the Indus.

Border conflict between Umma and Lagash in Mesopotamia is the earliest international dispute to be recorded.

c.2600 bce

c.2334 bce 2575 bce Beginning of 4th dynasty in Egypt – the age of the first true pyramids.

Sargon founds and rules the city of Akkad, uniting citystates of Mesopotamia into the first empire. Th G The Grreatt Zi Ziggu gguratt off U Urr, iin n mod odern ern Iraq, er Iraq, was wa as a Su Sumer merrian merian ia an temple tem ple dedic dedicate ated d to to the the moon moo n-g n god d Nan Na na na.

30

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

c.2300 bce

c.2000 bce

c.1800 bce

Destruction of city of Ebla in Syria; palace archives are conserved.

Trading city of Ashur rises to become predominant in north Mesopotamia. Inscrptions indicate Middle Kingdom Egypt run by powerful officials, such as viziers.

Beginnings of Shang state, China. Possible sun worship in Scandinavia, indicated by bronze artefacts. Long-distance trade networks are established in North America. In Peru, the ceremonial centre of La Florida is built.

c.2300 bce Beginning of Bronze Age in rest of Europe.

c.2200 bce First pottery in South America.

2134 bce Egyptian 6th dynasty ends with collapse of Old Kingdom; First Intermediate Period of Egyptian history begins.

c.2100 bce 3rd dynasty of Ur revives Sumerian civilization in southern Mesopotamia; King Ur-Nammu of Ur builds a ziggurat (stepped tower), the typical structure of grand Mesopotamian architecture, while renovating Ur’s temple.

c.2083 bce In Mesopotamia, decline of Akkadian empire founded by Sargon; rise of regional rulers of city-states, notably Gudea of Lagash.

2040 bce Mentuhotep II, ruler of Thebes, unites Upper and Lower Egypt and initiates Egypt’s Middle Kingdom.

c.2000–1800 bce Lapita people move out from Indonesia to settle Melanesia in the Pacific. On Crete, Minoan civilization at height; palace of Knossos built; Linear A script.

c.1763 bce Hammurabi, king of Babylon, defeats neighbouring Elam –and conquers and integrates kingdom of Larsa.

1943 bce Sesostris I of Egypt conquers Nubia and extends southern frontier of Egypt to the second cataract of the Nile.

c.1761 bce Babylon controls all of Mesopotamia.

c.1755 bce c.1900 bce

c.1900 bce

Law code of Hammurabi, king of Babylon, is displayed on monumental stelae (memorial stones) in temples throughout Mesopotamia.

City of Erlitou develops on the Yellow River, China.

c.1750 bce

c.1900–1700 bce

Massive ceremonial architecture arises at Sechin Alto, Peru.

Old Kingdom of Babylon established in Mesopotamia.

Indus Valley civilization in decline.

c.1890 bce The short-lived empire of Shamshi-Adad unites north Mesopotamia as a precursor to the Assyrian empire.

c.1730 bce Disintegration of Middle Kingdom Egypt; start of Second Intermediate Period.

c.1700 bce Most cities of the Indus Valley civilization deserted.

THE ANCIENT WORLD

c.1680s bce

16TH CENTURY bce

c.1450 bce

Development of leavened bread in Egypt.

The Kassites, the warrior elite of the fallen Old Babylonian state, gain control over south Mesopotamia.

Island of Crete falls under Mycenaean control.

c.1650 bce Anatolian city-states unite as Hittite Old Kingdom, with capital at Hattusa. Arrival of Aryan people in India.

c.1650–1550 bce During Second Intermediate Period, Lower Egypt is ruled by the Hyksos, a warrior élite of Asiatic origins; Upper Egypt remains ruled from Thebes by native kings.

c.1570–1070 bce Egyptian rulers are buried in rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings (near modern Luxor).

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MID-15TH CENTURY bce Lapita people of Melanesia begin colonizing rest of Pacific. Mycenaean Greece at summit of power, with trading links stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to Sicily.

c.1550 bce Aryans settle northern India. Rise of Egypt’s New Kingdom, with new capital, Thebes, facing the Valley of the Kings.

LATE 15TH CENTURY bce Warfare between New Kingdom Egypt, Hittite New Kingdom, and Mittani for control of the eastern Mediterranean region.

c.1500 bce c.1627 bce Beginning of several years’ global cooling, documented by tree rings, possibly indicates massive volcanic eruption, perhaps of Vesuvius (Italy) or on the island of Thera (modern Santorini).

c.1600 bce Mycenae, Greece, emerges as centre of civilization in Aegean; development of Linear B script by Mycenaeans.

1595 bce Hittite king Mursili I sacks Babylon: end of Hammurabi’s dynasty and the Old Kingdom of Babylon.

Hittite Old Kingdom of Anatolia declines; kingdom of Mittani emerges nearby in north Mesopotamia. Volcanic eruption on island of Thera buries Minoan town of Akrotiri.

c.1400 bce

c.1500–900 bce

1391 bce

Vedic-period Aryans expand over north India; hymns of the Rig Veda, sacred text of Hinduism, composed.

Egypt’s New Kingdom reaches peak under Amenophis III.

EARLY 15TH CENTURY bce Bronze-working evident in Thailand and Vietnam. Copper worked in Sahara. Evidence of first metalworking in Peru. First pottery in Central America.

Anyang becomes capital of Shang dynasty China; first Chinese inscriptions on oracle bones. Nomadic cattle-herding develops on the steppes.

This small coffin from the tomb of Tutankhamun (1333–1323 BCEE) held the king’s viscera, removed from the body during mummification.

32

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

14TH CENTURY bce

c.1274 bce

First alphabets evident on Sinai peninsula (now in Egypt) and in city of Ugarit (Syria). Kassite Babylonia, the Hittites, Mittani, and Egypt linked diplomatically and by intermarriage.

Egyptians under Rameses II fight Hittites at Battle of Kadesh.

c.1353 bce Amarna Period of Egypt; Amenophis IV styles himself “Akhenaten”, founds short-lived capital El-Amarna, advocates monotheistic worship of Aten, the sun, and instigates an artistic revolution.

c.1258 bce Hittite king Hattusili III agrees Treaty of Kadesh with Rameses II of Egypt.

1158 bce

c.1250 bce

1154 bce

Stronger defences around Mycenaean palaces indicate increasing threats.

Kassite dynasty of Babylon ends when the city is sacked by neighbouring Elam.

c.1250 bce

c.1100 bce

Chavín civilization emerges in coastal Peru.

First fortified hilltop sites in western Europe. Settlement established in Poverty Point, present-day Louisiana.

MID-14TH CENTURY bce City of Ashur breaks free from Mittani; its rulers proclaim themselves kings of Assyria.

1223 bce

c.1335 bce

Hittite capital Hattusha destroyed by unknown invaders; Hittite state collapses.

Priests of Amun restore religious and artistic orthodoxy in Egypt during young Tutankhamun’s reign.

13TH CENTURY bce Middle Assyrian period: kings such as Tukulti-Ninurta I build an Assyrian empire in northern Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia. Cult of Osiris, involving the “Book of the Dead”, popular in Egypt.

with the “Sea Peoples” – some linked with the Philistines. Chariots spread to China from Central Asia.

Death of Rameses III, Egypt’s last great pharaoh.

Death of Rameses II.

11TH CENTURY bce

c.1207 bce

Migrants, including the Philistines, settle in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. Phoenicians expand across Mediterranean.

c.1200 bce Urnfield Culture emerges in Danube area of Europe. Olmec civilization develops in Mexico. Jewish exodus from Egypt to the eastern Mediterranean.

c.1070 bce Mycenaean Greece collapses; start of Greek Dark Age.

1069 bce

12TH CENTURY bce

New Kingdom Egypt fragments into smaller kingdoms.

Mycenaean cities destroyed. Ugarit letters give account of maritime raids on eastern Mediterranean. Egypt battles

Swirling dragons feature on bronze ritual vessels from China’s Western Zhou dynasty.

c.1050 bce

c.950s bce

Assyria loses territories to Aramaeans migrating into Middle East, but survives as a state. Dark Age throughout Middle East.

Megiddo important royal fortress in Israel.

c.1030 bce

c.926 bce

Aryans expand along Ganges valley in India.

Death of Solomon; Kingdom of Judah splits from Israel.

1027 bce

c.900 bce

Western Zhou dynasty supplants the Shang in China.

According to Biblical tradition, Israelite kingdom united under King David.

Kingdom of Urartu established in eastern Anatolia. Later Vedas composed in India. Nubian state of Kush established south of Egypt. Olmec site of San Lorenzo destroyed; Olmec site of La Venta assumes leading role.

c.1000 bce

c.900–700 bce

Western Zhou record geography of China. Wet rice and bronze technology exported to Korea. Ironworking reaches central Europe. Greeks migrate to Asia Minor. Etruscans arrive in Italy.

Scythians adopt pastoral nomadism, and build kurgans (burial mounds).

1006 bce

The splendours of the Palace of Nimrud, built by Assurnasirpal II, king of Assyria, are imagined in this 19th-century print.

945 bce Civil war in fragmented Egypt.

c.800 bce Rise of urban culture in India’s Ganges valley. Evidence of first ironworking south of Sahara. First phase of Celtic Iron Age. City-states develop in central Italy. Greeks adopt the Phoenician script. Evidence of writing in Central America.

776 bce Pan-Hellenic athletics festival in Olympia.

771 bce Collapse of Western Zhou in China; Eastern Zhou establish new capital at Luoyang.

753 bce 883 bce

Traditional date for the founding of Rome by brothers Romulus and Remus.

c.1000 bce

Assurnasirpal II inherits Assyrian throne and moves capital from Ashur to Nimrud.

Assyria reintegrates lost territories by conquest.

c.850 bce

10TH CENTURY bce

Village established on Palatine Hill, Rome. Chavín politically and culturally dominant in Peru.

Amos first great prophet of Israel. Works of Homer and Hesiod first written down. Kush conquers Egypt to its north.

817 bce

727–722 bce

Traditional birth date of Parshvanatha, first teacher of India’s Jain religion.

Shalmaneser V makes Israel an Assyrian province and deports the peoples of Israel; they become the “Lost Tribes” of the Biblical Old Testament.

Phoenicians major maritime power in Mediterranean; their alphabetic script widely used. Settled Aryan agricultural states in India. Adena culture develops in Ohio River valley. Polynesian culture evolves in Pacific.

c.965 bce Solomon king of Israel.

814 bce Traditional date for founding of Carthage, a Phoenician colony in North Africa.

c.750 bce

701 bce Assyria besieges Jerusalem.

34

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY R

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce It has been estimated that by 1 ce, the great Classical civilizations of Eurasia – Greece, Rome, Persia, India, and China – contained half the world’s population of 250 million. But elsewhere, in Central and South America, Africa, and Japan, new civilizations were emerging. c.700 bce

616 bce

587 bce

Scythians from Central Asia settle in eastern Europe. Rise of Greek city-states. Early Celtic Hallstatt culture in Europe. Agricultural villages in southeast North America.

Accession of Tarquinius Priscus, Etruscan king of Rome.

Neo-Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar II destroys Jerusalem’s temple and sends the Israelites into exile.

610 bce Assyrian empire ended with sacking of Nineveh and Nimrud by Medes and Babylonians.

689 bce Babylon destroyed by Sennacherib of Assyria.

c.600 bce Birth of Lao Tzu, founder of the Chinese religion Taoism.

663 bce Assyrians sack Thebes in Egypt; their empire reaches its greatest extent.

660 bce Beginning of the reign of Jimmu, the legendary first emperor of Japan.

c 65 c. 650 0 bc bcee Fi st coins Fir i min i ted d, Lydia, di Asiia Mino inorr. Ris Rise eo off “tyr tyrant an s” ant s in many man ny Gree Gree reek k citi citi ities es Startt off es. ironworki iro king ng in Chi hina. na

c.600 bce Ironworking in Nok, Nigeria. Greece continues colonization of Mediterranean with colony of Massalia founded in southern France. First Greek coins. Paracas culture begins in Peru.

c.563 bce Possible birth date of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.

c.551 bce Zoroastrianism dominant religion of Persia. Birth of Confucius.

c.550 bce Cyrus the Great of Persia defeats Medes and founds Persian (Achaemenid) empire. Cast iron produced in China.

EARL EA RLY Y 6T 6TH H CE C NTURY bce

539 9 bce

Much h of of Midd Midd ddlle le Eastt fall fallls unde nder d r th contr the control t ol off the th short sh hort-li t lived ve emp empire pire re of th the e Mede Mede edes; s;; Mesopo Mes opo p tam tamia ia dom mina in ted te by Neo-Babyloniian em empire ire re.

Th Babyl The Babyl yloni o an emp oni empire ire is a orb abs orbed ed by Per Persia sia..

530 53 0 bc b e Etrusc Etr usc u us scans at th t eir he their heiigh ight ht in in Ita Ital aly. al y

THE CLASSICAL WORLD

525 bce

480–479 bce

c.390 bce

Persian king Cambyses II annexes Egypt.

Xerxes’s Persian invasion of Greece is defeated at Salamis, Plataea, and Mycale.

Celts sack Rome.

521 bce Persian empire reaches greatest extent under Darius I.

c.520–460 bce Indian scholar Panini assembles Sanskrit grammar.

c.515 bce Darius builds royal residence at Susa, former capital of Elam.

509 bce Romans expel Etruscan royal family and establish Republic.

35

c.384 bce

478 bce

Greek philosopher Plato completes The Symposium.

Confederacy of Delos, later the Athenian empire, founded.

370 bce

c.460 bce

Eudoxus of Cnidus’s theory of planetary movement determines the length of a year.

Persian administration adopts parchment for written records.

c.450 bce Athenian power at its peak. Celtic La Tène culture emerges in Central Europe; Celts expand east and south and into British Isles. Steppe nomads buried at Pazyryk and Noin-Ula in Siberia.

507 bce

c.360 bce Crossbow known to have been in use in Chinese warfare.

359–338 bce Macedonian king Philip II extends his power.

336 bce

Cleisthenes establishes democratic government in the Greek city-state of Athens.

448–429 bce

c.500 bce

447 bce

Rice farming reaches Japan from China. Ironworking spreads to Southeast Asia and East Africa. Bronze coins used in China. Zapotecs develop hieroglyphic writing in Central America. Indian Ind ian caste caste sy syste stem m in in plac place. e.

In Athens, construction of second Parthenon begins, to replace the one destroyed by the Persians.

Athens flourishes during “Golden Age” under Pericles.

Alexander succeeds Philip II of Macedonia.

331 bce Battle of Gaugamela: Persian empire falls to Alexander; Alexandria founded, Egypt.

323 bce Death of Alexander.

431 bce Sta tart rt of Pel e oponne esia sian n War War bettwee bet we een riva rivall Gre Gree re eek stat tates e of es o Athens an Athens Ath and d Spar Spar parta ta. ta.

321 bc 32 ce

c.41 c. 410 0 bc bcee

c.30 300 0 bc bcee

Athe an Atheni n Gre G eks de defea fea at Per ersia s nss at Bat sia Ba tle of Ma Marathon ho .

Xenophon, h an exil iled d Greek, G accomp acc ompanies an arm armyy o off 10 000 Gr 10, Greek reek me merce rcenar naries ies sup suppor pportin ting g a Pe Persi rsian an rebell reb bell ellion io on , fro rom m Baby abylon on to th he Blacck Sea Sea.

481 bc ce

c.40 400 0 bce

Hopewe welll culltur ture e develop d l s in northeast North America. First Celti Cel tic sttates t in Europe. Alexan Ale xander der’s ’s emp empire p parti rtitio tio ioned ne ned and ruled byy Seleu Seleuccid d, A tigo An Ant gonid id d, and d Pt Ptollemaic dyn dy ynastiess.

End d off “S Spri pr ng and Autum Autum t n” ann nals als, first ch hron o olo ologic logical al histor his oryy of of Chin China ina.

Iro Ironwo rking ki g in Korrea. Ca Carth rthage rt age ge domina inates tes west west Med M iterra rra anea n n. Cellts set Celts ettle tle no north rthern hern r Ittalyy. Moch Moc he cul cul ultur tur ttu u e in Peru ur Per . In Centra Cen trall Amer merica ica a, fina final ph phase ase a se e off Olm lm mec civili civvili lizat zat ation; ation on; Zapo apote tec ecss flou ouris ouris rish h iin n Mo on ont nte A nt Albá lbá án. n.

496 49 6 bc bcee Rome defe Rome defeats ats LLatin ns, le led by b the fo forme rmerr Etru trusca scan sca n king kin ing g, at Lak Lake ake Regi egill illu llus. s.

490 49 0 bc bcee

4 0 bc 48 bce bce End nd off A Archa chaic ic Per Period iod od d of Gr Gre eek artt; star art; tart of tart of C Cllas lassic sical i al a Per Period riod od. d.

Chandragupta Chandr pt Maury Mauryya foun unds ds Maurya Maurya Mau yan n empi empiire re, India India.

c.29 2 0 bc b e Eucllid’s Eu Euc id s Ele Elem El me ments setts out ut p nci pri nciple nc p s of ple of geom geom metr tryy. y.

The Greek Greek k Templ Temple of Pose Pose o ido idon id n at Cap Cape e Soun o ion n in i At Atticca was Attic as destro oyed byy th he Pers rsia ianss d ian duri uringg uri the eirr inv n asi asion ion of of Gre Gre ee ece ce e in in 48 4 480 80 BCE CE E.

c.286 bce

c.200 bce

Qin expansion begins in China.

c.268 bce

Peak of Alexandrian learning. Liu Bang founds Han Chinese capital at Chang’an. Maya culture emerges in Central America. Nazca lines carved in Peru. Lapita people reach the Marquesas Islands.

Ashoka ascends Indian throne; embarks on imperial conquests.

c.185 bce

272 bce Tarentum, leading Greek city in Italy, falls to Rome.

The god Krishna (right) is the narrator of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s sacred scriptures.

c.100 bce

End of Mauryan dynasty, India.

Maritime trade spreads Indian influence to Southeast Asia. In India, Bhagavad Gita begun. Rise of Axum (Ethiopia). Celtic fortified settlements in Europe. Height of Ohio’s Adena culture.

171–138 bce

c.90 bce

Mithridates lays foundation of Parthian empire.

Gandhara (northwest India) falls to steppe nomads.

168 bce

89 bce

Rome expands in eastern Mediterranean.

Roman citizenship extended to all Italians.

165 bce

63 bce

First official exams held for Chinese civil servants.

Pompey captures Jerusalem and annexes Judaea; allies with Antiochus I of Commagene.

264–241 bce Rome and Carthage fight the First Punic War.

262 bce Emperor Ashoka allegedly converts to Buddhism.

250 bce Rome controls the entire Italian peninsula.

c.247 bce King Devanampiya Tissa of Sri Lanka converts to Buddhism.

c.150 bce Great Serpent Mound constructed in Ohio.

58–52 bce

149–146 bce

46 bce Julius Caesar proclaimed dictator of Rome.

China united by first Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

Rome crushes Carthage in Third Punic War; creates province of Africa in its place; absorbs Greece. Nomads related to the Scythians invade Bactria.

218–201 bce

142 bce

30 bce

Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage.

The Jews free Jerusalem and make it their capital.

Suicide of Mark Anthony and the Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

c.212 bce

123 bce

27 bce

Building of “Great Wall” of China begins.

Parthian empire reaches its greatest size.

Octavian assumes title of Augustus, and begins rule as first Roman emperor.

206 bce

101 bce

Qin empire succeeded by Han dynasty under Liu Bang.

Han China control Central Asia, Korea, and North Vietnam.

Julius Caesar conquers Gaul.

236 bce Carthaginians conquer parts of the Iberian peninsula (Spain).

221 bce

44 bce Julius Caesar assassinated.

4 bce Probable birth date of Christ.

37

THE CLASSICAL WORLD

c.1 ce

87 ce

166 ce

Kushans invade northwest India. Buddhism spreads in coastal Southeast Asia. Moche culture flourishes in Peru. Nabataeans, allied with Rome, control Red Sea trade.

Embassy from the Kushans of India to the new Eastern Han capital of Luoyang.

Embassy of Syrian merchants to China; German tribes invade northern Italy.

99 ce

180 ce

Kushan empire dispatches embassy to Rome.

Goths (Germanic Scandinavians) settle on Black Sea coast.

c.100 ce

c.200 ce

Teotihuacán, Mexico, expands; Building of Temples of the Sun and Moon begin. Alexandria is centre of Christian learning. Kushan emperor Kanishka propagates Buddhism.

Peak of trade between India, China, and Rome. Korea free of Han – Koguryo, Silla, and Paekche states appear. Teotihuacán largest city in Americas; rise of Maya city of Tikal. Hopewell moundbuilding culture flourishing in North America.

2 ce First census taken of the population of China.

9 ce Occupying Roman forces driven back to the Rhine in Germany.

14 ce Augustus dies; stepson Tiberius succeeds him.

c.25 ce First representation of Buddha at Gandhara, northwest India.

117 ce The Roman empire is at its greatest extent.

122–28 ce

c.219 ce

Hadrian’s Wall built at Roman frontier in northern Britain.

Hebrew edition of Mishna – sayings and teachings from the Torah, sacred text of Judaism.

Crucifixion of Christ.

132–35 ce

c.220 ce

c.40 ce

Second Jewish revolt against Rome is crushed; the Jews are expelled from Jerusalem.

Han dynasty collapses; replaced by three kingdoms: Shu, Wu, and Wei.

c.30 ce

Arawak people migrate down Orinoco and settle Caribbean.

226 ce 43 ce

Parthian empire falls to Ardashir I, who founds the Sassanid Persian dynasty.

Roman invasion of Britain.

47–57 ce 235 ce

Journeys of St Paul.

Raids by Germanic Alamanni on Roman empire’s Black Forest and Rhine frontiers.

c.50 ce Axum now major trading centre.

c.250 ce

60 ce Kushan empire established in India and Central Asia.

Lodestone compass invented in China. Start of Classic period of Maya civilization.

65 ce 269–72 ce

Evidence of Buddhism in China.

66–70 ce First Jewish revolt against Roman rule.

73 ce

Hadrian (117–138 CEE) was unusual among the Roman emperors in wearing a beard, in a tribute to the Greek culture he admired.

Peak of China’s Han dynasty military success.

c.150 ce

79 ce Eruption of Vesuvius (near Naples, southern Italy) buries the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Queen Zenobia of Palmyra takes Egypt and Syria from Rome, but is in turn defeated and taken prisoner by the Roman emperor Aurelian.

280 ce Han China regains dominance of Central Asia. Christianity spreads west across Roman North Africa. Ptolemy of Alexandria’s Geographia, first world atlas, completed. Peak of Nok Iron Age culture in Nigeria.

China is reunited under the Chin dynasty.

293 ce Emperor Diocletian sets up system of four co-emperors (The Tetrarchy). Maya calendar in use, Tikal.

38

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

c.300 ce

404 ce

c.500 ce

Armenia adopts Christianity. Axum (Ethiopia) issues coins.

Translation of the Bible into Latin completed.

304 ce

410 ce

Xiongnu invade China. Christians persecuted in Rome by the emperor Diocletian.

Goths under Alaric sack Rome.

Angles, Saxons, and Jutes migrate to Britain; Celts survive in Wales and Ireland. Camel trains cross Sahara from Ghana to North Africa.

439 ce

6TH CENTURY ce

Vandals take Carthage from Rome; establish a North African kingdom.

Early Classic Maya civilization at its height.

312–13 ce Constantine wins Battle of Milvian Bridge and confirms religious freedom for Christians with Edict of Milan.

527 ce 452 ce Huns invade Italy under Attila.

Justinian becomes Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Emperor.

320 ce

475 ce

529–34 ce

Gupta dynasty of India heralds “Golden Age”.

Visigoths rule Spain and southwest Gaul.

Codex Justinianus codifies Roman law.

330 ce

477 ce

552 ce

Constantine makes Byzantium (Constantinople) the capital of the eastern Roman empire.

Buddhism is state religion of China; Liu Song dynasty falls.

Buddhism arrives in Japan.

568 ce 478 ce

c.350 ce Yamato state emerges in Japan.

First shrine of Shinto religion built, Japan.

370 ce

479 ce

White Huns move west from Central Asia; defeat the Ostrogoths in Ukraine.

Short-lived Southern Qi dynasty begins in China.

376–415 ce Chandragupta’s rule represents peak of Gupta dynasty.

Goths defeat Romans at the Battle of Adrianople.

c.400 ce Populatio Popula tion n of of Teotih T ihuacán, Me Mex exico ico co,, reac reac ea hes hes 2550,0 0 000. 0,000 00. P lynesian Pol i peop ple le set settl ttl tle le remot ote te Easter Eas ter Is Islan land lan d in in Paci Paci acific fic. fic fic. c The P Th Pyyram mid do off tthe he h eS Su Sun un w wa as the mosst im impo mpo osin sing sin g stru tructure of the he ci c tyy of Teo Teotih tihuac tih uacán, án, Mexic án, Mexico Me co.

c.570 ce Birth of Muhammad, prophet of Islam, Mecca.

c.581–88 ce

480 ce

Sui dynasty reunites China.

White Huns overthrow Gupta empire of India.

590 ce

Accession of the first Frankish king, Clovis I.

Papal power extended by Gregory the Great. Avar state established on Hungarian plains.

493 ce

595 ce

Ostroggoths under Theo heodor do ic con nque q r Italy. y

Decima Dec imall syst system em dev devise ised d, India. ia.

481 ce 378 ce

Byzantium concedes much of Italy to the Lombards.

597 ce 59

c.49 496 6–50 6–50 6– 506 6 cee Clovis Cl i co con nverts nve t to t Christi ris istia anit nity. y

Pap P Papal ap pal mis missio sion sio n to to Engl ngland land und under der Stt Aug Augus usti ust tine ine e.

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

39

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450 In the chaos following R Rome’s fall, Europe’s progress faltered while Tang China and new Islamic nations surged ahead. Other societies – T in the Americas, India, and Southeast Asia – promised much. Yet by the 1400s, Europe was poised once again to dominate the globe. 615

725

786

Persian conquests of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Palestine are complete.

Anglo-Saxon scholar Bede disseminates the Christian AD – Anno Domini – dating system throughout Europe.

Haroun al-Rashid, immortalized in The One Thousand and One Nights, becomes the fifth Abbasid caliph.

726–9

c.790

Byzantine emperor Leo III bans worship of religious icons.

Viking raids against Western Europe begin.

c.732

794

Muslims defeated by Franks at Poitiers, France, halting Muslim expansion into Western Europe.

Emperor Kammu moves Japanese capital from Nara to Kyoto.

739

800 Charlemagne crowned emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III.

Death of Muhammad.

Byzantine army defeats Umayyad caliphate at Akronion and expels Umayyads from Asia Minor.

641

c.740

Islamic conquest of Egypt.

High point of Later Classic period of the Maya civilization, Central America.

618 Tang dynasty established in China; Xi’an becomes capital.

622 Hegira (Muhammad’s flight to Medina) marks start of Islamic era.

624 Muhammad’s army defeats Meccans at Battle of Badr.

632

642

802 Angkorian dynasty founded by King Jayavarman II in modern Cambodia, Southeast Asia.

809

Islamic conquest of Persia.

750

Death of Haroun al-Rashid.

Revolt against Umayyad caliphs leads to foundation of Abbasid caliphate.

814

Silla kingdom unifies Korea.

753

832

692

Italy invaded by Franks under Pépin, father of Charlemagne.

Dome of the Rock mosque completed in Jerusalem.

756

Caliph Al-Ma’mun establishes “House of Wisdom” in Baghdad: translates ancient Greek learning into Arabic.

698

Breakaway Umayyad emirate established in Cordoba, Spain.

843

Islamic conquest of Carthage, North Africa.

760

c.700

Indian system of numerals adopted by Abbasid dynasty.

661 Umayyad caliphate established.

Death of Charlemagne.

668

Lindisfarne Gospels written in England. Rise of Kingdom of Ghana, West Africa. Teotihuacán, Mexico, abandoned. North Peru dominated by Chimú state.

711 Muslim invasion of Spain; Arab invasion of Sind in India.

Treaty of Verdun divides Charlemagne’s empire: west and east portions roughly correspond to modern France and Germany.

774 Lombards in northern Italy defeated by Franks under the emperor Charlemagne.

c.782 Scholars attracted to Charlemagne’s court stimulate Carolingian renaissance.

c.850 Arab navigators perfect astrolabe. Cholas under King Vijayalaya gain power in south India.

858–1180 Fujiwara clan in power in Japan.

40

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

860

955

1040

Cyrillic alphabet created in eastern Europe.

King Otto I of Germany defeats Magyars at Lechfeld, halting their westward expansion.

Formula for gunpowder published, China.

866

1045

Vikings take city of York and establish a kingdom in northern England.

960

868

962

Diamond Sutra, the world’s oldest surviving printed book, produced in China.

Election of Otto I (“the Great”) as German emperor.

Song dynasty is established in China.

First printing with moveable type, China.

1047

874 Muslim Samanid dynasty established in Turkestan.

878

Beginning of Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily.

1048 966

Fatimids lose control of Libya.

Polish state is founded by Mieszko I.

1054

969

Final schism (split) between Catholic and Orthodox Christian Churches.

Alfred, king of Wessex, defeats Danes at Battle of Edington to halt Danish advance in England.

Fatimids of Tunisia assume control of North Africa from Tunisia to Egypt and relocate to new capital, Cairo.

c.900

972

1066

Beginning of golden age of Hindu temple-building in India.

King Edgar crowned at Bath, uniting English kingdoms. Formation of unified Hungarian state under Duke Geza.

Battle of Hastings leads to the Norman conquest of England.

906 Collapse of Tang dynasty, China. Magyars destroy Moravia (eastern Czech Republic) and begin to raid western Europe.

1055 Seljuk Turks capture Baghdad.

1070

986

Almoravid capital founded at Marrakesh, North Africa.

Erik the Red begins Viking settlement of Greenland.

1071

910

987

Foundation of reformed Benedictine abbey at Cluny in Burgundy, France.

French Capetian dynasty of kings founded.

Battle of Manzikert: Seljuk Turks defeat Byzantines. Normans capture last Byzantine possessions in Italy.

c.990

1076

Toltecs take over Maya city of Chichén Itzá.

Empire of Ghana in West Africa falls to the Almoravids.

1000

1076

Stephen, Grand Prince of Hungary, becomes its first king.

Investiture controversy: Pope Gregory VII excommunicates the German emperor Henry IV.

911 Vikings found duchy of Normandy, northern France.

916 Foundation of Siberian Khitan empire, Mongolia.

1008 935

First Muslim raids into northern India, led by Muhammad of Ghazni (modern Afghanistan).

1099

Foundation of the state of Koryo in Korea.

936

1013

c.1100

Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad lose effective power to their Turkish troops, the Mamluks.

Renewed Danish invasion leads to conquest of England.

England, Denmark, and Norway united under King Canute.

Rise to prominence of Great Zimbabwe, southeast Africa. Beginning of Inca state, South America. Emergence of Pueblo culture, southwest North America.

1031

c.1115

Fall of Umayyad caliphate of Cordoba during Christian reconquest of Spain.

Renaissance of Byzantine art under Alexius Comnenus.

1016 938 Kingdom of Dai Viet in Vietnam throws off Chinese rule.

947 Nomadic Qidan people invade northern China and establish Liao dynasty.

Capture of Jerusalem during First Crusade.

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

c.1118

1169

Crusading order of the Knights Templar founded.

English conquest of Ireland launched under Henry II.

Battles between Crusaders and Muslims occupied almost two centuries of religious warfare.

1122

1171

1204

Concordat of Worms ends the investiture controversy.

Ayyubid sultan Saladin overthrows Fatimid caliphate in Egypt.

Constantinople taken during Fourth Crusade.

1125 Chinese Liao dynasty defeated by Jin from Manchuria.

1130 Chinese Song dynasty move capital to Hangzhou after Jin take control of northern China.

1206

c.1180 Angkor empire of Cambodia reaches greatest extent under Jayavarman VII.

1206 Genghis Khan proclaimed leader of the Mongol tribes.

Foundation of the Kamakura shogunate, Japan.

1209

1187

Albigensian Crusade is launched against heretics in southern France.

Crusader armies destroyed by Saladin at Battle of Hattin.

1145 Start of Second Crusade.

First Muslim empire in India, the Delhi Sultanate, founded.

1185

1144 Crusader state of Edessa falls to Muslims.

41

1215 1189 Start of Third Crusade.

Mongols under Genghis Khan capture Zhongdu (Beijing).

Almohads seize city of Marrakesh from Almoravids and take control of North Africa.

1192

c.1216

Minamoto Yoritomo becomes shogun, Japan.

Dominican and Franciscan monastic orders founded.

1147

c.1194

1217

Almohads established in southern Spain.

Mayapán becomes Maya capital.

Start of Fifth Crusade.

c.1200

1218

c.1162

Incas under Manco Capac settle in Andes near Cuzco; Aztecs enter Valley of Mexico.

Mongols conquer Persia.

1147

Birth of Genghis Khan, founder of Mongol empire.

1227 Genghis Khan dies.

42

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

1235

c.1300

1360

Foundation of Mali kingdom, West Africa.

Osman I founds Ottoman state: first phase of Ottoman expansion begins.

Treaty of Brétigny ends first phase of Hundred Years’ War.

c.1360

1258 Abbasid caliphate falls as Mongols sack city of Baghdad.

1302 Last Christian outpost in Holy Lands falls to Mamluk Turks.

1260

Vijayanagara empire reaches greatest extent, south India.

1368 1324

Ming dynasty founded, China.

1375

1261

Mansa Musa, emperor of Mali, performs Pilgrimage of Gold to Egypt and Mecca.

Byzantines retake city of Constantinople from Crusaders.

c.1325

1266

Aztecs found capital at Tenochtitlán, Mexico.

Kublai Khan founds new Mongol capital at Khanbaliq (Beijing); Marco Polo visits his court.

1333

Mamluks defeat Mongols at Ain Jalut, Palestine.

End of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan.

1274

Catalan Atlas, the first atlas of known trade routes, produced.

1378 Great schism between rival popes in Rome and Avignon.

1389 Battle of Kosovo: Ottomans gain control of Balkans.

Mongols try to invade Japan; a second unsuccessful attempt is made in 1281.

1336 Ashikaga shogunate is founded, Japan.

1392

1276

1337

1398

First European paper mill, Italy.

Start of Hundred Years’ War between England and France.

Mongol warrior Tamerlane destroys Delhi, India.

Last Song resistance crushed by Mongols: Yuan dynasty founded by Kublai Khan.

1347

c.1400

Black Death reaches Europe after ravaging western Asia.

Emergence of empire of Benin, Nigeria.

1291

1349

1415

Crusader port of Acre falls to Crus Mam mluk Tu Turks rks.

Chinese sett ettlem lement ent of Sin S ing in gap pore pore ore;; star tartt of of Chin Chinese sset etttle ttle tllemen mentt of men of Sout Sout outhea h st Asi hea A a.

England defeats French army at Aginco Agi ncourt. Port o uguese capture Ce ta, first perrman Ceu Ce ma entt Eu E ropean p sesssio pos sion n in in Nort orth Afri frica. ca

Start of Choson dynasty, Korea.

1279

c.13 c. 1350 C flic Con flict b betw etween et etw en n Inca and d Chimú Ch Chi mú ú states states tes,, Sout ou h Amer me me merica errica ic .

c 13 c. 354 54

1 29 14 Expans Exp xpan ans nsion of Azztec ec em empir p e be ins beg ns,, Cent Central ntral Am meri e ca. c

Ottomans occ Ottoma occupy oc upy pyy Galli G Gallipol poli, gainin gai ning g first first footh footh othold thold old in Eu Europ rop p e.

c.14 c. 430 0

The h Mo Mongo ongo n ol warrrior io Tam merl erlan ane a ne, a o know al als no n as as Tim imu mur, con o que ere red d much muc h of west wes ern na an nd d cen entral As Asia ia to for to form the th Tim Timuri Ti ur d empi m re. mp re

14 43 36 6

Bruge Bru ruges es em e erg rg ges ass commer co omm merrcia rc l foc fo ocus u off nor n thw hw west Europ Eu pe.

Portug Po ug guese explorerrs rs sta art r cha arti rt ng g West Afri frica can n co c astt.

1438 14 38 8 Incca con onq ques essts t in So outh ou h Ame Am me m e erica a be egiin und underr Pac ach ch hacu cuti.

1445 14 455 4 Jo an Joh Jo ann n ess Gut ute ut en enb nb berg erg g iin ntr tro odu duces prrinti pri n ng prresss to nti t E Eur urope e.

c.14 1 50 0 Ecllip pse eo of Grea r t Zimbabw imb mbab bw we by Mu M ut utapa a emp pirre, e, Africa.

THE EARLY MODERN WORLD

43

THE EARLY MODERN WORLD 1450–1750 Voyages of exploration established Europe as the world’s first global power, in the face of formidable opposition. At least until 1700, Ming – and later Qing – China, Mughal India, and Safavid Persia were Europe’s equals, while Ottoman T Turkey presented a persistent threat. 1453

1480

c.1510

Constantinople is captured by the Ottomans: the Byzantine empire falls.

Muscovy under Ivan III escapes Tatar Mongol domination.

Height of Italian Renaissance.

1513 1485

The Gutenberg Bible is printed in Germany.

Battle of Bosworth: Henry VII of England defeats Richard III and establishes Tudor dynasty.

Ponce de León, explorer and Spanish governor of Puerto Rico, reaches Florida and claims it for Spain.

1455–85

1492

1514

Wars of the Roses, a dynastic struggle for the English throne.

Christian reconquest of Spain completed as Muslim Granada falls to Spain. Columbus makes first Atlantic crossing and lands on Caribbean islands.

Battle of Chaldiran: Ottomans defeat Safavid Persians.

1455

1467 Onin War in Japan begins, marking start of century-long “Era of Warring States”.

1494

1517 Ottomans under Selim II conquer Syria, Egypt, Hejaz, and Yemen. Martin Luther writes the 95 Theses, triggering the Reformation.

Songhay recapture Timbuktu from the Tuaregs and become leading power in West Africa.

Treaty of Tordesillas: the New World is divided between Spain and Portugal. Italian wars begin with Charles VIII’s invasion of Italy to lay claim to Naples.

c.1470

1497

Chimú is conquered by the Incas; greatest Incan imperial expansion begins.

Italian navigator John Cabot reaches Newfoundland.

First Portuguese trading mission to China. Ferdinand Magellan discovers navigable route south, around tip of South America.

1498

1529

First European voyage to India around Cape of Good Hope made by Vasco da Gama. Columbus first European to reach South America.

Vienna besieged by Ottomans. Peace of Cambrai relinquishes France’s rights in Italy, Flanders, and Artois. Charles V renounces claims to Burgundy.

1499

1531

France invades Lombardy, seizes Milan. Amerigo Vespucci lands on northern coast of South America at mouth of Amazon.

Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro lands in Peru.

1468

1471 Annamites expand south, invading Hindu state of Champa (South Vietnam). Final decline of Khmer civilization begins. Portuguese take Tangiers from Moors.

1472 Marriage of Ivan III of Russia to Zoë, niece of Byzantine emperor; Ivan takes title of Tsar.

1500 1477 Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed; Habsburgs acquire the majority of the Burgundian territories.

1479 Union of Castile and Aragon (together forming modern-day Spain) through marriage of Isabella I and Ferdinand.

Louis XII of France invades Italy to claim Milan. Cabral reaches Brazil, claiming it for Portugal.

1520

1533 Pizarro encounters, captures, and kills Inca emperor Atahuallpa, and conquers Inca capital, Cuzco.

1534 1502 First shipment of African slaves sent to Cuba to work in Spanish settlements, beginning triangular slave trade between Europe, West Africa, and the Americas.

Henry VIII of England, denied a divorce, breaks with Rome. Ottoman–Safavid war results in the Ottoman capture of Baghdad. Jacques Cartier explores Strait of Belle Isle and St Lawrence.

44

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

1536

1558

Wales and England formally united under Act of Union. Henry VIII begins dissolution of the monasteries in England; crushes Catholic rebellion.

Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England. Akbar conquers region of Gwalior in central India. England loses Calais, its last French possession.

1545

1565

Council of Trent called to counter growing threat of Protestantism. Silver is discovered at Potosí, Bolivia.

Beginning of Ivan IV’s “reign of terror” in Russia. Spain claims Philippines. South American Indian population decimated by European diseases.

1547 Battle of Mühlberg: Protestant League of Schmalkalden defeated by Emperor Charles V.

1570

1550

c.1570

Building of Suleyman mosque begins in Istanbul.

Flemish cartographer Mercator presents new map projection.

1552

1571

Henri II of France assists the German Protestants in overturning the authority of Charles V in Germany.

Battle of Lepanto: Ottoman expansion in Mediterranean is halted.

Portugal founds colony in Angola; starts slave trading.

New cartographic methods pioneered by Mercator presented the continents of the world in the shapes we recognize today.

1587 Accession of Shah Abbas to the throne of Safavid Persia; some Ottoman territorial gains are reversed.

1588 Spanish Armada fails to conquer England.

1590 Peace treaty negotiated between Safavid Persia and Ottomans. Toyotomi Hideyoshi achieves unification of Japan: capital moved from Kyoto to Edo (modern Tokyo).

c.1590 Maori population increase causes strain on resources; warfare intensifies.

1576 1555 Charles V concedes “Accord of Augsburg” giving German princes freedom to select Protestant or Catholic religion.

Mughal forces capture Bengal in north India.

1582

1592 Japan invades Korea but is repulsed by Chinese troops and Korean navy.

Japan begins reunification.

1593 1555–56

1585

Humayan restores Mughal rule, but shortly dies; his 12-year-old son Akbar becomes emperor.

Spain establishes Cebu, first major European colony in Philippines. England aids Dutch rebels in struggle against Spain.

Beginning of “Long Turkish War” between Habsburgs and Ottomans.

THE EARLY MODERN WORLD

45

1595

1625

1660

Henri IV seeks to unite religious divisions in France by declaring war on Spain.

Dutch found a colony in North America named New Amsterdam (modern New York).

Royal Society founded in London under Charles II for the advancement of science.

1600

1631

1661

Battle of Sekigahara gives Tokugawa Ieyasu control of Japan. British East India Company established.

Battle of Breitenfeld: Gustavus Adolphus consolidates position of the Swedes in Germany.

First Jesuit mission to Tibet. Louis XIV, crowned in 1643 when five years old, assumes personal rule of France.

1635 1602 Founding date of Dutch East India Company.

French intervention in the Thirty Years’ War prevents a pro-Habsburg settlement at the Peace of Prague.

1664

1638

1666

Murad IV retakes Baghdad from the Safavids.

French Royal Academy of Sciences founded, Paris.

1642

1668

First English Civil War begins. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman discovers Tasmania.

1644

Portuguese independence conceded by Spain. Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle concedes French territorial gains in the Spanish Netherlands.

Manchu conquest of China and establishment of Qing dynasty.

1669

1648

Coffee is introduced to Italy, then rest of western Europe.

Peace of Westphalia agreed: ends Thirty Years’ War. France collapses into civil war.

1672

Second Anglo–Dutch War begins; English seize New Amsterdam from Dutch.

1618 Bohemian Protestant revolt against Habsburg rule breaks out. Protestant and Catholic intervention sparks off the Thirty Years’ War across Europe.

1620 Mayflower sets sail from England with the Pilgrim Fathers; arrives in Plymouth, North America later that year; one year later they celebrate the first Thanksgiving with American Indians.

1624 Shah Abbas retakes Baghdad and extends Safavid empire deep into Anatolia. Cardinal Richelieu becomes French first minister.

1652 Dutch establish colony at Cape of Good Hope.

Louis XIV launches his armies against the Dutch: sparks off first great European coalition war against France.

1682 17th-century spice traders brought coffee, long popular in Africa and the Muslim world, to western Europe.

1653 Oliver Cromwell appointed Lord Protector, England.

1654 Construction of the Taj Mahal completed in Agra, India.

La Salle navigates Mississippi, USA; claims Louisiana for France. Louis XIV establishes Versailles as base for his court and government. Peter I becomes Tsar of Russia.

1683 Ottoman siege of Vienna fails; followed by collapse of Ottoman power in the Balkans.

1687 Principia Mathematica published by Isaac Newton: principle of gravity established.

1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk settles territorial dispute between Russia and China. William and Mary joint Protestant monarchs of England. Protestant Grand Alliance formed to counter Louis XIV.

46

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

1690

1727

1739

English trading post Fort William established in Calcutta, India.

First coffee plantation in Brazil.

Hindu Marathas defeat the Nizam of Hyderabad, India. Danish-born Vitus Bering begins Russian exploration of Alaska.

Persians defeat Mughals at Karnal, occupying Delhi; Persia now controls all territory to north and west of the Indus River. Treaty of Belgrade stabilizes position of Ottoman empire in Balkans.

1734

1745

Lloyd’s Listt begins publishing shipping news from a London coffee house. In Africa, the Sultan of Bornu becomes ruler of neighbouring Kanem and forms a major sub-Saharan trading state.

Jacobite rebellion of the Stuarts aims to overthrow the Hanoverians in Britain.

1728 1694 Bank of England established.

c.1700 In the USA, Boston emerges as the principal New World port of the Atlantic slave trade.

1701 War of Spanish Succession begins. Swedish invasion of Poland begins first phase of Great Northern War. Ashanti begin rise to prominence, West Africa.

1747

1735

Afghanistan kingdom established by Ahmad Khan Abdali. Yoruba tribe begins conquest of Dahomey (Benin).

1704

John Harrison of Britain unveils his marine chronometer.

1748

Opticks written by Isaac Newton, exploring theories on light.

1736

Punjab invaded by Afghans. Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle: War of Austrian Succession ended.

1707 Death of Aurangzeb heralds decline of Mughal India.

1713 Treaty of Utrecht: ends War of Spanish Succession, confirms separation of French and Spanish crowns and British control of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

Nadir Shah becomes ruler of Persia and begins a period of Persian expansion. Marathas extend control of north India. French occupy Madras in southern India.

1749 Mysore Kingdom rises to prominence, south India.

c.1750 Wahhabi movement to purify Islam begins, Arabia. Lancashire cotton mills supplant South Asian textile trade in western Europe.

1717 Blackbeard begins plundering ships in the Caribbean.

1720 Qing oust Mongols from Tibet. Spanish acquire Texas, USA.

1722 Afghans overthrow the last Safavid shah.

1724 Kingdom of Dahomey becomes principal supplier of slaves to European traders.

A Yoruba shrine figure, thought to depict a hunter collecting medicines in the bush. The Yoruba remain one of West Africa’s largest ethnic groups.

THE WORLD OF EMPIRES

47

THE WORLD OF EMPIRES 1750–1914 The American and F French revolutions transformed W Western political expectations. Demands for political liberation echoed through the 19th century, against a background of unprecedented European global supremacy and imperial expansion on every continent. 1750

1762

1782

Treaty of Madrid agrees boundary between Spanish South American colonies and Brazil.

Catherine the Great comes to the Russian throne. France cedes upper Louisiana to Spain.

Britain sues for peace with American rebels. Native revolt in Peru quashed by Spanish.

1763

1783

Treaty of Paris; British supremacy in North America confirmed.

Treaty of Paris: American independence is recognized by the British.

1751 Diderot publishes first volume of his Encyclopédie.

1768 1755 The Lisbon earthquake, one of the deadliest in history, kills between 60,000 and 100,000.

1756 The Seven Years’ War begins; of the major European powers, Hanover, Britain, and Prussia (led by Frederick the Great) clash with France, Austria, and Russia.

Russian–Ottoman War. James Cook begins his first Pacific voyage (to 1771).

1784

1769

1789

Egypt declares independence from Ottomans.

1772

French Revolution begins. George Washington is elected as first president of the USA (to 1797).

Partition of Poland by Austria, Prussia, and Russia.

1792

1757

1773

Victory at Battle of Plassey secures Bengal for the British East India Company; Prussia defeats Austria at Battle of Leuthen to control Silesia.

The Boston Tea Party, a protest against British taxes on American colonies.

1758

1759 Anglo–Prussian force defeats French at Minden, north Germany; Britain takes Quebec from France.

1760 Boer settlement of South African interior. Work begins on Britain’s first “modern” canal, the Bridgewater Canal.

c.1760 Height of the Enlightenment, led by thinkers such as Adam Smith and Voltaire.

Louis XVI overthrown; French republic declared; France declares war on Austria, Prussia, and Piedmont.

1793 1775–83 American Revolutionary War.

Britain defeats France at Fort Duquesne, USA; Britain takes Senegal from the French. Battle of Zorndorf between Prussia and Russia; result favours Prussia.

India Act: British take direct control of Indian territories.

Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette executed; beginning of “Terror” led by Maximilien Robespierre.

1776 American Declaration of Independence is signed.

1777 Treaty of San Idelfonso: Spanish possession of Uruguay and Portuguese possession of Amazon basin confirmed.

1778 France joins America in Revolutionary War. Cook’s third Pacific voyage.

1798 Napoleon Bonaparte invades Egypt; French fleet is destroyed by the British at the Battle of the Nile. Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) becomes British colony.

1799 The Coup de Brumaire brings Napoleon to power as First Consul. Britain assumes control of south India.

1803 1781 Battle of Yorktown: George Washington and French allies defeat British; Articles of Confederation ratified. Massacre of Xhosa by Boers, South Africa.

Britain declares war on France (to 1815). Cape Colony, South Africa, restored to Dutch. Louisiana Purchase: France sells territory between the Mississippi river and the Rockies to USA.

48

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

Napoleon crossed the Alps (although allegedly on a mule) in order to surprise Austrian troops and win the Battle of Marengo.

1823–26 First Anglo–Burmese War.

1824 Ottomans joined by Egyptians against Greek nationalists. Peru becomes independent from Spain, aided by Simón Bolívar.

1826–28 Russo–Persian War.

1828 Russia acquires Armenia, declares war on Ottomans, takes Varna, Bulgaria. Egypt agrees withdrawal from Greece.

1829 Ottomans agree Greek and Serbian independence. First passenger railway in USA.

1830 1803–6

1813

Meriweather Lewis and William Clark explore territories of Louisiana Purchase and reach the Pacific coast.

Battle of the Nations; allies including Britain, Prussia, and Russia defeat France; British cross into France.

Revolution in Paris topples Charles X; Louis-Philippe crowned king of France. Belgian War of Independence (to 1831). First wagon train to California.

1804

1814

1831

Napoleon assumes title of Emperor of France. Napoleonic Code introduced.

Anti-French allies occupy Paris; Napoleon exiled to Elba. Congress of Vienna to agree future of Europe.

Belgium attains independence. Mass immigration to USA from Ireland begins.

1805 The Battle of Trafalgar; Britain defeats the Franco–Spanish fleet. Battle of Austerlitz: France defeats Austrians and Russians.

1832 1815

1806

Napoleon escapes Elba; defeated at Waterloo; exiled to St Helena; French monarchy restored. Serbia throws off Ottoman rule. Britain takes control of India.

France defeats Prussia; serfdom abolished in Prussia.

1818

1809 Anti-Spanish uprising in Mexico starts revolts across Latin America. Sweden cedes Finland to Russia.

1812 Napoleon invades Russia; occupies Moscow, but forced to retreat. Egypt reclaims Mecca and Medina from Ottomans.

Chilean independence from Spain confirmed by victory in Battle of Maipu. Shaka unites Zulus, South Africa.

1819 USA buys Florida from Spain. Colombia gains independence.

Russia annexes Duchy of Warsaw.

1834 Slavery abolished in British empire; Boers move north.

1838 Battle of Blood River: Boers massacre Zulus.

1839 Mahmud II introduces reforms to Ottoman empire. Charles Darwin publishes diary of voyage on HMS Beagle. Opium War, China, between British and Chinese; Chinese forced to negotiate.

1821 Greek War of Independence (to 1829) against Ottomans. Mexico achieves independence.

1840 Maoris obliged to accept British rule in New Zealand.

THE WORLD OF EMPIRES

49

1842

1857

1863

Treaty of Nanjing: China cedes Hong Kong to Britain, opens ports to foreign trade. Webster–Ashburton Treaty: US–Canadian border agreed.

Indian Mutiny; revolt attempts to end British rule. Last Mughal emperor exiled by Britain. France and Britain declare war on China: take Guangzhou.

Slavery is outlawed in the Confederacy, but not abolished until end of Civil War.

1846

1859

Japan refuses US demands to open trading links. Mexican– American War begins (to 1848): Mexico defeated. USA claims California from Mexico.

Second Italian War of Independence; Garibaldi serves as major-general. Suez Canal begun. Darwin’s On the Origin of Species published.

1848

1860

Gold discovered in California, prompting the California Gold Rush. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto.

Taiping rebels attack Shanghai.

1851 Pseudo-Christian Taiping rebels march north through China: immense devastation. Great Exhibition opens, London.

1852 Britain accepts independence of Transvaal Boers.

1861 Abraham Lincoln takes office as president of the USA; the slave states cede from the Union; American Civil War begins (to 1865). Serfdom abolished in Russia. Italy unifies.

1862 Otto von Bismarck becomes prime minister of Prussia. Foreigners expelled from Japan.

1865 Union victory in American Civil War; the South is devastated; Lincoln assassinated. French colony established in Senegal, West Africa.

1867 Austro–Hungarian dual monarchy. Bismarck chancellor of North German Confederation. Meiji restored, Japan. USA purchases Alaska from Russia.

1870 Franco–Prussian (or 1870) War: France capitulates.

1871 German unification: France cedes Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. Paris Commune revolt suppressed. Modernizing reforms, Japan.

1875 1853 Crimea m n War a (to 1856) 5 : Britain and d France all llyy with ith Ottomans, declar decl dec lare war lare war on Rus Russia sia. a

1854 18 54 B itai Bri tain in reco reco ec gni gnizes zes zes indepe ind epende epe ndence nde nce of Or Orang ange ang e Free Fre ree Stat Sta tate tat e, Sou e, South th Afr Africa ica.. ica

Anti-Ottoman rebellion in the Balka Balkans. ns.

Ab aha Abr h m LLiinc incoln l bec beccame th the e 16t 6th h pres resid ident ide nt of the USA USA in in 186o 186o 86o.. Within Wit hin in a yea y r, he was leadi leadi ading ng the he countr cou ntryy thro hrough ugh gh ciivil il wa warr. r.

50

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

1876

1885

1899

Serbia and Montenegro declare war on Ottomans: Serbia defeated. Alexander Graham Bell patents telephone in USA.

South African (Boer) War (to 1902). Britain and Egypt agree to share power in Sudan.

1877

King Leopold of Belgium acquires Congo. Madagascar becomes a French protectorate, Tanganyika becomes a German protectorate. First automobile, Daimler and Benz, Germany.

Britain annexes Transvaal, South Africa.

1889

1878

First Italian colony in Eritrea, Africa. Rhodesia colonized. Brazil declared a republic.

Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania gain independence from Ottoman empire.

1880 Boers drive Britain from Transvaal; declare new republic.

Ottomans massacre nationalist Armenians. Britain occupies Buganda and Uganda. French conquer Dahomey. First Sino– Japanese war begins (to 1895).

1895 Battle of Weihaiwei: crushing Japanese victory over China; Japan annexes Taiwan. AntiSpanish uprising in Cuba.

1882 Germany, Austria, and Italy form anti-French alliance. Nationalist revolt in Egypt prompts British occupation.

1884 Berlin Conference agrees European partition of Africa.

Boxer Rebellion, China; European forces occupy Beijing.

1901 Commonwealth of Australia proclaimed. British monarch Queen Victoria dies.

1894

1881 Britain recognizes selfgovernment in Transvaal. Anti-Jewish pogrom in Russia; mass Jewish immigration to USA.

1900

1905 Revolution in Russia: Tsar Nicholas II grants limited concessions. Norway gains independence. Special Theory of Relativity proposed by Albert Einstein.

1909 “Young Turks” oust Ottoman sultan; Ottomans recognize independent Bulgaria.

1897 Greek–Ottoman war: Ottomans force concessions from Greeks. Cuba granted autonomy. Anti-British uprisings on the northwest frontier of India. Germany occupies Rwanda.

1910 Monarchy overthrown in Portugal: republic proclaimed. China invades Tibet. Japan annexes Korea. Mexican Revolution begins. Gottlieb Daimlerr is driven by hiss so son n in in hiss firs fi t “horseless cca arria riage” age ge” e in in 18 88 8555.

THE MODERN WORLD

51

THE MODERN WORLD 1914 ONWARD Two world wars dominated the 20th century, leaving Europe prostrate, and directly contributing to decolonization across Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Ideological conflict between East and West has been overtaken by shifts in the economic balance of global power. 1914

1920

1929

Great Powers vie for influence in the Balkans; assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Austria declares war on Russia and sets World War I in motion; Germany invades France and the Ottomans ally with the Central Powers.

Ottoman Middle East territories mandated to Britain and France; German African territories to Britain, France, and South Africa. US senate rejects Versailles settlement.

Wall Street Crash leads to global economic depression. First Five Year Plan in USSR: massive industrialization and collectivization of farms. Communists establish Jiangxi Soviet, south China.

1915 Italy enters World War I on the Allied side; US invades Haiti and Dominican Republic. Nationalist risings in Dutch East Indies. Ottomans massacre or deport around one million Armenians.

1916 On the Western Front, battles of Verdun and the Somme. Sykes–Picot agreement between Britain and France on division of the Ottoman empire.

1917 Russian Revolution: tsar abdicates, liberal government under Kerensky; Bolshevik revolution under Lenin; armistice agreed with Germany. USA enters World War I on Allied side.

1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: Russia surrenders Ukraine to Germany. World War I ends: Ottomans surrender; armistice agreed with Germany and Austria. Spanish influenza epidemic: six million die in Europe.

1919 Paris peace treaties: break up of German and Austrian empires. League of Nations founded. Rutherford splits the atom. First powered transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown.

1921 Bolshevik victory in Russian Civil War; six million die in famine. Nationalist uprising in Turkey. Washington disarmament conference.

1922

1930 Communists establish Pu’an Soviet in China. Military revolution in Brazil: Getúlio Vargas in power. More than 3,000 banks fail in USA. Frank Whittle invents jet engine.

Irish Free State created.

1932 1923 Turkish republic under Atatürk; secular reforms launched. Nationalist Kuomintang government in China. Hyperinflation in Germany. Military coup in Spain.

Famines in USSR leave millions dead. Iraq gains independence. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia proclaimed. Chaco War: Bolivian claims to northern Paraguay. Disarmament conference in Geneva.

1924

1933

Death of Lenin leads to power struggle in USSR. Military coups in Chile and Brazil. Hitler imprisoned following attempted coup. Exchange of Turkish and Greek populations ends Turkish–Greek conflict.

Hitler chancellor in Germany. Dollfuss begins authoritarian rule in Austria. Communist Party purged in USSR. Roosevelt president of USA: launches “New Deal”. World Economic Conference in London.

1925

1934

Civil war in China. Nationalist uprisings in Syria. First television picture created.

Death of Hindenburg: Hitler becomes Führer of Germany; one-party rule established; “Night of the Long Knives”; rearmament begins. USSR joins League of Nations. Communist “Long March” in China.

1926 Chinese heartland united under Chiang Kai-shek. Anti-Dutch communist revolt in Indonesia. Italy becomes a one-party state under Mussolini.

1927 Oil is discovered in Iraq. Chinese nationalists purge communists. Talking pictures introduced to cinema.

1936 “Great Terror” in USSR: start of show trials and purges. Spanish Civil War begins. Germany remilitarizes Rhineland. Anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Japan. Military dictatorship in Mexico.

52

TIMELINES OF WORLD HISTORY

1937

1942

1949

Italy resigns from League of Nations; joins Anti-Comintern Pact. US Neutrality Act passes into law. Sino-Japanese war: Japan sacks Nanking. Anti-French uprising in Tunisia. Authoritarian “New State” government, Brazil.

Battle of Midway: USA repulses Japanese carrier fleet; German invasion of USSR stalls at Stalingrad; Axis forces defeated at El Alamein; USA invades North Africa; killings begin at Auschwitz concentration camp.

Mao’s Communists victorious in Chinese Civil War. East and West Germany established, the former as part of the Communist Bloc. NATO formed. USSR acquires atomic bomb.

1950 1944

1938 Germany annexes Austria and, with British and French agreement, Sudetenland. Royal dictatorship in Romania. Japanese “New Order” proclaimed in Asia.

900-day siege of Leningrad lifted. D-Day landings: second front in France; Paris and Brussels liberated; Battle of the Bulge: German offensive checked; Germans fire V2 rockets at London.

1939

1945

Germany advances into Czechoslovakia. Franco imposes right-wing dictatorship in Spain. German–Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Germany invades Poland: Britain and France declare war.

Russians storm Berlin; Hitler commits suicide; German surrender; USA drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Japanese surrender. United Nations formed.

1947 1940 German forces conquer Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and France; Italy declares war on Britain and France; Battle of Britain; Japan allied with Germany and Italy.

1941 German invasion of USSR; “Final Solution” ordered; Ja J pan attacks Pearl Har arbor bor:: US ente bor nters rs war on Allied Alli Al All ied e side; side; JJa apan apa pa an n invad in nvades vad va vad ades es Malaya Mal Ma aya yya a, Burm Burm urma a, Ph a, Phi Phil Phi hilip lip ppin pin i es,, and nd D nd Dutch Du tch tc tch hE Ea East ast s Ind I dies iess.

India and Pakistan independent: widespread violence. USA sponsors Marshall Plan. UN agrees partition of Palestine. GATT agreed, USA. Sound barrier broken in USA.

Korean War: first major Cold War armed confrontation. US military support for French in Indochina. China invades the province of Tibet. Unitary state of Indonesia declared.

1952 Military coup in Egypt. Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. Founding of the European Coal and Steel Community. First hydrogen bomb built.

1953 Anti-Soviet uprisings suppressed in Poland and East Berlin. Death of Stalin. Double helix structure of DNA discovered by Crick and Watson. Polio vaccine is developed. Hillary and Tensing conquer Mount Everest.

1954 1948 State of Israel proclaimed: ed d first Arab–Israeli war ar.. Berl errliin in blocka kade kade. de. e C Communistt reg Co egiim egi mes me es es in nP Pol Po ola and an nd d, Czzec ze echo ho lovva hos aki kia a,, and a dH Hunga Hunga ga gary. ary. y B y. Bu urrma ma ma an a and d Ceyylon Cey on n be b com me in nd nde de d ep pe pen en e n nden den d de ent. t. Kor Kor Ko orea ea par partit pa parti tittion tition ned. ed d Ga Gandhi ndh n dh hi is a is asssssass ass sa asssina ass ssina inated inated t d.

Frrance Fra rance n de nc defe fea eated d in i S So outh th heas east st Asia: Laos, Asia: Lao a s, Cam ao Cambod bodia, i an ia ia, nd (p (pa p rti rt tio ione ned)) Viet ned Viet ie ie ettn nam am m indepe indepe ind ende d nt dent nt. tt.. USS US US SS Nauti Nauti Na uti ut tilu llus uss u is th is the efi firrst st nu nuc u lea uclea uc lea arr-p -p -powe were wered we rred ed su ssub ub bm mar ma a arrine ne eb bu uilt ltt.

THE MODERN WORLD

53

1955

1960

1965

Creation of Warsaw Pact. Soviet military support for Egypt. Widespread nationalist riots in Algeria and Morocco. Perón ousted in Argentina. US military intervention in Iran.

Decolonization of Africa: 12 French colonies gain independence, plus Congo (from Belgium), Nigeria, and Somalia (from Britain). Hawaii becomes 50th state of the USA.

1956

1961

US troops in Vietnam. Voting Rights Acts, USA: increases numbers of black voters. Indo-Pakistan War over Kashmir. Marcos takes power in the Philippines. Over five million women in the USA are using the contraceptive Pill.

Hungarian uprising suppressed by USSR. Suez Crisis: failed Anglo–French invasion of the canal. Morocco and Tunisia gain independence from France and Sudan from Britain.

John F. Kennedy president of USA. Berlin Wall built. Military coup in South Korea. South Africa leaves Commonwealth. Bay of Pigs: US-backed attempt to topple Castro. Yuri Gagarin is first man in space.

1967 Six-Day War: Israel takes Sinai, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights, and Jerusalem. Biafran War with Nigeria. Martial law imposed in Greece.

1957 Treaty of Rome leads to the founding of the European Economic Community.

1958 China’s “Great Leap Forward”: forced industrialization, around 20 million die. Fifth Republic in France: de Gaulle president. Boeing 707 the first long-haul commercial jet airliner.

1959 Communist revolution on in in Cub ba: Fidell Castro Castro ro o im iimpos mp pos o e ess Soviet-style regim me. e. Tib Tiib beta etan et ttan uprising crushed d by Chin na. a.

1962

1968

Cuban missile crisis. France concedes Algerian independence. Uganda, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Tobago gain independence from Britain. First transatlantic television pictures.

“Prague Spring” crushed by USSR. Martin Luther King assassinated: race riots across USA. Ba’ath party seizes power in Iraq. Apollo 8 mission is first manned lunar flight.

1963 USA SA and a an nd US SSR SR S end en nd atmo mosph sph ph heri ericc er testin testi tes ting g of nucl clear ear we ear weapo apo po on nss. ns. Assass Ass assin ass iina in natio tion of ti of Ken enn nn n nedy. ed edy dyy. Civi ivviil iv il war in war w in Su Suda dan an. Fede a ed ed de erat ra a ion io io on of of Mal M alays a alaysia ays ysia iia: a: S a: Si Singa inga nga ng ga ap por pore por o e, e, S Sa Sar arrawa a awa a wak, wa ak, k, Sab Sa Sab bah ah, a h,, a h an nd M Mala ala a la ayys ays ysi s a. si a.

The US Marine Cor orpss play orp play p ayed a central role e in n th the eP Pa accifi ifi fic Wa arr with Japan n duri uring rn ri ng g Wo Worrld Wor ld W Wa War a ar IIII. II.

1969

1978

SALLTT talks between USA and SA USS US SSR. Gaddafi seizes power in LLib ib ibya. Military rule in Somalia. iby Sectarian violence in Northern Ire Ir Irel re ela and. n First moon landing.

Camp David Peace Treaty: Egypt–Israel rapprochement.

1970 70 US SA A, USSR, and Britain agree Nu N ucleear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Allllllen A Al ende president of Chile.

1979 USSR invades Afghanistan. Shah of Iran ousted: Ayatollah Khomeini imposes Islamic republic. Khmer Rouge overthrown in Cambodia.

1980 119 971 71 TThi hi h rd d Indo–Pakistan War: iin ndependent Bangladesh. nd Mog M ogadishu Declaration og de en noun ou ces white rule in South Africa. Idi Amin seizes So po p ower in Uganda. ow

Saddam Hussein launches Iran–Iraq War. Anti-communist union, Solidarity, formed in Poland. Majority black rule in Zimbabwe.

1981

Pro P Pr rote estors clash with British es arm a ar rm my in Northern Ireland: Blo B lo loody Sunday.

Ronald Reagan president of USA. Israel withdraws from Sinai. Militant campaign for Sikh state in Punjab. First flight of US space shuttle.

197 19 73 3

1982

Yom Yo Y o om m Kippur War: raised oil pri pr p rice ri ces spark global recession. US tr troops withdrawn, Vietnam. Pinochet’s military coup ousts Pi Allllllen A ende d in Chile. Britain, Ireland, an a nd Denmark join EEC.

Falklands War: Britain retakes islands from Argentina. USA initiates START talks with USSR. Martial law is imposed in Bangladesh, and in Poland.

1972 19 72

1983 1974 197 19 74 Co C o ou up in Ethiopia: Haile Selassie ous usted. Turkey invades Cyprus. Indo Ind don on onesia invades East Timor. President Nixon resigns in USA. Democracy in Portugal.

Democracy restored in Argentina. Martial law lifted in Poland. Islamic law introduced in Sudan: civil war. Foundation of militant Islamic terror group, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.

1975 19 75

1985

Dea ath of Franco: democracy and at mon mon o arc a hy restored in Spain. Com C o munist regimes in Laos and om Cam am mb bodia. Civil war in Lebanon.

Mikhail Gorbachev launches reform of USSR: glasnostt and perestroika. State of emergency declared in South Africa. Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

1976 19 197 76 Dea ath of Mao in China; coup by “Gang of Four”. Syria intervenes “Ga iin n Le Le anon: imposes Arab peace Leb fo for fo orrcce e. First black homelands in Sou So S ou o uth t Africa; race riots, Soweto.

1977 Eg gypt–Israeli peace talks. Miillittary coup in Pakistan. Ga ad ddafi imposes “Islamic so alism” in Libya. socia soc Ap A Apo pollo 11, launched on 6 July 1969 po by NA by NASA in Florida, was the first man ma m an a ned lunar mission, landing on th he e mo m on on July 20.

1986 Superpower summit in Iceland: USA and USSR agree to disarm. Democracy restored in Brazil. Collapse of Marcos regime in the Philippines. USA bombs Libya. Nuclear reactor explodes at Chernobyl.

1987 Intifada uprising in Gaza Strip and West Bank: Arab–Israeli tensions heightened. INF Treaty: USA and USSR agree to cut nuclear stockpiles.

THE MODERN WORLD

55

1989

2003

Collapse of Iron Curtain: Solidarity elected in Poland; Berlin Wall breached. Partial elections in USSR.

Widespread ethnic conflict in Darfur, Sudan. US-led coalition invades Iraq: takes Baghdad; Saddam Hussein ousted; widespread violence and terror attacks; UN lifts sanctions. First manned Chinese space flight.

1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: UN coalition forces sent to Persian Gulf. Free elections in East Germany; Germany reunited.

2004 Muslim fundamentalists bomb Madrid: 191 die. Indonesian earthquake sparks tsunami in Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean: more than 210,000 die. Ten new countries join EU.

1991 UN coalition expels Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Baltic republics assert independence from USSR. USSR dissolved, replaced by CIS. Slovenia and Croatia independent: at war with Serbia.

Barack Obama was elected the first African-American president of the USA in 2008.

1997 1992 Bosnia declares independence from Yugoslavia; civil war begins. Hindu extremists destroy mosque at Ayodha, India.

Britain returns Hong Kong to China. Asian financial crisis. Coup in Zaire. Israeli pull-out from Hebron, West Bank.

2005 Muslim fundamentalist bombings in London: 52 die. Israel withdraws from Gaza; Syria withdraws from Lebanon. General election in Iraq: 98.8 per cent turnout. Kyoto Protocol on climate change comes into force.

1998 1993 Czech Republic and Slovakia formed from Czechoslovakia. Oslo Accords: PLO and Israel agree limited Palestinian autonomy. Democracy restored in Cambodia. HIV/AIDS epidemic in southern Africa.

India and Pakistan test nuclear weapons. Serbs and ethnic Albanians clash in Kosovo. Economic crisis in Indonesia: overthrow of Suharto government. “Good Friday” peace deal, Northern Ireland.

Civil war in Rwanda: 500,000 Tutsis massacred; two million Hutus flee. ANC wins multiracial elections in South Africa. Chechnya claims independence: Russian invasion. US invades Haiti: democracy restored.

Russia re-starts Chechen war. Serbian “ethnic cleansing” of Kosovan Albanians. Renewed Indian–Pakistani clashes over Kashmir. Democracy restored in Indonesia. USA and UK begin air attacks on Iraq.

Austria, Finland, and Sweden enter European Union. World Trade Organization (WTO) supersedes GATT. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel assassinated. Dayton Agreement ends civil war in former Yugoslavia.

Vladimir Putin becomes Russian president. First draft of human genome completed.

2001 Al-Qaeda terror attacks in USA: President Bush commits USA to “war on terror”. USA–UK forces bomb Afghanistan: Taliban overthrown.

1996 Taliban capture Kabul: declare Afghanistan a fundamentalist Islamic state. Russian pull-out leaves Chechnya de facto independent. Yeltsin wins Russian elections: communists narrowly defeated.

Iran develops nuclear programme despite UN sanctions. Devolved government returns to Northern Ireland. Sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia militias escalates in occupied Iraq.

2008 2000

1995

Genocide in Darfur. Renewed Israeli–Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon. North Korea tests nuclear weapon. Montenegro votes to split from Serbia.

2007 1999

1994

2006

2002 Euro introduced in 11 of 15 EU countries. Renewed Palestinian attacks on Israel. Mugabe wins rigged election in Zimbabwe: attacks on opponents. UN weapons inspections in Iraq.

Cyprus and Malta join the EU. Oil price reaches $150 per barrel. Dmitri Medvedev becomes Russian president. Nepal becomes a republic; Maoist rebels enter government. Global financial crisis. Political crisis in Thailand.

2009 Israeli army invades Gaza Strip. Barack Obama becomes US president. First trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai becomes Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in power-sharing agreement with Robert Mugabe.

58

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD

THE WORLD TO 3000 bce Seett aggaain inst st the he age ge of th the Eaarrth th ittsseelllf, f, wh f, hiich ch is ssoom mee 4.55 biilllilioon n year ye arrss oolld d,, hu um maan n his isto tory ry cov oveerrs a cco om mp par arati aattiv iveelly ssh hoorrt sp hor spaan n. Hum uman uma an anc nces esto tors rs spl rs plit it geen net etic ical allyy from rroom tth heeiir ap apelik eellik ike aan nce cest stoorrs arou ar rou ound un nd d 5 to 6 m miilllliio on year yeaarrs ye rs aaggo, o, th hooug ouggh an anatom atom at mic ical ally ly mood d deer er n hu h um maans ns – H Hoom moo sap sappiieens ns – onl n y ap app peeaarred d aboout ut 150 50,0 50,0 ,00000 yea ears rs aggoo.

G r e e n l a n d

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Ro

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P A C I F I C

AME RI C A

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NORT H

Shri Sh S h ve ver ver er

Lam LLa am a mb m bS Spr Sp p prriin ing ng ng

O C E A N

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Clov Clo Cl C llo lov ov ovis is

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Go ough’s ug ’s ’s C Cav Cave Ca ave a av ve ve Great Lak Grea L kes La kess

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ARCTIC OCEAN

Piki Pik kim mach mach hay ay

OCEAN

Pe Pe Ped ed edr dra ra Fu F ra rada ea ear e ar a arl rrlly ssettl tleme ment

SOUTH AMERICA

e

Wran a gel Island

Da ar es-S s-S ss--S Sol ol an olta

ATLANTIC

A ma zo n B a s i n

s

Ollld Old O d Cr Crow C Cro rro row o ow w Dry Dr D ry Cr ry Cree Cree Cre ree re eek

Ap M pal ou

Be e ri rin n gia ia a

d

Alic Ali Al A lli lic ice Bö ic Böer

ancient anc anci ent coas coastlin tliine tl modern coast mode oastline l line

PACIFIC OCEAN

The spread of modern humans possible colonization route major site 100,000–12,000 bce extent of ice sheet 18,000 bce extent of ice sheet 10,000 bce coastline 18,000 bce (main map) ancient lake

n Mo ontte Ve Verde de e

a

Drry D Dry ry Cree Cre C Cr rree re e ee eek ek

A

Ollld Old O d Crow Crrow Cro rro ow ow

Pa t ag

B er Ber Be e r ingi ing ng g ia ia

Qu uerre ero o

oni

Blu Bl Blue lue uefis fissh fish h Cav Ca Cave C ave a avvve e

Pata P ata ag goni nia a se settle ed by 11,0 1,00 000 0 bce

FFell Fe ell el e llll’s ’s Cav ave

THE PREHISTORI ORIC C WO W O RLD

Early humanity had reached Australia by 40,000 years ago, and the Americas by at least 12,000 years ago. The first towns and the earliest civilizations would emerge in Mesopotamia (in the Middle East), Egypt, northwest India, and around the Yangtze river in China, all between 5000 and 3000 bce.

S

a

S a h e l

59

THE WORLD TO 3000 bce

Hu um man ans rraapi pid dlly miigr grrat ateed ated at d fro room m th thei hei eir A Affrriica icaan home home ho mela mela land an nd ds, s, and nd haaad h d sp spre read ad to aallm moosstt th hee ent ntire ire w ir wo orrlld by by abo bout ut 122,,00 000 ye year arss ag ago. o. Aroou Ar Arou und nd 2,0 ,000 00 yeeaars arrss laatter er, th the iin nvveent ntio ntio ion of of agr gric icult ultu ul ture re in th th e Mid Mi dd dlee East dle asst le led ttoo the he eme merg rgen ence ence ce of sseeett tttlleed ed an nd in incr crea e ssiin ea nggly ly co comp omp ple lex soci soociet ciieettie tiiees – an and ev even entu tual ally ly to tth he w wo orld’ rlld d’’s fir first st cittiiees.

Last ast dwarff m mammo am am amm ammo mmo mm mo m oth tths hss h bec b be ec e ecome extin tinct ct c.30 .300 30 000 bce bce ce Wra Wr an n gel ge IIsla Is sllla ssla a nd nd

Sett ettt ett ttle lled e ed d by b c.45, .4 45, 45 4 5,,0 5 000 00 0 00 bce bc cee c

Eng En Engi E ng ngi ng giis

S

Sung Sun S Su ung ungh hir ir ir

EU R OPE

i

Mlad Ml M Mla lla a ecc

Bla Bl Blac B lac la acc k Se a Sea Lak La LLake ak a ake kke e Rom Ro Rom Roma oma o m ma ane an ellllli ell

r

A

Aral A ral al a Sea S ea

Cas Ca Casp C a sp asp p iia ian an a n Sea S ea ea

i

r

im

ala

Jap n Jap Ja Japa Zhou Zh Z Zho hou ho h ou o uk koud kou ko ou oud o u ud diia a an Hon Hons on ons nssh n hu u

Ma Mab Maba M ab a aba ba ba

P A C I F I C

India Patn Pa atne a

P Phil Ph ipp pine I sl nd Isla ndss Niiiah Nia N Niah ah h Cav C ve ve m

INDIAN OCEAN

O C E A N

Earl Ear Earl arliest ie est st evi vviidenc enc e ncce n off use e of of b boats

Su

y

Oldu Old O lldu uvva vai ai ai G Go org o ge e

Hosh H o osh hin ino o Ear Earl arliest arli e settle ers c.40 .40, 40 0,000 bc bce

yas

First se First settle ttled d c.60, 60,,000 000 bce

A F R I C A

at

Val le

A

G o b i

Bh Bhim B him him mb bet be betk etttk etk e ka

Migr M igr ig gra ati tion out out o off A Africa ca of ear of ea arly ar arl r y mo mod m od de ern er rrn nh huma umanss by 100, by 00,0 00 0,0 0, 0 ,00 ,0 00 0b bce ce c

Mega Me M ega e ga a Cha Chad Ch C h had ha ad ad

I

Xia Xi X Xiac iiac ia a acch hua huan hu uan u ua an a n

Firs Fir Firs irst ev ir eviid den de d en e ncce nce e of hu hu huma uma man b bu uria riia rial ri alls a

a

S

S ui Shu Shui uid don do dong ong ggou gou go ou

H

Ha Hau Haua Ha au aua ua u a Ftea ah h

a

Sha Sh Shan S ha han h anid an ida iidar d dar da a arr

Qaf Qafz Q Qa afz fzeh eh

a

e

Mal’ Ma Mal M al a al’ ll’’tta a

Mez Me M Mezh e ezh ez zzh h hiir iric iiri ric rriiicch

LLa a Mad adel a ade de del d elleine el ein eine ei e ine iin ne ne

Born Bor B Bo orrrn orn o ne ne eo o Solo S olomon New Ne N ew ew Issla Isla IIsl sla l nds n Gui G Gu uin u ui iin nea ea JJa Java av a ava va va Kos Kosi K Ko o ipe e Sahu Sah Sa S a ah ahu hul Au ustrali st alia: a: Ea Earl E Ear arrrlliies a ie iest esst rocck ar e art Fully modern hum umans ns cco colo onizze Koo Kool Koolan olla an n 28, 2 28 8 8,0 8, ,,0 000 00 year ears ea ars a ar rs rs a ago ag go g o Australia from So outhea ast As Asia, from c.60,000 year ars ago; o; the heyy Pu Puri Pur P urri uri u ritjarra tja tjar ttj jar arrra a Bo Bor Bord ord or o rder rd er utilize land bridgess cre c at ated ed db byy Kenn Ken K Ke enn en e nniiff ff Cavve ve Ka ahari Kal Kala har ha har ari a rrii B Cave Cav C Ca ave av a ve ve lowered sea levels during g la last s Australia Dese D es ese se ert er rt Sout outhern he n Africca: Earl rlie estt evidence e of Ice Age but also cro ross s 60k km Apol Ap pol ollo ol lo 11 lo From om m c.120,000 000 years ago, hum man cremation (37 miles) of op pen n se ea Cave C ave e earl ea arly homini inin ns colonize c.26 .26,00 .26, 00 bce Lake L ake k e Mun Mu M un u n go g o i areas of Africa Arum umvvale vale le e Kla Klas Kl K l ies ies R River iver more marrginal Kow K Ko ow o w Swam Swa p Mouth Mout h

Mad aga sca r

Kise Kis Ki K iiss se

Migr Mig iigr ig grra g atio at tion of earlyy mod ode od o dern human ns be begins c.1150,0 ,00 000 yea years ago

ra

Great Rift

h

b

Kost K ost os sstttiiie en enk e n nk ki ki

T Tasm ania Sunghir hir hir Settled e byy c.4 ..45, 45 45, 4 5 00 00 b bce bc c

Set Se S etttttle e le ed db byy 35,0 35 3 5,,0 5,0 5 ,00 00 0b bce bc ce ce Goug gh h’s h’ ’s Ca ’s Cav Cave C av ave ave ve

Eng E Engi En ngi ng giis

Mla Mlad Ml M lad lla ad a de ecc Pred Pr Pre P re red redmo most m o i

La LLas as a asc sca sc au ux ux La Ma La ad adel ade de de del elle eine ei ein iin ine ne ne CroCr ro roo Magn oM no on n Grri Gri G riim ma aldi ald al ldi lld dii d Alta Alt Al A lta lt tta am mira mir ira iir rra a Niau Nia Ni ia ia x Mazo M Ma azo a azzou uro ur ro N Roma Rom R o om oma m ne nell nel n el e ell lllli Nerj Ne Ner N erj e errj rja La Last ast a st Nea st Ne N ea e ande nd nder nd der de errrtha e thal th ttha h hal ha al als die di d iie e ou out o u utt a att c.2 ..27 27 2 7 7,,0 000 00 0 bce bc bc Da D Dar ar ar es es-S e ss-S s--S So olta ol olt ltta lta lt an

New Zeal Zea Zea a and

Kos K Ko ostienk en e enk nk n ki

Miig Migr M Mig iigr gra gr ati atio at tio tti iio on ou o ut o off A Afr Af ffrrica rica ica a off ear ear arly arly rlly ly mo mod m ode od ern rn rn h hu huma hum um uma u ma m ans ns by 100 by 00 000 bce 00,0 bce

S a h a r a

Me Mez Mezh M e ezh hiiri irrric iric riiicch Bllacc k S Blac B Se ea a LLak Lake La a ke ke

Qafzze Qafz eh h

Fiirs Fir Firs Fi irrs rst e evvid ide den d en e nce nc ce of hum huma hu h um uma u ma m an bu burrial ria ia ial as al

Around 45,000 years ago, Homo sapiens first spread into Europe. Cro-Magnons, as these people were known, later supplanted the last Neanderthals in the region, and also developed their own tradition of cave painting. Excellent examples of this early art can be seen at Lascaux and Niaux in modern France, and at Altamira in modern Spain.

60

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

UM A N A NC ESTO RS The he evvo ollu olu uti tioon n of m mo od deern r n hum uman ans ext extteend ex nds b baacckk milillliioon n nss of of yeear ars, s, beg egiin nn niin ing ng wit ith a ggeen ith neettiiicc sp splilit lit be bettw weeen ch him mpanz paanz p nzeeees aan and nd h hu umans maans ns 5 to 6 m miill illllio ion yyeeaarrs aaggo. o. Th hee prro ocess cessss is no ce not ea easy sy tto o tra raccee, aass ourr evviid deen enc nce co come mes fr froom m sccaatttteerred d, un unre unr relate latteed la fin fi nd dss. The he em meerggeen nccee of H Hoomo mo sap apiieens ns, mo mode derrn n huma umaan um ns,, is a co comp mpaarraattiv ivel ely re rece cent nt deevveellop opme ment, nt, occu nt occu oc currrrin ng arrou o un nd d 150, 15 0,00 000 ye yeaarrs ag ago, o, and nd evviid deen ncce ooff th hee firs rst sett settl se ttttle led vviiilllllag ages es daate d attees on onllyy as ffaar b baack ck as ab abou out 110 0,00000 0 bce bbc ce.

THE AUSTRALOPITHECINES n E Af Afric riica ric

d 4 mil millilio ion on yea ear arrs ago go

Among the earliest known human ancestors are the Australopithecines (“southern ape-men”), who evolved in the East African forests. By 3 million years ago, the Australopithecines had diversified into many forms that shared a vital characteristic – they were bipedal, standing on two feet. THE LAETOLI FOOTPRINTS AND LUCY

Around 3.75 million years ago, a volcanic eruption deposited a layer of ash as h att Lae aetto toli toli li,, Tan anza zani za nia. ni a Thi hiss as ash h, m de ma de cementt-lililike ke by by ra rain in,, pr p es eser erve er ved ve ed th the he footpr foot fo otpr ot p in nts ooff th thre hre reee Au A st stra ralo ra lopi pith pi thec hecin inee in indi in ndi dividu vviidu d al alss. The pri rint nts confi nfirm nfi rmed ed th that hat th hey ey w wal alked al ked up ke prigh igh ght, wit ith a ro ith rollin rol lllling ing ga in gait it.

The most complete Australopithecine skeleton, discovered in Ethiopia in 1975, is of a young female, dubbed “Lucy”. She stood around 1m (3ft) tall and weighed around 27kg (60lb), while her pelvis shows clear signs of adaptation for an erect posture. Walking upright enabled the W Australopithecines to operate away from the forests in the open terrain of the savannah, giving them a wider foodgathering range than their competitors. Byy 3 m mililillililion on yea ears rs ago g , th go they eyy fl flou ou uriish hed d thro th hro roug uggho hout ut muc ut much h off sub ub-Sah har a an Afr fricca. fric a. The Afric Afric rican an cou countr untr ntryy of TTanz anzzani ania nia, a, whe he ere re a arc rc r ha haeolo ologis gists ts have hav e disc disc iscov overed evide idence id nce of ma many any ny of ou our ur ea arli rlies est anccestors an est stors, has has bee been n call called lled the “ccrad ra adl dle le of of hum h man a lif i e”.

61

HUMAN ANCESTORS

HOMO HABILIS n E Africa fri ricaa

d 2. 2.33 to to 1.75 75 m miilli llllliioon n yeaars rs ago ago o

The earliest “hominins” – human ancestors – to be placed in the same genus, Homo, as the modern human species Homo sapiens, evolved a little more than 2 million years ago. The first to be discovered, in Tanzania’s T Olduvai Gorge, was Homo habiliss (“handyman”), so named for their use of stone tools. Homo habiliss resembled the Australopithecines (see A facing page) e but had a larger brain size, and teeth and hands that show a greater evolution towards those of modern humans, while still retaining a low, heavybrowed skull and long arms.

The Homo habiliss camp site at Olduvai Gorge, where their fossil remains were first unearthed, included a scatter of simple stone tools such as shaped flints (see p.62) 2 and broken animal bones, showing evidence of the deliberate breaking-up of carcasses. Homo habilis probably slept in trees, in relative safety from lions and other predators. There are some indications that Homo habiliss was capable of primitive speech, permitting the development of more complicated social organization. A skull of Homo habilis, one of the earliest human ancestors.

HOMO ERECTUS n E Asia sia, Afr frica, Eur fri uroope p d 2 tto o 0.55 m miilli llllliion on ye yyea ears rs ago aggoo ag

The very earliest examples of a new species of hominin, Homo erectuss (“upright man”) date from around 2 million years ago in East Africa. The tools that Homo erectuss made were of significantly improved design from those of Homo habiliss (see above), e and included shaped hand axes and cleaving tools, which were used for specific functions, such as butchering animals. These early humans were skilled hunters and brilliant opportunists, quick to take advantage of different environments, which must have been a key factor in the success of the species. By 500,000 years ago, these early humans had adapted successfully to a wide variety of tropical and temperate environments, moving as far northeast as China. Numerous fragments of a species classified as

Hom Ho H o o erectus was pow werffulllly b built with massive brow ridges, a large face, and a long, low skull.

Homo erectuss were found in Zhoukoudian Cave, near Beijing – the skeletons found there were dubbed “Peking Man”. They are known to have used fire, making settlement possible in cold locations, and allowing them to cook food, which in turn led to the evolution of smaller jaws and less robust teeth.

62

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

TOOL-MAKING AND SPEECH Although certain species of ape, including chimpanzees, have been observed to use tools such as sticks and stones for digging, opening shellfish, or menacing enemies, it was early human ancestors who were the first to deliberately shape tools around 2 million years ago. Around the same time, our ancestors began to evolve the necessary changes in the brain and voice box to permit language. THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOOLS

The earliest tools were probably those made from bone and stone found at Homo habiliss sites (see p.61) and dating from around 2 million years ago. Although crude, the stone artefacts include pebbles and rock fragments from which early human ancestors had deliberately removed flakes, and the flakes themselves. They used some tools as scrapers, others as choppers, and the basic forms did not change for thousands of years. The Neanderthals (see facing page) e may have been the first to mount scrapers, spear points, and knives on wooden handles, around 300,000 years ago. PHYSICAL EVOLUTION AND LANGUAGE

The development of articulate language was a key threshold in human evolution, because it allowed for an enhanced level of cooperation. Exactly when it emerged is difficult to define. Homo habilis had a slightly more A flint blade shaped on both faces from a period when Homo erectus refined the tools of earlier ancestors.

human-like frontal lobe (the part of the brain that houses speech control) than the earlier Australopithecines. Homo erectus, around 1.8 million years ago, had a lower-positioned larynx, which would have allowed a wider variety of vocal sounds. A hominin dating to around 400,000 years ago, Homo heidelbergensis, was found to possess the hyoid bone at the root of the larynx that facilitates speech. It was only around 300,000 years ago that the base of the skull evolved to allow a full range of sounds. Around 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, during what some a thropologists term the an “ reat Leap Forward”, “G modern humans seem to have developed language of the kind we would recognize t day. The first symbolic to r presentations of the world, re such as the cave art at Lascaux in France (see p 69), p. 9 accompanied this leap. Language and art enabled our ancestors to pass on skills, traditions, and discoveries, an essential foundation for the complex societies that would emerge from around 10,000 bce.

HUMAN ANCESTORS

63

THE NEANDERTHALS n Africa, f ica, fri a,, Eur ur pe,, W Eu uro ura raasia iaa

d 3500,0 ,00000 to 25,0 ,00 25,0 5,0 5, ,00 000 00 ye yyea year ears ea rs ago ago ag go

Around 350,000 years ago, a new species, Homo neanderthalensis, appeared in Africa. A It would be the last major human-like species before the evolution of fully modern humans. The Neanderthals spread out from A Africa, by 200,000 years ago reaching as far as Uzbekistan and Iran in the east and the Iberian peninsula in the west, then moving into northern Europe. They were named for the site in Germany where one of the first specimens was discovered, in 1856. They had a short, robust build, powerful limbs, a protruding face, and heavy brow ridges, but a body shape closer to that of modern humans than preceding species. NEANDERTHAL LIFESTYLE

The Neanderthals were expert hunters, who pursued animals such as bison with wooden and stone-tipped spears. They made sophisticated tools and dwelt in caves, rock shelters, and open camps. They may have been capable of speech, although their larynx is higher than in modern humans, which would have impeded the use of the broad spectrum Gorham’s Cave on Gibraltarr is thought to have been one of the very last sites inhabited by the Neanderthals before their extinction.

A Neanderthal skull shows a distinctive brow ridge. Neanderthals had large brains and more rounded heads than their predecessors.

of sounds necessary for full language. This was the first species to exhibit a sense of care for the dead. In one grave at TeshikT Tash in Uzbekistan, ibex horns T had been placed in a circle around the skull, and a fire lit around the body. DNA A recovered from remains reveals that the Neanderthals were not our direct ancestors. They did, however, live alongside modern humans (Homo sapiens, or“wise humans”), who migrated northwards from Africa into Europe around 45,000 years ago. It may be that competition with (or possibly absorption by) the newcomers caused their extinction around 25,000 years ago.

64

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

HE EARLIEST HUMANS Mood M deerrn n hum uman anss,, Hoomo mo sappie iens, ns, eevvoollvveed ar ns aroou u und nd n d 150, 15 0,00000 00 yyeeaarrrss aggo iin n Easst A Affri rica rica ca. Phy hysi sicaalllllyyy,, they hey we he werree not w no weellll ad daapt ap ptted ed to ccoold d con con ondi dittiioon diti ns, s, an nd d the he Iccee Aggee tth h at ha beega b eggaan aarrou oun nd d the he ttim im me tth hey ey app ppea eare red cco on nfi fined ned th ne them em t o a smaalllll are sm smal aarreeaa of ttrroop pic ical al Afr fric ica an and nd ssooou utth u hw weesst stteeern r n Assiia rn iaa.. Deessp piittee thiiss, th thi th thei eir llaarg rge br braaiin size size si ze and nd ccap aap paaccit ittyy fo for llaang nguag uaage u ge leefft tth hem em poi oise sed tto sed o exp xpan and ou out ooff th hiis in iniittia ial h heeaarrttlland aan nd d..

THE ICE AGES n Worl orldwi dw dwi wide wi de ex de, excep ceptt trop cep roopicaal regi egggiions o d 2 mi miliilllio m lliiio on to 11,0 1,0 1,000 00000 yyea yeea earrss ago a

Over millions of years, Earth has experienced a series of Ice Ages. These periods of intense cold were punctuated by intervals of milder conditions, known as interglacials. The last Ice Age began around 2.5 million years ago, and we are currently in an interglacial period that began around 11,000 years ago. During the glacial periods of the last Ice Age, the Earth’s natural environments experienced major changes. Huge ice shee sh eets ts ffor orme med ov over er Scandinavia and cove co vere ve red re d mo most st of of Can anad adaa an ad and d pa p rt of of the th he US USA A as ffar ar so sou outh h as as th thee Gr Grea eatt Lak ea akes kes es.. The here ere w weer ere ic ere ice sh ice shee hee e ts in in th the he mo moun unta un taiin ta ins ins

of the Pyrenees and the Andes, and on Central Asian mountains. South of these areas, huge expanses of barren land extended from the Atlantic to Siberia. These environments suffered nine-month winters, making them uninhabitable for our ancestors, who instead moved south to more temperate and tropical regions. During interglacials, the ice sheets started to melt, sea levels rose, and humans returned north, following the animals theyy hun th u ted and the pl p an ants ts tthe heyy fo fora rage g d. ge Sea le Sea level levells drop drop ppe ped p ed d as se seawa awater awa ter fr ffroze roze du d durin urin ring i g the las ast st Ice Ag Age e. A land db bridg idge id e at at th the he Ber Bering Beri ing Strai rait it all allowed d homini hom inins ini ns to mig migrat rat ate e from S Siiber beriia ia in int into ntto N Nor ort rth Amer rth Amer meriic ica.

THE EARLIEST HUMANS

65

HOMO SAPIENS IN AFRICA n Afri f ica

d 195,0 ,000 00 to to 50, 50,,000 00000 ye 000 0 years arrs ag ago

Anatomically modern humans – Homo sapiens – appeared almost 200,000 years ago, probably in East Africa. They were taller than their immediate predecessors, males averaging about 1.75m (5½ft), and heavier. Their faces were less protruding than their Neanderthal contemporaries (see p.63) and their brow ridge was less prominent. Brain size was larger than in most previous species, though actually somewhat smaller than the average Neanderthal brain. The larynx was lower, so they could vocalize a wide enough range of sounds to form language as we know it. Homo sapienss were long-limbed, giving them a greater skin surface area from which heat could be lost – an adaptation suited to warmer climates. The narrow pelvic girdle necessary for a fully upright stance meant that babies had to be born at an earlier stage in their development, with smaller skulls and brains – which is why human babies are dependent on their parents for so much longer, relatively, than any other species. The shorter gestation period allowed more frequent pregnancies, enabling greater population growth. MITOCHONDRIAL EVE

Examination of a wide range of samples of mitochondrial DNA (matter outside the nucleus of the cell, which is passed down from every mother to her offspring) has revealed that all living humans have a common ancestor who lived in Africa around 200,000 years ago. This unknown matriarch has been dubbed “Mitochondrial Eve”, and we all share at least some genetic information with her. By studying mitochondrial DNA, scientists have been able to track the movement of Homo sapienss across the globe.

An early Homo sapiens skull discovered in South Africa shows very close affinities with the skull shapes of humans today.

Despite their advantages, Homo sapienss at this stage did not compete well with the Neanderthals in their territories in Europe and southwest Asia. The most important sites for early Homo sapienss lie within Africa, A with a few in modern Israel. At the earliest known site, Omo in Ethiopia, bones have been dated to around 195,000 years ago. At Klasies Cave, South Africa, A a population of Homo sapienss lived from about 120,000 years ago, hunting seal and antelope, and gathering roots and shellfish. CULTURAL ADVANCES AND EXPANSION

The development of art is taken as an important indicator of when Homo sapiens developed fully modern cognitive abilities, because it requires reasoning, planning, and the expression of intangible feelings. The oldest definitively dated decorative items, beads made from ostrich eggshell, come from Kenya and T Tanzania and are about 40,000 years old. They mark a shift into the Upper Palaeolithic period, in which Homo sapiens, whose population was probably only around a million, expanded both in numbers and, through a series of remarkable migrations (see overleaf ), in their territories.

66

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

SETTLING THE WORLD n Worl orldwi dw dwi wide wi de d 50 50,00 ,00 0000 to to 15, 5,0 5,0 00000 yea eeaars rs ago ggoo

The most significant of all human migrations began around 50,000 years ago during the last Ice Age (see p.64). 4 This period saw the spread of Homo sapienss out of Africa, until they settled the whole of mainland Eurasia and crossed land bridges into the Americas. Homo sapienss had also mastered tropical waters with canoes or rafts, which allowed them to drift to New Guinea and Australia. Colonizing the world was not a deliberate project, but a consequence of following game migrations and searching for new animals to hunt and new food plants to gather. The adaptability of Homo sapienss as a species made them capable of exploiting a vast range of new environments. THE SETTLEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA

The ancestors of today’s Native Ameriican Amer icanss crossed d in into Nor into North h Ame Ameri rica ica via vi ia a la land d bri rid idg dge th that hat exi exist stted d at th thee Be Beri ring ing Str trai aiitt up ai pu unt ntilill 1100,00 nt ,00 00 year yeear arss ag agoo. o. The he Hum Hum man n foo footpr fo tp ints ints fou fou und d att the th W th Wiillllla Will landr nd dra a Lake akk s, s New Sout South So th W Walle Wa less, A Aust ustral tral rali lia, ia, re revea vea eall that tha hat a th his is are area a was in wa was inhab inhab ha habite abite ited ed arou round nd 40, 4 000 0 years yeears ar ag ago. o. o.

European cave paintings date from around 32,000 years ago. This scene, from Lascaux in France, shows a bison, a common theme in prehistoric cave art.

earliest human sites in the Americas have long been thought to be in Alaska, at Broken Mammoth and Healy Lake; they date from around 11,000 to 12,000 years ago. However, finds at Bluefish Caves in Canada dating to 25,000 years ago, and at Monte Verde in Chile to around 14,000 years aggo, suggge g st much earlier settlement. The he set ettl ttler tller erss iin n Ala lask skaa es esta taabl b is ish hed ed wh what at is kno own wn aass th thee Clo lovi vis is cu cullt ltur ure, e,, aand nd d tthiis even ev entu en tual ally llyy eext xten xt ende en nde ded as ded as ffar arr south h aass

THE EARLIEST HUMANS

Panama. The Clovis people may have been responsible for the widespread extinction of gigantic mammals that took place at about this time. That extinction could in turn have contributed to the end of their culture around 11,000 years ago.

67

brushfires set by early humans destroyed their habitat. The early settlers, ancestors of today’s A Aboriginal peoples, developed an isolated and unique culture, many elements of which still survive; the earliest boomerang found – at Wyrie Swamp, Tasmania – dates from around 8000 bce. T

EXPANSION INTO AUSTRALIA

Some 50,000 years ago, Java, Sumatra, EXPANSION ELSEWHERE and Borneo were joined by land, but to Homo sapienss gradually infiltrated reach A Australia and New Guinea required almost every other habitable part of a series of sea crossings and must have the globe, reaching southwestern Europe involved the use of boats. Homo sapiens by around 45,000 years ago. The group had certainly reached the Australian A of Homo sapienss that settled here are mainland by 35,000 years ago, but referred to as Cro-Magnon, and they rock shelters in the Northern entirely displaced the Neanderthal Territory indicate that settlement T population in this region. By may have begun as early as around 40,000 years ago Homo 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. sapienss had migrated to eastern Dating back some 40,000 Europe and southwestern years, Lake Mungo in New Siberia, colonizing Japan South Wales is the most by around 30,000 to 35,000 important early site. The years ago. Homo sapienss remains found Although the Clovis there were partially people, who had colonized covered in red ochre, North America from Alaska indicating a ritual element to Panama, did not penetrate to the burials. South America themselves, The arrival of humans later groups reached the in A Australia coincided with very tip of the continent by the extinction of massive around 9000 bce. After this,, vertteb ebra brattes tes thatt had d with wi ith h the the exc xcep epti ep tion ti on ooff certtai ain in p ev pr eviious iouslly ly inh hab abi bit ited d the he Paci Paci Pa cific fic iisl slan sl ands aand ands an nd par arti arti ticu icu culla larl rly ly cont nttiinen entt, en t, alttho hou ugh itt is ugh is rem re mote reg mote reggions ions of of the th he Clovis spear po p intss hav ha e a biifac facial ial,, gl no not o clea cle r wh cl whet e her the et g ob obe be, e, tthe he lon he ong ng miigr grat atio ion n concav con cave, and cave, d flu uted te ed d sh shape hape e, whic whic hich h newc ne wccom omer erss hu er hunt nted ted d the hem m off Ho Homo mo ssap apiie ap ienss outt ooff iens wass re was repli epli pl cated pl cated ed thr throug ghou ho t th hout the to eext x in xt inct inct ctio i n io n,, or wh whet hethe ethe et her entire en ent ire ar area rea ea occ cccupi upied up d byy the h cultu cu ulture. ltu t re. tu e. Afr friic ica wa ica was as co com mple mp lete lete te.

68

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

HUNTER-GATHERERS Hunting and foraging for food was the only way of life for humans until around 12,000 years ago. It was a successful lifestyle that, in its flexibility, had significant advantages over the settled agricultural societies that would supplant it. T Today, only a handful of huntergatherer societies survive, in the Amazon Basin and in Africa, which provide vital evidence for their prehistoric forebears’ way of life. EARLY EVIDENCE

Hunter-gatherers have to range across a wide area for food, and so carry few possessions with them. As a result, prehistoric hunter-gatherers have left few material remains. Rare finds of digging sticks, such as at Gwisho in Central Africa, and flint sickle blades show that people dug for tubers and harvested wild grasses. Broken animal and fish bones and plant pollens reveal details of the hu unt nter er-g -ggat athe here he rerr diet re diiet et, as as do d deeep p m dden mi dd den e s (w (was aste te sit te ites eess) crram mm meed with wi h dis iscaard rded d mol ollu lllu usscc shell hellls. he s.

Spear-fishing with barbed poles, such as this 10,000-year-old harpoon made from an antler, was widespread in later prehistoric times.

Sites such as Star Carr in northeast England, from around 9000 bce, show that hunter-gatherers might return again and again to the same places, establishing seasonal settlements close to where game was plentiful. Small figurines and carvings of bears and mammoths discovered at Dolní Veˇstonice in the Czech R Republic, and remarkable fish sculptures from Lepenski Vir in Serbia, show the leve le eve v l of cultural sophistication that su uch h ear ea ly societies could reach. Evveentua ually, however, hunterggaaath ther th her erin ing was replaced by farming. Proba rooba bably, y as agriculturalists enccrrooaach en c ed on their territory, some hunter-gatherers adopted so som the n th neew way of life, while ootth heers were forced into the marrgggins. In marginal ma environments, farming en aallway ways carries the risk of star st arvation if crops fail, and tto od daay there are still isolated ggrroup oups, such as the San of ou tth he Kalahari desert in Africa, tth hat at maintain the ancient hu h hun unte nter-gatherer traditions. nt A hunt nter is depicted in a cave painting fro rro om Far araway Bay, Western Australia, da dat d at atin iin ing ng g tto o around 20,000 years ago.

THE EARLIEST HUMANS

69

ART AND RITUAL n Wor Worldw ldw wide ide

d 40 40,00 ,00 0000 to to 4,000 ,00 000 yearrs agoo 00

Around 40,000 to 50,000 years ago early humans began to create the first examples of art – graphic representations of reality or an imagined symbolic life – incised on animal bones, painted on cave walls, and sculpted from bone or ivory. This artistic activity coincides with the first evidence of religious belief, and both of these developments indicate an ability to think about ideas or concepts that lie outside immediate, everyday existence. CAVE ART

In later rock art, symbols such as this circular sign filled with dots start to feature alongside depictions of animal and human figures.

One theory is that the art was created by shamans who acted as mediums with the spiritual world, communicating with ancestors and spirit totems. Other artistic creations, including carved female statuettes known as “Venus figurines”, may have been related to hunter-gatherer fertility cults, while the burial of possessions alongside bodies indicates belief in an afterlife.

A About 40,000 years ago, the Cro-Magnon people of western Europe developed a flamboyant artistic tradition that survives mainly on cave walls, where it has been sheltered from the elements. The cave paintings depict a wide range of animals, some of them, such as mammoth and woolly rhinoceros, long extinct; others, like wild FROM RITUAL TO RELIGION horses, European bison, As societies grew more and reindeer, still familiar complex, they began to today. In a society devote particular areas and dependent on hunting, sp paces to cult practices. At animal paintings may have Çata Ça talh lhöy ö ük in T Turkey, murals been the focus of rituals iid den enti tiffyy pla l ces used for ritual intended to ensure success aroun ar ound ou nd 700 00 bce. In time, lavish 000 and a rich supply of meat. temp te mple les would be built for the les By contrast, human worship of complex figures in cave paintings pantheons of gods, who The “Venus of Willendorf”, carved around 20–25,000 years ago, may demanded elaborate are rare, and when they have been a fertility talisman. do survive are highly rituals performed only by a stylized or masked. However, impressions priestly elite. A glimpse of hunter-gatherer of human hands and indecipherable beliefs can now only be seen in societies signs do appear on the walls of caves, such as that of the Australian A A Aborigines, including Altamira in Spain, and who continue to commemorate their Chauvet, Niaux, and Lascaux in France. ancestral spirits with spectacular rock art.

The ca ave ve p pa pai ainti nting nt ngs ngs gs a att LLa asc asca scca sca aux, uxx, Fr ux Fra an anc nce, nc e, d dat ate fro fr rom aro ro rrou o ound nd 16, 116 6,0 6 00 000 00 00 yye ears ars a aggo o.. They The The hey in ncl clude de a de we wea w ea alth llttth of of a an nim ima ma m al re epr ep prres p essent ese ntta nta attio io ons, nss,, ssu n such ucch ha ass tthi th his hi b son, bis bison on, on n a ass we wellll as as sym sym ymbo bolic bol lic ic an an and nd dh hu uman ma m a an n fo forms for rm mss. Many Man Ma an a ny figu gu gur uress are re e iin n in inacc accces ac acc ess e ssib ss iibl ble corn bl rners rners errss th tthat ha att may h may have ha ave ve req req re equ uir irred ed the th h us use of sca caf caf affo ffol olld ldin diin di ng. g.

72

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

A RLY S OC IET IES The tr The Th traan nsi ns siti tion on n ttoo aan n aggrriiccu ulltu tura rall ex ra exis xiste istteenc is nceee,, which hiich h h beeggan an arou ar aro ound nd 11, 1,00 00 yyeear ars ag ago an and nd waas viirt rtua rtu uallllyy co coomp mplleetee by mp aab bou ut 2200000 0 bc bce, ggaave ve riisse ttoo new w way ays off liiffe, e, inc nclu nclu ludi diing d ng the he firstt seetttl fir tled ed com ed o mm omm mu un niitie ties ti es. Frroom es. m thi thiis p peeri riod od d of eaarl rly ly fa farm min ing, g, kkn now own aass the he Neo Neo eolil th thic ic, al ic also lso s o em meerge rge tth rg he ea earl ear rlie iest est st mon onum umen enta tal rem re rema maaiin ns, s, inc nclu ludi diingg str d t ikkiin ng me m gaalliith hicc str sttrructu ucctu u urreeess th t at at app pea ear ar acro ac cro ross ossss nor orth herr n an and we west steerr n Eu urroop pe. pe. e

THE CRADLE OF AGRICULTURE n Tur urkey key eyy, Syr yriia, Iraq ra , Paaki kista sta taan, n, Chin h a, a, Mes Mesoa Me oaam oam mer ericcaa d 8855000– eri 00––60 600000 bce 600

The end of the last Ice Age around 11,000 years ago, and the accompanying rise in temperatures, was the trigger for the switch from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of agricultural and animal domestication. This first took place in around 8500 bce, in an area known as the “Fertile Crescent” that includes Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. The hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters, together with a wide variety of altitudes and a large number of wild cereals and

Ears of emmer, originally a wild grass that early agriculturalists selectively bred to enhance its crop yield.

legumes, provided ideal conditions for agriculture to succeed. Agriculture arose independently in other regions with favourable climatic conditions – in China’s Yangtze Valley in around 7000 bce and, a thousand years later, in Mesoamerica and possibly at Mehrgarh in Pakistan. EARLY AGRICULTURE

The first plants to be adapted from their wild forms for cultivation were cereals – emmer and einkorn, barley and rye. These are found at sites such as Abu Hureyra in Syria, where a small foragi g ngg gi settlement became a compact farmin ng community of mudbrick dwellings. At around the same time, animals werre domesticated – goats first, then shee eep, p piggs, p, and cattle – providing a reliable so our urce c of m at, milk, and other animal produ me d ct cts. Th T he se sett t leed nature of agriculture tt ccoomp mpar mpar a ed e with hunter-gathering, an nd th he re read a y availability of food, led too larrge ad ge iin ncr creeaase s s in population – the site of Ai Ain ’G Gha haza zal in in Jordan more than doub bled leed in n size si ze bettwe ween en 7250 bce and 6750 bc bcee.

EARLY SOCIETIES

73

THE SPREAD OF FARMING n Wor Worldw ldw dw wide id d 70 id 7000– 00– 0–20 20000 bc bbce ce

Around 7000 bce, agricultural societies of the Near East began to show signs of stress caused by growing populations. Some sites shrank in size; others were abandoned. This may have led to a dispersal of the agricultural population, and increased pastoralism (animal herding). FARMING IN EUROPE AND ASIA

Farming seems to have reached the Balkans in southeast Europe by around 6500 bce, and by around 5500 bce had penetrated as far west as the Iberian Peninsula. Its range extended by 3500 bce to northern Germany, Scandinavia, and the British Isles. Agriculture moved east from the Zagros mountains of the Iran–Iraq borderlands to reach the Caucasus, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan (although T farming in Pakistan may have developed independently). By 3000 bce farmi ming ngg In Mesoamerica, ca, wit w h few an nimal nimal ma asa avai v ilab vai lable le for domestica dom catio tio io on, n, th the e ll llama lama ma a wa was as used used s ass a pa pac acck anim a mal, for me meat, at a at, an and d for the h ma mater terrial ialls wove ve ven en frrom m iit itss hair hair air..

Agricultural living g increased the need for food storage vessels and pottery.

had reached India’s Ganges Valley, and by 2500 bce it extended as far as the A Altai in Central Asia. In eastern Asia, an agricultural economy based o rric on icee and millet spread from ic its or its it orig igin ins in the Y Yangtze Valley ttoo rea each ch southern China by 3000 30 00 bc bce and Southeast Asia by at by at least 2300 bce. FARMING IN AFRICA AND THE AMERICAS

Agriculture first arrived in Egypt around 5500 bce, and spread southwards (it may also have arisen independently in sub-Saharan Africa around 2000 bce). In the Americas, sunflowers were grown for food in 4000 bce. The staple crops of native American agriculture, maize and beans, were domesticated in Central America by 3500 bce. In thee hi th high g alttit gh itud udes ud es off the Andes in South outh h Am meeri rica ica ca, po p tatoes werre cu cult lttiv i atted as ear as a ly ly as 50 5000 5000 00 bc b e, e, and lllam ama mas as w wer eree er dom do om meest stic iccat ated ated e aro roun un nd 1, 1,00 000 yeear ars rs la late late ter er. r.

74

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

THE FIRST VILLAGES n Jor Jord dan, an n, Syri y a, Tur Turkey key ey d 996600 000–70000 bbce cee

Once prehistoric peoples more than 1,000 years. had begun to cultivate Its population lived in domestic crops and keep rectangular houses, built livestock, they established very close together, which permanent settlements. were entered through the The earliest farming roof. The houses were villages were compact whitewashed and painted huddles of mudbrick with geometric patterns. houses. At Abu Hureyra, Çatalhöyük probably Syria, several hundred prospered because of its farmers lived in close trade in obsidian, a highly proximity to their fields prized black volcanic glass and to one another. By found in Turkey that was 8000 bce, Jericho, in the used for cutting tools. Jordan Valley, had become Skara Brae, a well-preserved Trading networks are Neolithic settlement of stone a small walled town, another sign of society’s whose inhabitants lived in houses on Orkney, Scotland. increasing sophistication. beehive-shaped houses with stone They allowed village settlements to foundations and plastered floors (under acquire resources from elsewhere, which they were eventually buried). “paying” for their goods by exchanging their agricultural surpluses. TRADE, SOCIETY, T AND RELIGION With less time needed to find food, Another highly successful settlement was people had more time to specialize in Çatalhöyük in Turkey, which thrived other aspects of life. Some became from 7000 bce and was inhabited for skilled workers, such as potters and masons,, wh whililee ot othe hers rs bec becam amee sh sham aman anss Villlag lage llif ife e ar a ose in i Sou South th Ame Ame eric ica a’s ’s A And An dea dea ean n regi egion o or pri ries iestts ts and and gui uide ded de d th thee gr g ow owin ingg in around d 25 2500 00 BCE, and d by by 800 BCE ha had had sspre pread d to the h fringe fri ngess of nge of the the Ata Atacam cama cam a Dese Dese esert rt at Tul Tulor or. ance an cest ce stor st or and nd fertiilility ty cul ults lts ts..

EARLY SOCIETIES

75

DISCOVERY OF METALS n Eur Euras asiia, M Mes esoam amer eri rica ca ca

d 800 80000 80 00– 00–200 000 bc 00 bce cee c

Humans had made tools out of stone, bone, and wood for thousands of years. The advent of copper-working around 7000 bce was a significant watershed in human history and the beginning of a long association with metals. Copper ores are relatively common around the Mediterranean, found in surface outcrops easily identifiable by their distinctive green colour. The earliest copper items were hammered crude axes and beads, but it was the discovery of copper smelting – heating ore with charcoal to extract the metal – that opened the way to the development of a range of practical and decorative items. At first, smelting was done in open fires, until it was found that crucibles – heat-resistant vessels of fired clay – produced metal more efficiently. THE SPREAD OF METALLURGY T

This discovery of smelting seems to have occurred independently in western Asia around 6000 bce and in east Asia before 2000 bce. The earliest use of gold and silver dates to around 6000–5000 bce, both metals being used for decorative and ritual purposes, as their malleability makes them unsuitable for everyday use.

The discovery of copper allowed prehistoric humans to manufacture much more effective tools and weapons, such as these copper axe heads.

Between 4000 and 2000 bce, knowledge of metalworking reached most of Eurasia and North Africa. The demand for metals promoted the growth of trade networks; lowland Mesopotamia, for example – the focus of the earliest civilizations – has no native metal or ore and societies there needed to import metal from Anatolia or the Iranian plateau. In Europe, copper mines existed from around 5100 bce at Varna in Bulgaria. FROM COPPER TO BRONZE

Some time after 3500 bce, people discovered that mixing copper and tin together to create an alloy, named bronze, produced a much more durable metal, suitable for weaponry, armour, and tools. By 3300 bce, the Mesopotamians had adopted the technique, as had the Egyptians around 3100 bce, beginning the Bronze Age. Bronzeworking was discovered in China around 2000 bce and from there spread throughout eastern and Southeast Asia. A grave from Varna in Bulgaria, where rich metal deposits allowed a culture to develop in which costly goods accompanied the dead.

76

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

MEGALITHS As agriculture spread across Europe, new and more centralized communities – mainly in the north and west of the continent, but also as far afield as Malta – created monuments with vast pieces of stone, called megaliths. We may never know their exact purpose, but they are clearly an expression of a belief system, marking out the seasons and the cyclical movements of the sun, moon, and stars. BARROWS AND HENGES

In the 4th millennium bce, European farming communities created long earthen burial mounds (“barrows”) and stone-chambered tombs, such as that at West Kennet in Wiltshire, southern Britain, where a passageway in a barrow leads to side chambers in which as many as 46 corpses were interred. At Newgrange in Ireland a similar chambered tomb features patterns of spirals and circles, typical of a new artistic technique that characterized the art of the megalith builders. me “Hen “H e ge en g ” mo monu nume ments ap ppe p ared arou ar ound ou nd 320 320 2 0 bc b e. Heeng n es co cons onsist sist of a ci circ rccul u ar or oval area enclos l ed d by by a bank, k cont co ont ntai aini ai ning ni n a ciircle ng l off woo ood den den de post po stss or st or hug hugge st ston on nes es.. Wo Wood oden den cir ircl cles es have ha ve lar arge gely ly peerrishe ishe hed – aallth thou ough ggh h at

Woodhenge in Wiltshire, the postholes have survived; the deepest measure about 2m (6ft), indicating posts that stood some 5.5m (17ft) high. The stone circles, however, are the most remarkable monuments of the megalithic age. These are spread throughout northern and western Europe, with the British Isles alone containing perhaps 1,000 stone circles. The circle at Avebury, Wiltshire, 420m (1,381ft) in diameter, is among the largest that survive, and probably acted as the ritual focus for a large area of southwestern Britain. At Carnac in France, ela l borate long rows of standing sto tone n s fo form a siimi milarly ly st stri riki kingg ens nsem embl blee. The h d dramatic tic stone stone one ciircl on rclle at Stoneh Stoneheng enge e is is tthou hought ght by som by ome to ome to h have avve b be een en b bui uiiltt to to mar mar a k the he sum summer mme m a mer an nd winter win ter so olst sttic icess – cr ice crit itical iti tical a event even entss in in farm farm rm ming ing g so socie i tie iet tie ties. i s. s.

EARLY SOCIETIES

The Mnajdra temple complex on Malta, built around 3500 BCE, is the crowning achievement of a flourishing megalithic culture on the island.

STONEHENGE

Stonehenge, in southern England, is perhaps the most famous megalithic site of all. First begun around 3000 bce as a simple earthwork enclosure, the site was developed over the next 1,000 years in several stages. A circle of bluestones – transported all the way from Preseli in south Wales, a distance of some 250km (155 miles) – was erected in around 2 00 bce. Then, about 2300 bce, an 25 ou uter circle of giant sandstones (or sarssen sa e stones) was set up, each weig ighing around 26 tons. Each waas sh w s aped into the correct size by haamm h m ering with great stone balls or “maauls l ”. How exactly the sarsens weree erected is unknown, but the we co comp omplex must have demanded a huggee inv hu n estment in time and labour, impl im plyyiing ng a highly centralized society.

in Britain and northern France. The focus of religion in northern Europe turned to the ritual deposit of weaponry in lakes and bogs and the last evidence of additions at Stonehenge dates to around 1100 bce. At some time in around 1000 bce, some of the stones were deliberately overturned. Although the monuments were not forgotten, their makers and their meaning became utterly obscure.

TH HE E END OF THE MEGALITH AGE

Byy aro B roun und 1500 bce, the megalithic aagge in in Europe was on the wane. Coons C nstruction of stone circles ceased

This stone-built passageway leads to a burial chamber at the 5,000-year-old megalithic passage-tomb at Newgrange, Ireland.

77

78

THE PREHISTORIC WORLD (TO 3000 bce)

THE FIRST TOWNS n Nea Nearr Eas ast ast st d 50 5000 00––300 3 000 bce 30 bbc ce c

The world’s earliest privileged class of high known large towns and officials and priests. cities developed in Lower down the social Mesopotamia in the scale came craftsmen, 4th millennium bce, lesser officials, soldiers, perhaps through the and the commoners. need to organize the The authority of the construction of irrigation rulers came not just from channels fed by the Tigris a threat of force, but and Euphrates rivers. At from religious ideas first the towns were little about authority. These more than agglomerations beliefs are commemorated of villages and related by art and by writing on families, but soon they temple walls and were Jericho, in Jordan, after 6000 BCE, developed from a permanent became major centres of reinforced by elaborate village into one of the first towns. trade and vast irrigation ceremonies. Each city works that watered the countryside clustered around temple precincts, and produced several crops a year. The those in Mesopotamia built on top of irrigated fields’ increased productivity mudbrick pyramids, called ziggurats. could now support larger populations; From its original heartland in in Egypt the Nile (see facing page, below) w southern Mesopotamia, urbanism spread fulfilled a similar role. northwards to sites such as Nineveh on the Tigris, Mari on the Euphrates, and CITIES AND HIERARCHIES Susa in western Iran. Each town or city The change was not simply a matter of tended to remain an independent entity size, but was accompanied by radical (or city-state). In Egypt, however, a changes in the region’s society, economy, process of consolidation into a single and politics. Society became increasingly state was complete as early as 3000 bce. hierarchical,, with rulers (often kings) at Ç talh Çat alhöyü ö ük ük iin n mode mode dern ern Tur Tu key key, fou ounde nded d c.75 .7500 00 BCE BCE, the to th top, p, who w wer ere freq equ uently seen as ha a populatio had l ti tion n of of som some me 8 8,,000 00 att itts peak, ye yet et itt did i not su survi rvive ve int into o the the e Bro Bronze ze Ag ge to beco bec eco co om me e a city ityy. lilivi vin ng god ods, s, and bellow tthe hem m a sm smal all

EARLY L SOCIETIES

79

EARLY MESOPOTAMIA n Ira raq, ra q, W Iran ran, SE Syri ra Syria yri ria

d 6600000– 0 300 000 bc 00 bce cee c

By around 6000 bce, a culture known as the Halafian had become established in northern Mesopotamia. Communities lived in villages of domed houses built of clay, relied on long-distance trade, and buried their dead in distinctive shaft graves. They were replaced by the ’Ubaid culture, a pre-eminent Mesopotamian culture that was the first to use irrigation to increase crop yields. It was also at this time that the first urban centres appeared, at Eridu and Uruk. THE FIRST CITIES

As with many other Mesopotamian cities, Eridu was originally a shrine. It honoured the god Enki, ruler of the Abyss, who had created order from chaos. The shrine went through six or

A small statuette from 3rd millennium BCE Uruk shows a worshipper bearing offerings to the gods.

more incarnations before finally becoming an imposing step pyramid. Uruk arose between 4800 and 3750 bce. By 2800 bce, it occupied around 250 hectares (615 acres) and may have housed 5,000 people. It depended on trade networks for goods in exchange for its grain, and may have had satellite colonies as far as the Zagros Mountains, several hundred kilometres to the north, to ensure control of key trade routes.

PREDYNASTIC EGYPT n Egy gyypt p

d 40 4000– 00– 0–3310 310 00 bce bc cee

In 4000 bce, Egypt consisted of a valley of farmers living in small communities along the Nile; the river’s annual flooding, or inundation, deposited rich, fertile silt on a broad strip along its banks. There were many small kingdoms, the largest of which were

The Palette of Narmer depicts a pharaoh, wearing a crown and bearing a mace and a flail, in a victory procession that may celebrate Egypt’s unification.

based in growing towns such as Abydos and Nekhen. The first walled towns in Egypt were erected at Naqada and Hierakonpolis around 3300 bce. Alongside them were constructed rich tombs for their rulers. By this time there were only two main kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt. It was the rulers of Upper Egypt who unified the country in around 3100 bce. Exactly which of them achieved this is unclear. Narmer, traditionally the first ruler (pharaoh) of the 1st dynasty, is often given the credit, but his successor Aha (also called Menes), who may in fact be the same person as Narmer, may have been responsible. He also seems to have strengthened the ruler’s position as a divine king, and possibly founded the new royal capital at Memphis.

82

THE ANCIENT WORLD

THE WORLD IN 3000––700 bce By 3000 bc ce, co c mplexx ci civvili vililiza vi izaatiioon ns ha had arisen had ar n in th he Tigr Tiggrris Ti is and d Euphrates val allleeys al e of Me Meso s p poottaami mia an and alongg tth he ba bank nks of of th hee Nile in Egypt. Chi hiina n ’s firs rst ciivi villiizatiion n flou ouri r shed d alo long ng the he Yan ngt gtze gtz river; somew what haat laate ter, the he adv dvaan nceed ccu ullttu urress of the Cha haví vín an and and Olm mec e s de d veelo l peed in i Perru and an nd Me Mexi xico co res e peect ctiv i ely. Evveenttua ually, y

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The world in 750 bce

B er S

THE ANCIENT WO WORLD RLD IN 750 bce

By 750 bce, Egypt’s New Kingdom empire had waned, and much of the Middle East was under Assyrian control. While the Greeks had begun to colonize the Mediterranean, R Rome was but a tiny village. In China, central authority had collapsed with the Zhou dynasty, while India’s Indus Valley civilization had long since dissolved.

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83

THE WORLD IN 3000–700 bce

trad aad de and te tech e hn noolo loggiica cal in inno nova ovaattiion led ed to in ncr c eased prosperity. In the deenssely p poopu ula lateed M Miidd dd dlle le Eas ast, t, competiiti tion between neighbouring sttat a ess led e to w waarffaarre, e, an nd d ttoo cco onq nquest byy the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyriian As ns, s, an nd d Bab abyl y on oniiaan nss. Europ pe’’s fir first s sophisticated culture, th he Mi Mino Min noan noan ns,, flou ouriish hed ed on th the is isla land d of Crette arroou un und nd d 2000 bcee.

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The Phoenicians of modern Lebanon had colonized much of the Mediterranean shoreline by 750 bce, but were increasingly forced to compete with Greek colonists. In the Middle East, the dominant power was the Assyrian empire, which ruled most of the area; only Urartu remained completely independent.

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THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

HE NEAR EAST The h woorrld rld ld’s d’s ’s firs rst com co omple p ex so soci c et ci etiies aarros ose in in the he Nea ear a Eastt within with in n th hee feerrti tillee aare tile rreea, a, knoown n aas Me Mesoop pootam miia, a, bet etwe ween en n thee Tiggri riss and an nd Eup ph hrraattes es rriv ivver iver ers. s.. By 30 30000 bc 3000 ce, comp ccoomp mpet etin in ng cciityysttat a es off gr gre rea e at w weeal alth th fl floou ouriish ouri hed d here,, wit ith ad dvan nced nced nc d irriiggaattiion ssch ir ch chem h mes es, eessta tab bllis ishe heed trad de, e, an nd d graand nd paalla lac aces es a n nd d temp te mp ple l s. Thee eaarrrlililies est civi ciiv liizati zation n, tth haatt of S Su ume meri ria, a, was as follllow fo wed d by th the he Babyylooni n an and d Assssyr yrian eem mpi pirees, whi hich hi h esttabl bliisshed bl bli hed th hei ei r d doom miinancce ovveerr aallmost ost th os he en nti tire re reg egiio ion. n

THE SUMERIANS n Mod odern ern rn n Ira raq

d c. c.300 3000– 300 0–c. 0– c.223 c. 234 33440 40 bce cee

The first civilization in Mesopotamia arose in the south, where a number of growing city-states forged trading and diplomatic ties. This Sumerian culture, as it is known, was characterized by centralized hierarchies headed by rulers who often had priestly roles but, unlike Egypt’s pharaohs, were rarely thought to be divine. Each of the cities was seen as the home of one of the major Sumerian gods (Nanna at Ur, Ishtar at Uruk) and in the period known as the Early Dynastic (c.3000–c.2340 bce), the

Sumerians began to build stepped temple towers, or ziggurats, in honour of their deities. The sophisticated palace cultures were supported by specialist administrators, merchants, and scribes, whose need to keep records led to the development of the first full writing system, in a script known as cuneiform. CONQUEST AND DECLINE

The separate city-states of Sumeria were briefly united in around 2400 bce, when King Lugalzagesi of the city-state of Umma conquered Ur and Uruk and reduced the eastern city of Lagash to dependent status. But within half a century, the whole area had been absorbed into the empire of Sargon, king of Akkad (see box, facing page). e The city of Uruk k was the earliest of the Sumerian cities to flourish, and incorporated the sacred precinct of Eanna, the “house of the sky.”

THE NEAR EAST

85

UR n Sout uth of mode m deern rn Ira raaq

d cc..30 3300 00000–c. c.200 c. .2200 2000000 bc bbce c ce

One of the city-states of Sumeria (see facing page), e Ur began to thrive around 2800 bce, becoming extremely wealthy; the tombs of rulers such as Queen Pu-abi and Meskalamdug have yielded artefacts of great value. Ur was eclipsed politically during the occupation of Sumeria by Sargon (see below), w but in around 2100 bce, Ur-Nammu founded the Third Dynasty

of Ur. For 70 years Ur dominated a huge area divided into 20 provinces, stretching from Susa in southwest Iran to Ashur, far to the northwest of the Sumerian heartland. During this time the population increased and cities flourished, supported by a system of forced labour. The city of Ur itself was enhanced with the construction of a great ziggurat. Ur-Nammu’s heirs extended the empire, especially under Shulgi (ruled 2094–2047 bce), but under Ibbi-Sin (ruled 2028–2004 bce) outlying regions broke away, and invaders from nearby Elam finally ended the Third Dynasty’s power. A Sumerian gaming board, inlaid with shell and lapis lazuli, was among the treasures excavated from the Royal Cemetery at Ur.

THE AKKADIAN EMPIRE n Mod der ern rn Ir I aq, SW IIran ran an,, Syri y ia, yr a, Leb ban an ano noon, non, n, SE SE Tur urk rrkkey ey d c.230 c.23 c. 230 33000– 00––cc..2208 0 3 bce cee

The northern part of Sumeria, known as Babylonia, gave rise to the earliest successful attempt to unite the Near East when Sargon smashed the power of Lugalzagesi of Umma, securing control over the whole region. His capital at Akkad dominated an empire that became ever more centralized. A calendar was introduced for the whole of Babylonia, new systems of taxation and standardized weights and measures were imposed, and Akkadian became the language of government. Sargon’s armies reached as far as the Mediterranean coast, but it was difficult to control the outlying regions. R Rebellion broke out in the reign of Sargon’s grandson,

SARGON SAR GON OF AKKAD

Born a commoner, Sargon (ruled 2334– 2279 BCE) rose to power in the city of Kish and took the name Sharru-kin (Sargon), “the king is legitimate”. From h new base at Akkad, he his sent his armies to establish the world’s first empire.

Naram-sin (ruled 2254–2218 bce), w o took on the title wh “kin “k in of the world” and ing was worshipped as a god wa while alive. Naram-sin was victorious, but thereafter the Akkadians were on the defensive; their empire eventually fell during the reign of King Sharkalisharri, the son of Naram-Sin.

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THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

THE RISE OF BABYLON n Mod odern errrn ern n Ira raq, SE Sy Syria riaa

d c.1 .1900––15 .19 1159 55995 bc bbce c cee

From around 1900 bce, the Babylonian kings began annexing states to the north, such as Sippar and Kish, marking the start of the “Old Babylonian” period. They were prevented from further advances by Shamshi-Adad, who held a strong state in upper Mesopotamia. BABYLON UNDER HAMMURABI

After Shamsi-Adad’s death, Hammurabi of Babylon extended his city-state’s reach even further, conquering the whole of southern Mesopotamia between 1766 and 1761 bce. Only further west, in modern Syria, did kings such as Zimri-Lim (ruled c.1775–1762 bce) of Mari seek to maintain independence. Late in his reign, Hammurabi attacked even Mari and reduced Zimri-Lim to vassalage. Having achieved his

H AMM AMMURA URAB URA BI A AND ND H IS LAW CO CODE DE

A warrior, statesman, and lawgiver, Hammurabi (ruled 1792–1750 BCE) raised Babylon from the status of a minor city-state to the principal Mesopotamian power. He described himself as “the king who has made the four quarters of the earth subservient” and his “law code”, containing some 282 legal decrees, was probably more an attempt to portray himself as a supporter of justice than a practical legal document. Its penalties are often harsh and retributive, such as the loss of an eye for blinding a free man.

“A AT THE COMMAND OF THE SUN GOD... MAY MY JUSTICE BECOME VISIBLE IN THE LAND.” The law code of Hammurabi, c.1750 BCE

territorial ambitions, Hammurabi issued his famous code of law. By the time of Hammurabi’s death, Babylon had become the regional superpower. THE DECLINE OF BABYLON

Under Samsuiluna (ruled 1749– 1712 bce), Hammurabi’s son, Babylon faced a serious rebellion during which cities such as Nippur and Ur broke away from its control. The south of Mesopotamia went into decline, but the Old Babylonian dynasty continued to rule the north until 1595 bce, when a new group, the Kassites, sacked the city. Hammurabi receives his code of law from the justice god Shamash, in a highly evocative image of a just ruler.

THE NEAR EAST

87

THE HITTITES n Cen entra tra raal and n SE E Tur urk rkey eyy d c.1 ..17 11700–cc..12 .1 1122000 0 bc bc cee A statue of a Hittite goddess, one of a pantheon The kingdom of the Hittites, of deities headed by the storm god Teshub and called Hatti, was based in central his female counterpart, the sun goddess Hebat. Anatolia around their capital city Hattusa, but constantly shifted its Syria and threatened Egyptian borders, extending at times as far control over Palestine. Mursili III as western Syria in the south and (ruled 1295–1272 bce) fought the the coasts of the Black Sea and Egyptians in a bitterly contested the Aegean in the north and west. battle at Kadesh in 1274 bce, which Comparatively little is known of both sides claimed as a victory. the Hittite Old Kingdom, the first However, the aftermath of the battle ruler of which, Hattusili, founded firmly cemented Hittite control in Hattusa in about 1650 bce. Under Syria. The growing threat from Hattusili’s successor Mursili I (ruled Ass ssyyrria ia to the east, and the rebellion c.1620–c.1590 bce), Hittite armies of vaasss of ssal states in the west, rapidly campaigned in Syria, but by the unde un dermined the Hittite kingdom and reign of T Telipinu (c.1525–c.1500 bce), in 1207 unknown raiders sacked Hatti Hatti was once again reduced to its again, after which the Hittite state core territory around the capital. collapsed completely. Under T Tudhaliya III (ruled c.1360– c.1344 bce), the first ruler of the New SUPPIL SUP PILULI ULIUMA UMA I Kingdom, the Hittites expanded again, One of the most militarily successful Hittite defeating the rulers of Aleppo and the kings, Suppiluliuma I (ruled 1344–1322 BCE) Mitanni. Hatti reached its height under conquered Mitanni to the north and parts Suppiluliuma I, who conquered northern of Syria. So great was his prestige that The Gate of the Lions at Hattusa (now Bogazköy in Turkey) provided an impressive ceremonial entrance to the Hittite royal capital.

Tutankhamun’s widow invited one of his sons to come to Egypt as her husband.

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THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

THE LATE BRONZE AGE COLLAPSE n The he Neear ar Eastt

d c.12200– 0–c.1 .10 .1050 105 bbc ce

In the late Bronze Age of the Near East, a diplomatic community of empires had maintained a thriving international system based on bronze. Between 1200 and 1050 bce, records hint at upheaval, as raids and migrations overwhelmed the established powers. The collapse appears to have begun a little before 1200 bce, when the citadels of Mycenaean Greece (see p.101) were destroyed.

which eventually led to the demise of the New Kingdom in 1069 bce. Elsewhere, the Kassite dynasty of Babylon collapsed around 1154 bce while, in Assyria, the archives speak of constant skirmishes. The ensuing “Dark Age”, with almost no written sources, would last for 150 years.

THE FALL OF EMPIRES

In 1207 bce, the Hittite capital of Hattusa was sacked and the empire fell. The Egyptians had to fight off invasions by groups they called the “Sea Peoples”, A group of Philistine captives taken by the Egyptian pharaoh Rameses III in c.1182 BCE; the Philistines, or “Peleset”, were one of the “Sea Peoples”.

THE PHOENICIANS n Leba baanon n, the th Med M ite terra ranea aneaan coastliliine ne d c.12 1 00– 1200– 12 00–146 0–14 0– 14466 bce 146 bcee bc

From around 1200 bce, the coastal cities of T Tyre, Byblos, and Sidon, in an area the Greeks called Phoenicia, formed the core of a sea-based trading network. The Phoenicians used maritime power to control a dense web of routes crossing the Mediterranean, with trading links as far afield as Mesopotamia and the Red R Sea, supplying a range of goods from rich, exotic fabrics and glass to cedar wood.

They also established colonies that included Lixus in Morocco, Gades (Cadiz) in Spain, Motya in Sicily, and, most importantly, Carthage (in modern Tunisia), founded around 814 bce. After T Phoenicia itself fell to Assyria in the 9th century bce (and then to Egypt, Babylon, and Persia), Carthage became the principal centre of Phoenician politics, conquering its own empire in the western Mediterranean. Carthage ultimately lost the battle for dominance of this region to the R Romans, who defeated the Carthaginians in three Punic W Wars in the 3rd and 2nd centuries bce. The Phoenicians were skilled navigators and built many forms of boat, from smaller vessels to multi-oared galleys.

THE NEAR EAST

89

THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE n Mod odern ern rn Ir I aq, W Ira Iraan, Syri riia, a, Lebano noon, n n, SW Turk urrkkeyy d c.20 u .20 .2 2000 00– 0–c.61 .6 6 0 bcee

Assyria came to prominence around 2000 bce, prospering from the copper trade with Anatolia. During the reign of Assur-Ubalit (1363–1328 bce), the Assyrians carved out an empire, culminating in the conquest of Babylon in the reign of TukultiT Ninurta I (ruled 1243–1207 bce). Assyria then fell victim to invasion by the “Sea Peoples” and it was not until around 1000 bce that the Neo-Assyrian empire emerged. The Neo-Assyrians won fame as fierce warriors, utilizing armies of chariots, infantry, and horseback riders that made ample use of the new iron weaponry. T IGL IGLATH ATH-P ATH P ILE ILESER SER III

The administrative reforms of TiglathPileser III (ruled 744–727 BCE) strengthened Neo-Assyria. He extended Assyrian control along the Mediterranean coast, becoming king of Babylon and leading an army to the gates of Teushpa, the Urartian capital.

They used terror tactics to suppress their enemies, with mass executions, impalements, and deportations. Assurnasirpal II (ruled 883–859 bce) and Shalmaneser III (ruled 858–824 bce) expanded the Assyrians’ territory as far west as the Mediterranean. After a brief decline, the Neo-Assyrian empire revived under Tiglath-Pileser III and his heir Sargon II (ruled 721–705 bce). VICTORY, THEN COLLAPSE

In 689 bce, in the reign of Sennacherib (704–681 bce), the Neo-Assyrians sacked Babylon, then, under Assurbanipal (ruled 668–627 bce), they occupied parts of Egypt. However, the Neo-Assyrians became overstretched, and in 612 bce a coalition of Medes and Babylonians captured the Assyrian capital Nineveh. Byy 6610 10 bc bcee the the emp emp pir iree ha had d va vani nish shed ed.. ed The recon recon constr struct str ucted uct ed Nergal g l ga g te te off Ni Nineve Nin eveh eve h, whi h, h ch hi h was on one ne off the ne the chi chie hief i f citi citi ities ess off the th h As he Ass Assyr syrian syri ian empir pire i e, e, and d its its lastt capi las capi p tal un under der er Se Sen nnache nna ch herib rib b an and d hi his is succes succes suc cessor sorss. sor

90

THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

THE INVENTION OF WRITING Writing represented a leap forward in the intellectual evolution of W humans. Its development occurred independently in five different areas: Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and Mesoamerica. Much of the earliest extant writing is on stone, but many inscriptions survive on papyrus from Egypt and clay tablets from Mesopotamia, and these documents shed precious light on ancient cultures. FROM SYMBOLS TO SCRIPT

The development of writing – as the symbolic representation of spoken language – was a gradual process that probably began in the Middle East in the middle of the 4th millennium bce. Early writing was made up of pictures, which helped create visual records of trading transactions. Over time, these pictures were simplifi fied ed d into symbols. In Mesopotamia, this process resulted in wedge-shaped cuneiform writing, and, in Egypt, pictorial hieroglyphs were used – from around 3200 bce – for a period of more than 3,000 years. Egyptian hieroglyphs remained unchanged over centuries, in part because of their religious use, such as in this 20th-century BCE coffin panel.

Cuneiform script, imprinted on c y tablets, is one of the earliest cla forms of written expression.

Many of these early scripts were logographic, meaning that each s mbol represented sy an entire word or idea. Egyptian hieroglyphic and Mesopotamian cuneiform writing mixed logograms with symbols that represented sounds. As writing advanced, thi th his is ccom omb om bined bi i approach enabled people to reproduce spoken language accurately in written form. Archives such as those at Mari and Ugarit in Syria yield a wealth of information about the dealings of rulers, who used writing to manage information about their estates. From the Mayan kings of Mesoamerica to the Egyptian pharaohs and Chinese

THE NEAR EAST

The Rosetta Stone enabled François Champollion, in 1822–24, to decipher hieroglyphs, because it has parallel texts in hieroglyphic and in Ancient Greek, which was already understood.

emperors, rulers also set up monumental inscriptions as a means to record their achievements and inspire awe in their subjects. SCRIBES AND LITERACY

The establishment of written archives and governments created a need for a literate class able to produce and read them. In Egypt, the education of scribes – who

“TO THE PHOENIC CIAN PEOPLE IS DUE GREAT A HONOUR, FOR THEY INVENTED THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET.” Pliny the Elder (Roman author), Natural History, y 1st century CE

were elevated to a position of great prestige in society – began in youth, and included mathematics and accountancy. Although literary and devotional texts were produced in Egypt and Mesopotamia, reading them remained the province of the elite members of society.

THE ALPHABET

The concept of an alphabet in which every symbol denotes a particular sound only arose in the late 2nd millennium bce. The people of Ugarit in Syria developed a cuneiform alphabet around 2000 bce. T Turquoise miners in Sinai used another early alphabet system shortly afterwards, and it may have been this script, with 30 signs, that spread northwards through Palestine into Phoenicia, where it evolved into the 22-sign Phoenician alphabet around 1000 bce. The Phoenicians’ trading network, in turn, exported their script throughout the Mediterranean, where it cast its influence in the developing scripts of Greece and Rome. R

91

92

THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

GYPT Arroound un nd 31 310 10000 bc bce, a u un nified iifi fied ed kiin nggd doom m of Egyyp ptt eme merged merg rgeed rg d– rule ru led by by a sin ingglle kkiing ng, oorr ph haarraaoh o – whi hich ch h occ ccup upiieed th t he baank b nks ooff th hee Nilile le aass far ar sou outth h as Asw waan n. U Un nd deer tth he Ear arllyy Dyyn nasstic tiic pe peri r od d (c.3 .310 1000––24 2469 69 bc b e),), the he Old d King iin nggd dom om (264 (26 (2 649 9––21 213344 bc ce)),, the he M Mid iddl id dle K dle Kiiing ngdoom (2 ng ( 04 040– 0–16 164400 bce bce),), bc and th an the Neew the w Kin inggd ing dom m (1155550 5500–1 –1007 70 bc bce)),, Egy gypt pt exxp peerriieen ncceed d neea n early aarrly ly 3,0 ,00000 yea earrss of pr prospe os p os peerriity ty an nd d cultu ultu ul ura ral cco ral on nttin nu uiity, tyy, beefo b foree foorreiggn n iinv nvaad nv ders der ers oocccu er cccu up upi piieed d it fr from om th hee 8th h ceen ntu ury ry bbc ce.

THE OLD KINGDOM n Egyp gyp pt

d 22649– 49–2 9–213 34 bce bc ce

Around 3100 bce, the two kingdoms of Upper Egypt (the south) and Lower Egypt (the north) merged into a single state at the hands of a pharaoh named Menes. Then, from 2649 bce, under the rulers of the 3rd dynasty, the Old Kingdom was inaugurated. Its most striking remains are the great funerary monuments known as the pyramids, but there is also evidence of a centralized state based around the capital at Memphis. A vast political and administrative bureaucracy grew up that included local governors, who oversaw regions called nomes. The pharaoh himself came to occupy a central religious role, because he upheld a system that ensured the Nile brought silt-rich annual floods each year and kept the valley fertile. Vast irrigation schemes directed the waters

to wide areas of agricultural land and devices called “nilometers” predicted the rise of the river and the bounty (or dearth) of the subsequent harvest. Under the Old Kingdom, Egypt first began to project its power abroad, with expeditions during the reign of Snefru (2575–2551 bce) to Nubia to collect raw materials, and campaigns into Libya by the 6th-dynasty pharaohs (2323–2150 bce). During the long reign of Pepi II (2246–2152 bce), central authority began to dissolve and, within 20 years, the Old Kingdom collapsed, as famine wracked the land and officials in the provinces established their own rule. A century of uncertaintyy ensued, known as th the he Fi Firs rsst Int rst n er e mediate Period (213 (2 134– 4–220040 40 bce). To Tom To om mb trre rea e easures, such as this effigy of an O an Old ld Kingdom official and his family, te tea te teac each us much about ancient Egypt.

EGYPT

93

THE PYRAMIDS n Egy gypt ptt

d c.26600– 00–cc.1 .15 1525 255 bbc bce c cee

Early Dynastic pharaohs were buried in mud-brick box-shaped tombs known as mastabas. During the reign of the 3rd-dynasty pharaoh Djoser (2630– 2611 bce) a new, grander structure appeared. His step pyramid at Saqqara was essentially a series of mastabas set one on top of the other, and prefigured a series of massive true pyramids constructed during the 4th dynas asty ty ty (2575–2465 bce). Snefru probably built pyramids at Dahshur and Meidum, but under his successor Khufu, the Great Pyramid at Giza, near Memphis, was erected. Containing over two million blocks of stone, each weighing around 2,300kg (2½ tons), its construction involved a truly prodigious expenditure of precious resources. KHUFU

Surprisingly little is known of Khufu’s reign (2551–2528 BCE), except through the existence of the Great Pyramid. The Greek historian Herodotus told of Khufu’s cruelty, although this is probably no more than a reflection of the huge force of will that he must have needed to ensure the Great Pyramid’s construction. The pyramid’s burial chamber was robbed in antiquity, but the first recorded traveller to enter the tomb was British consul Nathaniel Davison, in 1765.

The courtly elite were also buried at Saqqara. This Egyptian bas-relief is from the tomb of Hezyre, physician and scribe to the pharaoh Djoser.

Each pyramid was both a tomb and a temple dedicated to the cult of the dead pharaoh. The pyramids were constructed in limestone, with the royal burial concealed in a granite chamber deep in the interior. They were accompanied by funerary temp temp te mplle les, ssm les ma maller pyramids for queens, mastabas for officials, pits in which to bury sacred boats, and a causeway leading to a valley temple, which was the ceremonial entrance to the complex. THE DECLINE OF THE PYRAMIDS

The pyramids of the 5th and succeeding dynasties were sited in places other than Giza, including at Abusir near Saqqara, and were smaller than Khufu’s Great Pyramid. The last true royal pyramid built in Egypt was that of Ahmose I (ruled 1550–1525 bce). The New Kingdom pharaohs chose to be buried in less extr ex trav avag agan antt to tomb m s looca c ted further south in tth in he Val he alllley ley off th the he K Kiin ings ings g , ne near ar Th The hebe heb bes. bes s. T e la The large rg gest stt and nd d old ol oldes dest off the three dest Giza Giz a pyra yramid mids ids, s, Khu Kh Khuf hufu’ fu’s G Grea rea eatt Pyrami Pyr ami mid d prob babl ably ab bly took k ar aroun ound oun und 2 yea 20 years rss tto o bui build ld.

The fu funer ne ary ner ryy te em mp pl ple of Hats atts tshep hep ep pssut su u utt at at D Dei De er e B el Bah a ri, ri TThebe eb e be ess,, iss a sspec pectac pec tta tac ac accula ula ar monu nu numen um men me en e nt to o one ne eo of an anci ccie iie en ntt Egy Eg Eg gyyp pttt’s few pt’ ew fem fem male ale ru ruler lers. ss.. Ha Hat atshe at sh she he h epsu su ut (rul (ru ru rul ulle ed d 114 147 4773 3–1 3– –1 –14 45558 458 8 BBCE CE E) took ok k on on a all the th e trapp apping ap gs of a ma male e ph phara pha rao raoh. a h. h. On On one ne of o th the e ter errac er raccess a are e st sa atu at ttu uess of of her he he err as th t e god d Osi O ris Os iss.

96

THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM n Egyp gyp pt

d 20 2 40– 0–116440 bce 0– bce

During the First Intermediate Period, the most powerful Egyptian rulers were at Heracleopolis, south of Memphis. From around 2150 bce, there was civil war between the Heracleopolitan pharaohs and rivals further south at Edfu and Thebes. Finally, around 2040 bce, the Theban king Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II (ruled 2061–2010 bce) was victorious, reuniting Egypt and beginning the Middle Kingdom. THE HEIGHT OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

Amenemhet I (ruled 1991–1962 bce), the first pharaoh of the 12th dynasty, restored Egypt’s vigour. He established a new capital at Itj-towy near Memphis, and sent expeditions to Nubia (modern Sudan), conquering territory as far south as the Second Cataract of the Nile. The 12th-dynasty pharaohs also mounted campaigns in Syria and Palestine. The central authority’s influence seems to have lessened during the 13th dynasty (1783–1640 bce), which had a large number of short-lived rulers, but there is little evidence of decline. There

“ASIANS WILL FALL TO HIS SWORD, LIBYA Y NS WILL FALL TO HIS FLAME, REBELS TO HIS WRA RATH, TR RAITORS TO HIS MIGHT.” The Prophecy of Neferty from the time of Amenemhet I

are, however, indications of an increased number of immigrants from Palestine, foreshadowing the stresses that would, in time, bring down the Middle Kingdom. THE END OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

Towards the end of the 13th dynasty, T Egypt came under intensive pressure from Asiatic groups migrating westwards, who began to occupy large areas of the Nile delta. Around 1650 bce, one group, known as the Hyksos (a name derived from an Egyptian word meaning “foreign princes”), established their own kingdom in the north of Egypt. Native Egyptian rulers continued to rule in the south from Thebes, while the Hyksos could not be dislodged from their capital at Avaris. A This century of political turmoil is referred to as the Second Intermediate Period. Colourful wall paintings, such as this well-preserved example at the Tomb of Sirenpowet II, adorned the walls of Middle Kingdom tombs.

EGYPT

EGYPTIAN RELIGION Egyptian religion was immensely complex, with a large number of gods, many of them localized and many appearing with different aspects. Earlier pharaohs associated themselves with the sky god Horus or the sun god Re, but gradually the cult of Osiris, king of the dead, became dominant. The need to ensure the immortality of the ruler’s soul after death was the primary focus of Egyptian religious belief. THE CULT OF THE DEAD royal kaa (or life-force) The unification of would be united with Egypt under the Old his baa (the soul, or a Kingdom rationalized person’s personality). the various local To ensure the ka T pantheons and, recognized its former throughout the year, body, and so could the pharaoh engaged reac a h th ac the afterlife, in a series of ritual pres pr eser eser e vi vin ing the corpse activities to ensure tth hrro ou uggh gh mummification the fertility of the beeca b ca came paramount. land and the crossing Once the pharaoh’s of the sky by the soul reached the A “trinity” of Horus, Isis, and Osiri ris sun each day. became the focus of religious belief underworld, a by the time of the Old Kingdom. Most important of jury of 12 gods would all was the cult of the dead. weigh its misdeeds against a feather. Egyptians believed that, after death, If the two weighed the same, the the pharaohs were reborn as the king pharaoh was ensured eternal life. of the dead, Osiris. A complex The official cults were only briefly mythology surrounded the rites that challenged under Akhenaten (ruled e su en sured thiss res e urrection,, wheen th t e 1353–1335 bce),), whoo tried ed to e taablish thee wo es wors rshi h p off th hi the he ssun un d dis issc To pre preser serve ve a phar haraoh a ’ss bod aoh body, y, vit vital al org organs or ans we were re (A ( A t te e n n) ) a as s the th e stat st ate at e reli re l li i g gi i on n – p e er erh r h hap ha a ps ps remove rem re oved ove d, the d, hen n th the he cor corpse pse se wa wass stuf stuf t ffed f d wi with th h li linen lin en, soaked soa ake ke ked ed d wi with th p pre eser es servat ervat vative vati ive vess, s, and d wr wrapp app pped ed. ed d th he fir firs fi rst ex exam exam ampl ple of of mon onot othe oth heis hei ism. m.

97

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THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

THE NE W KINGDOM AND AFTER n Egyp gyp pt

d 1550– 50–110770 bce 50– bce

The Hyksos were finally expelled from Egypt by the Theban ruler Kamose (ruled 1555–1550 bce) and his successor Ahmose I (ruled 1550–1525 bce), the first pharaoh of the New Kingdom. This era is often seen as a time of glorious “empire” for Egypt, during which Egypt extended its trade links and refined its skill in diplomacy. It quashed threats to the throne making use of warfare techniques borrowed from the Hyksos. IMPERIAL AND CULTURAL APOGEE

The early rulers of the 18th dynasty (1550–1307 bce) sought to establish an Egyptian empire, first in Palestine and then in parts of Syria. Tuthmosis T I (ruled 1504–1492 bce) campaigned as far as

the Euphrates river and there set up a stela – an inscribed standing stone – commemorating his army’s achievement. Under the reigns of Tuthmosis T II and his widow Hatshepsut, between 1493 and 1458 bce, the pace of military expansion slowed. Hatshepsut’s nephew, Tuthmosis T III (ruled 1479–1425 bce), however, led nearly 20 expeditions into Palestine and Syria, defeating peoples as far-flung as the Mitanni near the Euphrates and extending Egyptian control southwards down the Nile. After a brief period of political weakness following the early death of the boy-pharaoh T Tutankhamun (ruled 1333–1323 bce), the 19th-dynasty rulers reasserted Egypt’s control of its overseas empire, beginning with Seti I (ruled 1305–1290 bce), whose aggressive campaigning brought him into conflict with the Hittites. His son, Rameses II (see facing page), e continued the war, but in 1274 bce his army was nearly destroyed near the Syrian town of Qadesh. Thereafter, Egypt’s control over Palestine waned. Merneptah (ruled 1224–1214 bce) fought a series of battles to keep Libyan tribesmen from the Nile Delta, but the respite was short-lived and Rameses III (ruled 1194–1163 bce) faced a great army of “Sea Peoples”, who had rampaged through Syria and Palestine. Rameses defeated them in 1182 bce, but growing internal dissent, along with a series of weak successors, eventually brought the New Kingdom to an end. The lavishness of the golden death mask of Tutankhamun belies the reality of a boy-pharaoh who had very little influence.

RAMESES II

One of the most celebrated of Egypt’s pharaohs, Rameses II (ruled 1290–1223 BCEE), succeeded to the throne at the height of Egyptian power. Early on in his reign, he succeeded in campaigns in Syria, but after defeat by the Hittites at Qadesh in 1274 BCE, he struggled to regain the initiative and had to make a treaty in 1258 BCE to end the war. As well as the temple at Abu Simbel, Rameses built a new capital at Pi-Rameses in the eastern Nile Delta, and a great mortuary temple, the Ramesseum, near the Valley of the Kings, close to Thebes.

The New Kingdom had been an age of spectacular architectural and artistic achievements, as well as religious ferment. The lavish tomb contents of Tutankhamun were interred and the monumental buildings and statues of Rameses II were erected. Royalty were now buried in underground tombs, centred on the Valley of the Kings, near Thebes. Amenophis IV (ruled 1353–1335 bce) took sun worship to extremes, briefly imposing on his people

Throug Throug Th Thr ou ughout ug hou ho hou o t his his is rei re eiig eign gn, gn n,, Ram Ramese Ramese Ra ses IIII dedi se diicatte ed d him himsellf to a p prog rogram rog ramme ram ra me of bui b ilding buildi ldi ding, mostt specta t cullarl arly ly these hesse hes huge statues of the pharaoh at Abu Simbel in Nubia.

the cult of Aten – worship of the sun disc alone – and renaming himself Akhenaten in honour of his beliefs. THE THIRD INTERMEDIATE AND LATE PERIODS

For 150 years after the New Kingdom’s end, the high priests of Amun and the rulers of Tanis in the Delta contested control of Egypt. Gradually, Egypt fell to foreign rulers, beginning with the 22nd dynasty, founded in 945 bce by Shoshenq, a general from Libya. When Egypt was reunited in the 25th dynasty, it was by the Nubian king Shabaqa (ruled 712–698 bce). Successive periods of Nubian, Assyrian, and Persian rule were punctuated by periods of native dominance, until Egypt had its last years of pharaonic rule under the Ptolemies (304–30 bce), a dynasty that was MacedonianGreek in origin. Opulent grave goods, such as this colourful jewelled scarab chest ornament, were a feature of New Kingdom burials.

100

THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

U RO PE Eur urop ope’’s fir op first st cciv ivvilliizzat atio ions flou ourished h in th the sout sooutth heeas ast, ast t, the ea th earli rllie iesstt on n th he islaand n of Creete te, w wh heree th thee Mi Mino n an ns essta tabl blis blis ish heed a hiigh ghly sop oph op hiist stic stic icat ated dB Bro ron ronz ro nzze Age ge ccul ultu ul ture. Aft fter fter er th hee col olla laps p e off the heir soocciieety hei e y by arrou o nd d 1450 450 bbc 45 ce, tth ce he Min Mi noooan ans we ans an w re sup ppl plante ante an ted by by the he Myc yccen e aeean en ns, s, inc ncom omeerrs from fr m mai ainl nlan la d Gr Greeeece ce, wh w o ad adop dop ptteed ed ma manyy asp spects eccts ts of M Miino oaan n cult cu ltu ltur urre an and d ooccccu upi pied ed its ts pallaces acces e , bu but wh who w weere ere re in ttu urn n sw weept pt awaayy aro aw rou un nd 12 120000 bc bce in a pe perriiood d of po poliittiical cal ttu ca urrm moi oill..

MINOAN CRETE n Cret retee d c.20000– 00 c.14 1450 500 bc bce cee c

By around 2000 bce, trading towns on the Cretan coast had expanded to give rise to an advanced civilization centred on a series of palaces, notably at Knossos, Phaistos, Mallia, and Zakros. The Minoans depended on long-distance trade and became skilled seafarers, building up a large fleet that carried their artefacts into the eastern Mediterranean. ar Mino Mi ino noan an rul uler ler erss seem m ttoo ha havee p have pla laye yed d both

a political and a religious role, and many government officials were probably also priests. They kept official archives, but we have yet to decipher their script, known as Linear A. Society was divided into classes, with the court supported by a large class of agricultural labourers. Craftspeople produced sophisticated goods, such as “Kamáres ware” pottery, with designs in black, white, and red. THE END OF THE PALACES

The reasons for the decline of Minoan ccu ulture are unclear. Around 1500 bce, a massive volcanic eruption on the neeig n ighbouring island of Thera may have diisr d srupted or destroyed the Minoans’ traad tr d ding network, undermining the basis ooff their wealth. Around 1450 bce, aided byy an earthquake on Crete that destroyed b sso ome of the palaces, Mycenaean invaders deelivered the fatal blow to the Minoan d cityy-states, and the civilization collapsed. ci Th TThe he ruins of the palace at Mallia, an important Min inoan o administrative centre which, unlike Knossos and an nd Phaistos, was defended by a town wall.

EUROPE

101

THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS n Kno nosso sso soos, s Crette

d c.20000– 0–c..11200 0 bc bce cee c

Knossos, near Heraklion, was the most elaborate of the Minoan palaces, so much so that it gave rise to the later legend of the labyrinth within which lurked a monstrous half-human bull. When British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans excavated the site between 1900 and 1932, he uncovered frescoes that abound in images of bulls, as well as double-headed axes and snakes, and these must all have played an important role in Minoan religious symbolism. Damaged by an earthquake around 1700 bce, the Knossos

palace was rebuilt on an even grander scale, measuring some 18 hectares (45 acres), with a large series of shrines. The palace flourished for a further 250 years, and seems to have survived the wholesale destruction of Minoan sites around 1450 bce, after which it was occupied for a further two centuries, most probably by Mycenaean invaders.

A fresco at Knossos depicts “bull-leaping”, which may have been a sport or a religious ritual.

THE MYCENAEANS n Mai a nla laand d Gre G ece e , Crette d c.16 . 00– 0––c.10 10700 bce 10 bc cee

Beginning around 1600 bce, palace’s focal point. Extensive the Mycenaean culture grew archives, written in a script from southern Greece, known as Linear B, have reaching as far north as been found at the palace Thessaly within 200 sites, providing a mass years. By around of information about 1450 bce, the Mycenaeans Mycenaean social and also expanded their rule economic life. southwards, toppling an By around 1200 bce, already weakened Minoan the Mycenaean culture civilization. Although not A gold death mask, once believed was in decline, and most of to be that of legendary Greek king as adept at or dependent its major centres had been Agamemnon, found at Mycenae. on trade as the Minoans, destroyed by fire. Some the Mycenaeans maintained commercial centres limped on, exhibiting a lower settlements on islands such as Rhodes. and more provincial level of material The Mycenaean culture was based culture, but by 1070 bce the last around fortified palace sites, such as Mycenaean palaces had been abandoned. Mycenae, Pylos, and Tiryns, with Greece had entered its “Dark Age”, massive circuit walls and a central a period in its history – lasting for megaronn – a square room that was the centuries – for which no records exist.

102

THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

OUTH ASIA A ffer erttiillee ccra er rraadlle ooff rriiv iver er-ffed ed laan nd d,, crro ossssin ing pa ing parts rts of rt of mod deerr n Ind ndia, ia, Pa ia Paki kist staan n, and n, aan nd Afg fghani haan h niist staan n, ggaavvee biirrtth h to th t h e In nd dus us Valllley Vall Va ey civil iviilliz iv izat izat atio ion iin n the he mid id-44th th m miilille len nn n niu ium bc iu bce. Its ts imp im prres essi sivvee, we wellll-p -pllaaann nneed nn d cit itiieess,, mos os t n noota tablly Har arap ap p paa and d Mohe Mo Mohe henjjoo-D -Dar arro, oo,, hou use sed llaarg rge po popu pullaat ati tion tion ons an nd p prrod o du ucced ed arte ar teefa facctttss ooff gre reaatt bea ea u utty. y. How weevveerr, a d deeep eper err kn noowl wled edge ge o f thiiiss fas th asci cin naati ting ng civ ivililiz ivil liizzaattio ion is is sti tillll tan anttaalilizziinggly ly o u utt of rreeaacch, h, aass the he Ind n du uss Vaallle ley sscccri rriipt pt rem mai ains ains ns und ndeeccip phere heerreed h d..

THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION n Pakkist stan, aan, an n, NW Indi ndiaa, a, SE Afg fgh ggh han anistaan d c.3 .33 3300 33 00– 00– 0–c.16 .1116600 60000 bce bc bc cee

The Indus Valley civilization flourished worked figurines in bronze, terracotta, across a large area of present-day Pakistan, and faience. Such treasures seem to northwest India, and Afghanistan, along indicate that this was a stratified society the fertile Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra with an elite class that was able to rivers. In common with the civilizations commission precious works. The of Mesopotamia and Egypt, the Indus discovery of Indus Valley artefacts Valley depended heavily on land made elsewhere in the world indicates that fertile by regular floods the civilization had and on the skilled use of widespread trading of irrigation and water links, particularly management techniques. with Mesopotamia, The “Early Harappan” Afghanistan, and Iran. phase of the civilization From 2600–1900 bce (c.3300–c.2800 bce) saw the civilization reached its the Indus Valley peoples peak, in what is known as grow crops, including the “Mature Harappan” peas, sesame seeds, and period, when many large, dates, and domesticate well-planned cities The undeciphered Indus script is animals, such as the water found on hundreds of clay seals, thrived. The cities appear buffalo. Sanitation systems along with vivid animal images. to have suffered from and the earliest known examples of the increased flooding from 1700 bce Indus script also emerged in this phase. onwards and from increased attacks by Cities of the Indus Valley produced unknown outsiders. By 1600 bce the refined artefacts, including fine jewellery quality of Indus Valley artefacts had in gold and fired steatite (soapstone), declined and most of the main city gold and silver ornaments, and skilfully sites had been abandoned.

SOUTH ASIA

103

MOHENJO-D DARO n Pakkist sttan

d c.25 .250 2500– 00– –c.16 1600 000 bc bbce ce c

Mohenjo-Daro was one of the world’s first planned cities and, like Harappa some 500km (300 miles) to its northeast, was one of the Indus Valley civilization’s principal settlements. Set out on a grid pattern, it had broad avenues and narrow side streets lined with spacious townhouses. Wells with high, sealed walls to prevent contamination were built to provide clean water for the inhabitants. THE STRUCTURE OF THE CITY

A higher area set on an artificial mound some 12m (40ft) high has been dubbed Mohenjo-Daro’s “Citadel”, though it is thought to have been a place for public gatherings and an administrative centre rather than a fortified strongpoint. Within the citadel, the “Great Bath”, an enclosed water tank or pool, may have had some ritual purpose. In the western quarter, large granaries indicate a central authority that was able to dictate the

The “Lower Town” of Mohenjo-Daro is in the foreground, with the city’s “Citadel” dramatically rearing up on the mound in the background.

storing of surpluses. T To the south, the “Lower T Town” may have housed skilled craftsmen and the lower classes. What is certain is that the city stood at the centre of a network of trade and cultural exchange that reached as far as Tilmun (modern Bahrain) in the Persian Gulf. Numerous religious artefacts have been found at the site of Mohenjo-Daro, notably images of a mother goddess often found in association with male symbols. These may indicate a fertility cult, although no temples or structures with an overt religious purpose have been identified. DECLINE AND ABANDONMENT

Water was a constant threat to Mohenjo-Daro, which was flooded and rebuilt as many as nine times on the same site during its period of occupation. Around 1700 bce, the city suffered a major flood from the Indus. A huge protective embankment was built to protect the city, but Mohenjo-Daro was abandoned once and for all within a century. This striking statue has been frequently dubbed the “Priest-King”, although there is no evidence that such a figure existed in Mohenjo-Daro’s society.

104

THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

AST ASIA Frrom aaro F r und ro und 45 un 45000 bc ce, th the Neo eolliitth hic socciieettiies cen entr entr treed d on n th hee b baan anks ks of Chi hina naa’’ss Yeelllo low Riv iveerr gaavve ri risee to a sseeri r es off inc ncre ncr rea easingl gly soph gl sooph his issti tica ti caated teed cu ultur llttu urress aand nd the nd the hen n tth he firrst st reeall tow owns n . Ch hiin naa’s ’s firsst cen nttra ralililizeed statte em emerge errge g d un nde der th he ru rullee of th he Sh Shan angg d dyyna naast sstty (1 ( 8t 8th h––111th th cen cen entu turiieess bbc ce). Th hee Sh haang angg’s ’s rric i h cu ic c lt l ur ure ooff pro rod du ucciingg art rt and nd art rtef teffaaccttss, part pa rtic rtic icu cularrly ly usi sing ng bro ron onz nze, e, is re reflect flecctted fle ed in th the arrttiist stiicc ttrrad rad dit itiioon nss of su ubs bseeeq queentt Ch hiiin neesee dyyn n nas asti tiies es.

EARLY CHINESE CULTURES n Chin hin na d c.45500– 00–cc.1 .1800 .18 000 bbc bce cee c

Late Neolithic China gave rise to village cultures of some complexity. The Yangshao culture emerged along the banks of the Yellow River in central China, and more than one thousand sites have been excavated to date. Studies at one of the best-known sites, Banpo, show that Yangshao people cultivated millet, used polished stone tools, and wore hemp and possibly silk. They produced pots

made of red clay, often decorated with spiral patterns, and some of the burials found at the village show evidence of belief in a connection with a spirit world. At Longshan in Shandong province, at the lower reaches of the Yellow River, another culture created finer black pottery, some of it turned on a potter’s wheel, and stone axes. This culture spread far along the banks of the middle and lower Yangtze to the south. In 1959, archaeologists discovered the Erlitou culture in the Yellow River valley in Henan province, unearthing palace-like buildings, tombs, and bronze artefacts – the oldest yet found in China. More recent archaeological finds have revealed a variety of late Neolithic cultures outside the Yellow River valley, such as the Majiabang along the Yangtze in Jiangsu province, and the Dapenkeng culture in South China. A Yangshao red vase from around 2000 BCE. Such pottery has been found in more than a thousand sites in the Yellow River area.

EAST ASIA

105

SHANG CHINA n Eastern ern rn n Ch C inaa n c.17 .1750– 50 50– 0–10 0– 1102 00227 bce cee

The Shang, by tradition the second of containers evolved, which would be China’s dynasties, ruled over much of produced for many centuries. The Shang northern and central China from around also continued the production of jade 1750 bce. They had several capitals, the discs, which had begun in Neolithic last of which was discovered at Anyang times. Often decorated with ornate on the banks of the Huan carving, the discs’ exact in the 1920s. Here, function remains a archaeologists have mystery, but they may unearthed the have been buried with remains of the large t e dead. Shang tombs th ceremonial and haavvee yielded large h administrative centre nu n um mb bers of “oracle bones”, of the late Shang state. the shoulder bones of cattle, th By around 1650 bce, the which were used for telling Shang were established at the future. Inscriptions on the capital Zhengzhou, the oracle bones provide This mask is characteristic of the high level of bronze craftsmanship the earliest evidence of where a massive defensive under the Shang dynasty. wall, some 6.4km (4 miles) Chinese writing. long, enclosed a large settlement with The Shang dynasty came to an end in buildings constructed of stamped earth. around 1050 bce when revolt, led by the Zhou, broke out in the west of the Shang SHANG CULTURE territory. The Zhou, who had extended The most prized archaeological finds their influence throughout the present from the Shang period are bronze objects, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, finally made primarily for ceremonial purposes. overpowered the Shang emperor and Many of the vessels found at Zhengzhou became the dominant power. and Anyang had a ritual use, possibly for In Shang tradition, when an important person died, preparing sacrificial meats or heating his chariot, charioteers, and horses were buried with wine. Highly stylized forms of bronze him, as in this example from a village near Anyang.

106

THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000–700 bce

HE AMERICAS Frrom F om the he mid-2 2nd nd milillle lenn len nniiu um bbc ce, ad dvvaanced d soccie iieeti ties beg egan egan an to devel to evveellop op in the th h e Am meeri eriicas cas in ca n ttw woo ssep w ep par araat ate te ar areeaas, s Perru aan nd Meso Me soam amer eriiccaa.. The he ear arlil es est cciivi est viliz liliza zati tions on ns in in tho hossee reg egio i on nss weerre tth hoosse o off th hee Chaavíín an and nd tth he Olm meeccs re ressp pec ective tive ti vely ely ly. Both hb bu uilt ui lt largge ceerreemo la moni nial al cen entrres entr es a n nd d bot oth ffo ollllow oweed d a cu ullt lt ooff th hee jagu uarr in th theeiir sy system stem ms off rrel elig el igio i ou uss belliieeffss, bu but tth hey ey leefft lil tt ttle lee orr nothi hiing h ingg in th the wayy of wri ritt ri tttten n recor ecor ords dss an d nd d the heiirr pollit itic icall ical hisssttoorry is is allm moosst im mo impo possi ssible ss ible le to rreec eco cons nstruc nst truc tr uct. t.

THE CHAVÍN OF PERU n Perru

d c.1250–c 50– 0–c.2000 bce bc

By about 1250 bce, village life based on the production of maize and pottery had spread throughout Peru’s coastal and highland regions. However, it was not until around 900 bce that the first identifiable culture spread across much of Peru. Centred on the great temple of Chavín de Huántar, at the confluence of the Wacheqsa and Mosna rivers, the Chavín W culture touched all parts of Peru save the extreme south. As there is no evidence of fortresses, armies, or any of the other paraphernalia of empire, the culture’s spread was probably not by force.

CHAVÍN SITE AND COLLAPSE

The site at Chavín de Huántar reveals its people’s great engineering and architectural expertise. The Old Temple T was built around 900 bce on a massive terraced pyramid. From the central platform projected a series of fearsome fanged monsters, while at the temple’s centre stood the Lanzón, a 4.5m- (15ft-) high granite stela – or stone slab – which may have been a devotional image. The site also includes a courtyard, perhaps an assembly place for ritual processions. Chavín wealth was used, at some time after 500 bce, to build a New T Temple twice the size of the old one. The power of the culture was waning, however, and outlying regions broke away. By 200 bce the Chavín period was over. Chavín art was characterized by images of snarling animals, such as these fierce jaguars from a staircase at Chavín de Huántar.

THE AMERICAS

107

THE OLMECS n Gullf cooas ast of Mexi xicco co

d c..18 1188000–c.40 400 40 00 bbce bc c cee

The Olmec culture established itself in the lowlands of southern Mexico shortly after 1800 bce. By around 800 bce, their influence had spread over an extensive area of Mesoamerica, underpinned by a simple agricultural economy that was based on maize.

larger population than San Lorenzo. Thriving between 900 and 400 bce, La Venta effectively took over from San Lorenzo as the principal Olmec settlement. As at San Lorenzo, colossal stone heads and jaguar figures and imagery have been found, as well as ceremonial and temple complexes, including a giant pyramid. OLMEC CENTRES The major buildings at the An n Olm Ol ecc rel Ol Olmec reli ellief ieff off a pri priiestt maki making kin ki ng an offering to a deity, in the form of The first important site were all precisely a feathered, crested rattlesnake. Olmec centre was San aligned, perhaps linked Lorenzo in southern Mexico, which with ideas about astronomy. By around was at its height between 1200 and 400 bce, the Olmec culture was in 900 bce. The city seems to have had decline, although its influence persisted an advanced drainage system and its in regional cultures, especially that of buildings, erected on earthen mounds the Zapotecs of Monte te Albán án (see p. p 15 1555).) and arranged around open plazas, included a temple and houses made of poles and thatch. There were also many monuments, such as giant carved head ds, altar-like structures, huge sculptures of seated people, and depictions off a variety of animals, notably th he ja jagu g aarr. gu Near the San Lorenzo sitee, at Cascajal, archaeologists haave v found ou und nd a stone dating from around nd 900 00 bce. It bears symbols that mayy be O Ollme m c writing, and thus might rreepr presseen nt th nt the first writing system in i Mes e oaame meri riccaa. There is evidencee ooff wid wide dessp preead ad destruction of monum ment ents en ts aro rou un nd 900 bce, when the cen ntre trre of of San an Lorenzo seems too hav ave com ave co om mee to an end. The oth t err maj ajor or Olm lmeecc centre was the cit ityy off La Ve Ven ntta, a, near the border off mod odeerr n Tabasco and T dV Ver erraccru ruz ruz states, which h haad a mu much ch An Olmec sto ton ne ssta ne tatue, tue ue e, ffr from ro om m La La Venta, known w ass th wn the he “G Go Gov ovve o errrn nor or” o rr””. His elaborat atte dr drres es ess im mp mpl pl plies lie ies ess e that he was a a rul ule ler. le r.

110

THE CLASSICAL WORLD

THE WORLD IN 700 bce–600 ce Th T he mi milllen enniiu um m tha hat fo follllow owed owed e 750 50 bc bce saw w muc uch off the he wor o ld d’ss p pu po ula lati tion ion n inccor p poora oraate ted into into in to the he gre reat at Cla lass ass ssiiiccaall civvilililiizzat atiiio ons ons n of Eu urrassia ia – Grreeece, ece, ec e, Rom ome, e Peerrsi e, siaa,, Ind ndiaa, an nd C Ch hiin na. a The h see emp m iirres res es went we en ntt oon n to rea each h unp n arraallle lele leed le l ve vels ls of so oph hiissti tica cati tion n and d mililit i ary ary ar e eccti eff tive veeneess vene ss, an nd seet mo m dels dels de ls for or adm min i istr istr is traattio on an and sc scho holaars rshi hip hi

G r e e n l a n d

I n u i t Ro ADENA A AD ADE DE D DENA DEN ENA EN E NA N A/ HOPE HOPEW HOP HO H OP OPEW O OPE PEW PE PE EW W EL ELL E LL LL CULTU CULT CU C CUL ULT U UL LT L T U RE TU RE

n ia ch i n s

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The world in 1 ce

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international border undefined border Han empire

THE CLASSICAL AL WOR WORLD IN 1 ce

Roman empire and client states Empire of Pontus under Mithridates Eupator, c.100 bce Numidia under Masinissa from 201 bce Burebista's Dacian kingdom, 45 bce

By 1 ce, the Greeks – who had earlier controlled an empire that stretched to India – had been conquered by the R Roman empire, which jostled for power with the Parthian (Persian) empire. China, unified in 221 bce, was now ruled by the Han dynasty, while India was fragmented after the fall of the Mauryan empire in 185 bce.

NOTE: Settlements in italics were not in existence in 1 ce but were significant during this chapter’s era.

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111

THE WORLD IN 700 bce–600 ce

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RE Mass Mas Ma M ass a siili ilia lia li iia a Rome Rom R om o ome me m e THRAC THRA THRAC TH THR HRA HR HR RAC RA AC A CE Con Cons C Co ons on o nsttan ns ta a an ant ntin nt inop iino nop n no o op plle e Numa Num Nu um um ma an ntia nt t The Thes he he hes esssa sal ssalo a alo al lon lo niiic nica nic ica cca a Cart C art a rttha hago hag hago go g ARME ARM ARMEN AR A RMEN RME R RM MEN ME M E EN NIA IA PONTU PONT PON P ONT ON O ONTU N NT TU T S Accti Acti Ac ctttiium m Nova Nov No N ovvva ova o a At Ath A th t he h e ns ns Carthag Cart hage age ge g e PA PA AR RT R THIAN Co Co Cori ori orrriint nth n t Gad Gad ade d s de Syra Syra ra acuse cu cu EM E MP MP PII R E NIA Pal P Palm alm a al llm myyra yrrra a RHODE HOD HODE ODES ODE OD E TA MA

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The Roman empire had conquered the whole of the Mediterranean coastline by 1 ce, and had also extended into Asia Minor (in modern Turkey), Gaul (modern France), and parts of Germany. Over the next century it would take Britain, Dacia (Romania), and parts of Mesopotamia, reaching its maximum area.

112

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

ERSIA Froom Fr mp pro ro ovviinc ncciial b beegi gi n nn niin nggss, a d dyyn naastty of of P Per eerrsi sia ian kin ings – the he Ach chae aeme eme meni eni nids ds – emergged d to eexxeerrt p po owe wer acro oss Assiia ffrrom m the M th Meedi dite terrrran aneeaan to to nor o th hw weest st Ind ndia. ia Two cen ia entu urriies es afftteerr a fail faaili ed d att ttem e pt pt too su s bd bdue ue Gre reec ece in n the he 5th th cen ntu turyy bbc c cee, the ta th tabl bleess tu urr ne ned wh when en Alleexa xa n nd deerr the he Gre reat at’s t s Mac aceed doon niiaans nia ns over ov ertth hre rew Ach hae aeme menid rul ru ullee. P Peers rsiiaan po ow weer re r -eem meerg rged un u nde der th he Part r hians hii s an nd Sas assa ass sanids niidss, wh n who, o, fro rom th he 220s 0s ce ce, s ru st ugggggle leed b led biitttter e ly wit i h th he Room man ans un untiil the th he 7tth ce centurry cee.

THE ACHAEMENID EMPIRE n W Asia iaa, Egypt ypt

d 5550–3 –333300 bbce ce

According to Persian tradition, Cyrus (ruled 559–530 bce), founder of the Achaemenid empire, had been a vassal of Astyages, ruler of the Median kingdom to the north of the Persian homeland. Cyrus defeated Astyages in 550 bce, securing dominance over eastern Iran, and then captured Babylon in 539 bce. His heir, Cambyses (ruled

529–522 bce), extended the empire to Egypt, before a revolt by his brother Bardiya led to his assassination. In the following years, the influential king Darius I (ruled 521–486 bce) occupied parts of Libya and northwestern India, and also tried to invade Greece, but a coalition of Greek states defeated him in 490 bce. A decade later, in 480–478 bce, Xerxes (ruled 485–465 bce) failed in a similar enterprise, and the Achaemenid rulers’ impulse for expansion waned. VULNERABILITY AND FALL

The 4th century bce was dogged by bitter dynastic struggles that undermined the power of later rulers. The empire was increasingly reliant on foreign mercenaries and, because of its vast size, vulnerable to revolt and invasion. It ended in the 330s bce, when Alexander the Great (see pp.124–5) 5 defeated the last Achaemenid emperor, Darius III. The tomb of Cyrus was built at Pasargadae, where he had established the first Achaemenid royal capital some time before 550 BCE.

PERSIA

113

PERSEPOLIS The royal capital of the Achaemenid empire was P Persepolis, founded by Darius I around 518 bce and connected to an efficient system of royal roads. While the administration of government usually took place at the palace at Susa to the west, Persepolis lay at the heart of the P Achaemenids’ regal power. A CITY OF TREASURES

Darius founded his new capital on a high plain around 80km (50 miles) southwest of the old P Persian centre at Pasargadae. Builders levelled an artificial terrace of 135,000 sq m (33 acres) on which to erect a series of palaces and audience chambers. Largest of these was the apadana, a reception hall that may have been able to hold up to 10,000 people. On the stairway to the apadana, a series of reliefs depicted tribute-bearers from the empire’s 20 provinces bringing offerings to the Persian P ruler, for P Persepolis may also have acted as the Achaemenids’ central Dignitaries from Medea bearing tribute approach the Council Hall at Persepolis. The ruined city is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A golden griffin bracelet that forms part of the Oxus Treasure, a fabulous hoard from the Achaemenid era found in 19th-century Afghanistan.

treasury. A huge Throne Hall was built under Darius I, and additions to the complex were still being made in the reign of Artaxerxes III (ruled 358–338 bce). In 331 bce, Alexander the Great captured Persepolis, and the next year a fire P razed it to the ground.

114

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

PERSIAN RELIGION n Iran n d c.10 .1 00 bce .1 cee–7t –77th h cent entu en nttu ury rry cee

At the heart of the Persian religious system lay a fusion between traditional Iranian religions and the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster, who lived either around 1000 bce or in the 7th century bce. He preached a dualist faith in which the

supreme god Ahura Mazda, the personification of good, engaged in a constant struggle with the spirit of darkness, known as Angra Mainyu. The Achaemenids may not have been pure Zoroastrians and they revered other Persian deities, too. Their successors, the Parthians, set up Zoroastrian fire altars throughout the empire, on which a flame burned constantly as a symbol of purity. Under the Sassanids (see facing page), e from the 3rd century ce, Zoroastrianism began to take on the characteristics of a state religion, and followers of other faiths, which had previously largely been tolerated, suffered persecution. A bas-relief sculpture of two fravashis. In Zoroastrian belief, these winged guardian spirits guide and protect people throughout their life.

PARTHIAN PERSIA n Iran ran, Iraq ran aq q

d 24 2 7 bce–2 bce–22 –2266 c cee

In the 3rd century bce, the Greek Made up of expert cavalrymen, the successors of Alexander the Great, the Parthian army was almost invincible and Seleucids (see p.126), 6 controlled Persia, at Carrhae in 53 bce crushed a Roman R but their hold slipped, and in 247 bce army, starting a long period of tension the Parthians began to throw with R Rome, particularly over off Greek rule. They took Armenia. Pretenders to the control of the silk routes Armenian throne often from China, and then sought R Roman support under Mithridates I against the Parthians, (ruled 171–138 bce) and it was one such pushed westwards appeal that almost to annex most of led to the Roman R the Seleucid lands emperor Trajan’s T in Mesopotamia. conquest of western Parthia, though, was Persia in 116–117 ce. politically divided and The Parthians survived its princes often established only to succumb to an near-independent fiefs, internal revolt in the A valiant Parthian king hunts undermining further southern province of Pars a lion with bow and arrow on this decorated silver bowl. attempts at expansion. in the 3rd century ce.

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115

SASSANID PERSIA n Iran ran,, Ira raq aq

d 22 2 6–6651 51 cee

Parthian P Persia (see facing page) e collapsed in 226 ce as a result of internal revolt. Persia’s resurgence came under the P Sassanids, whose first king, Ardashir I, ruled from 226 to 241 ce. The Sassanid kings, ruling from a capital at Ctesiphon on the banks of the Tigris, established a more centralized state than the Parthians, and easily held their own against the Romans to their west. By 238 ce, they R had taken the border cities of Nisibis and Hatra, and, under Shapur I (ruled 241–272 ce), dealt the R Romans a double blow, first defeating the emperor Gordian III in 244 ce, then Valerian in 260 ce. Shapur looked set to overrun the eastern Roman provinces, but the local Arab ruler R of Palmyra, in Syria, held him back. Over the next three centuries the pendulum swang between R Roman and Sassanid advantage in a region thickly defended by fortified frontier cities. Then, in the early 7th century, Khusrau II Parviz (ruled 591–628 ce) finally broke A rock oc -cu cut reli cut reli e ef at Naq N shNa sh-e e Rust ustam am am, m, ne ear Per Pe sep poli olis, s s, ssh sho h how ows ws a moun ounted nted t d Sh Shapu apurr I lordi rd d ng ng it it ove ovver ve er the e defeat def de feat ea atted ed R Rom oman oman an emp mpe mp errro ero orss Ph Phi hilip hi lip ip a an nd Val ale ale l ri r an. ria rian n.

the deadlock, taking Roman R Syria, Palestine, and Egypt by 619 ce. Yet the Byzantine (eastern R Roman) empire fought back, undoing all of Khusrau’s victories by 627 ce. The exhausted Sassanids then fell prey to Arab-Muslim armies invading from the south and west. Defeated at Qadisiya in 637 ce and at Nehavand in 642 ce, the last Sassanid king, Yazdegird III (ruled 632–51 ce), retreated eastwards and died a fugitive at Merv in Central Asia. SHAPUR THE GREAT

Having fought for his father Ardashir against the Parthians, Shapur I succeeded to the Sassanid throne in 241 CE while in his mid-20s. Almost immediately, he faced a Roman invasion, but this collapsed, and the emperor, Gordian, was murdered. This disaster forced the remnants of the Roman army, now under Philip, to sue for peace. Shapur’s victory over the Romans near Carrhae in 260 CE was even more spectacular. Shapur captured the emperor Valerian, and later had his body flayed, stuffed, and mounted as a grisly trophy.

116

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

REECE From Fr rom m unp npro romi misi sing n beg egin egin inning ning ni ngs in in a colllleec ect ctio ion of o f sm maallll an nd d quaarrrreels qu lsom om ome me ci c tyy-ssta tate ate tes, s, th hee Gre reeks eks een ek nte tere red d an an era ra o f unpa un unpa parraalllleelleed d crreeat ativ ivviitty aan nd su surp r pri risi sing ing ng miillita itaarry it ry su ucces cces cc ess, s, seeeein ng off the off he migghtt of the tth he P Peerrssia sia ian em empi pire re an nd d esttab abliliish sh hin ing cco in olo l on niies es thrro th ou uggho ou utt the he Med edit dit iter iter erra rane nean an and nd Bla l ckk Sea ea . U Un nde der Alex lexand le xand xa der e th hee Gre reat eat at, the the Gr th Gree Gree eeks ks held eld p el pooliliti ticcaal sway sw way ay ovveer mo m osstt of tth he N Neear ear ar Eas ast, t, and d evveen af afte ter er Aleexxaand nder er’s r’ss deeaath th th heeir ir ccu ult ltura uraall in ur nfl flu ueence nce rreemain nc maiin ma ned d power ow wer e fu ful th ful theerre re fo for cent cceentu nt u nt urriees. s.

ARCHAIC GREECE n Gre Greece ece ec cee d 700– 0–55000 bce bce

We know little about the era following W the collapse of Greece’s Mycenaean civilization in 1070 bce (see p.101), because no written records survive. But by around 750 bce, scattered clusters of villages throughout the Greek mainland, islands, and Ionia (Greek-settled Asia Minor) had grown into city-states, or poleis. Rivalry between the poleiss was fierce, and fighting frequent; by 600 bce, Sparta, Thebes, Corinth, and Athens were dominant. Governing systems varied from polis to polis. At first monarchy was most common, but in the 7th century bce some city-states overthrew their kings and instituted “tyrannies”: rule by autocrats from new families, such as the Pisistratids at Athens. A basic form of democracy emerged Rows of marble lions on the island of Naxos were dedicated to the god Apollo in the 7th century BCE.

side-by-side with this in Athens (see p.118), 8 beginning with the reforms of the great law-giver Solon in around 594 bce. Despite continuing rivalry, some cultural factors united the poleis: belief in common deities and participation in common cultural events, such as the panHellenic games at Olympia. Philosophers, mainly in Ionia, began to speculate on the nature of the universe, while a rich legacy of poetry includes probably the first written versions of Homer’s Iliadd and Odyssey.

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117

THE GREEK–PERSIAN WARS n Gre reece, ree ce, e,, th thee Aege Aeg an an, n, W Asi Asiia Mino i r d 44999– in 9––4499 bbce 9–4 bc c ce

In 499 bce, the Ionian cities of western Asia Minor, with some assistance from Athens, staged a revolt against Persia, which had conquered the region in 546 bce. The Persians were victorious, suppressing the rebels in 493 bce, after which the Persian king Darius I (see p.112) 2 resolved to teach the Greeks a lesson. This was a mistake of epic proportions. Having easily occupied the Greek islands and found ready collaborators among certain of the northern Greek cities, Darius’s army landed near Marathon (a small town on the coast of Attica, northeast of Ath hens)) in late summer 490 bce. There, a phalanx of Athenian citizen-sooldieers – with shields locked togetherr to t fo form rm ma united front – and their alliess from om m the city of Plataea kept the Perssianss in n checkk, despite being greatly outnum umbe bereed. Although Marathon was a min nor setback, the damage to Perrsian an presttigge was profound and they with hdrrew w. THE SECOND PERSIAN INV VAS SIO ON

The Persians were not to givee up and the fight was renewed und der Darriu iuss’s successor, Xerxes, in 480 bce.. A sh hakyy coalition of Greek city-staates form med to combat the invasion, but desp pite heroi oic resistance by the Spartan kingg Leeonid dass at Thermopylae (in which all the Sparttans perished), the Persians sooon won over the important state of Th hebess to o theirr side and had Athens at th heir merrcy.. The city was put to the toorch,, but Themistocles, a politician n, haad by then persuaded his fellow Atheeniaans to finance a naval fleet. This policy bore fruit Leonidas, the Spartan king, led an army of only 300 Spartans against Persian forces at the the battle of Thermopylae.

in the naval defeat of the Persians at Salamis, with Themistocles at the helm, also in 480 bce. A further victory on land at Plataea (in 479 bce) stiffened Greek resolve and forced the retreat of the main Persian force, and this signalled the end of Persian ambition on the Greek mainland. Although the war spluttered on in Ionia and the Aegean until 449 bce, the Greeks, by defending their independence, had in effect alreead adyy emerged d as thee vic victo tors rs.

118

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

ATHENS AND DEMOCRACY n Athe thens nss d 59 594–3 4–338 4–3 388 bce

The oldest and most stable democracy in ancient Greece developed in Athens, invoking the right of all citizens – a category excluding women, children, slaves, and foreigners – to participate in political decision-making. At the start of the 6th century bce, the reforms of the Athenian statesman Solon had diluted the aristocrats’ power in favour of the citizen assembly (ekklesia), a but it was only under the magistrate Cleisthenes (c.570–c.507 bce) that the Athenian constitution began to approach its final form. He divided Athens into about 140 voting districts (demes), s which were grouped together into 10 tribes. Each of these supplied 50 members annually to a council of 500, and this group supplied the 50-member group of council leaders (Prytaneis) s to administer the government’s daily affairs. THE ASSEMBLY

The composition of the Prytaneiss changed regularly so that no one held power for too long. The full ekklesia – with a quorum of 6,000 people – convened around 40 times a year, meeting on the Pnyx, a hill near the Acropolis, to vote on important matters, including the election of the city’s generals (strategoi ). Pericles (495–429 bce), the most brilliant

“A M AN WHO T KES NO TA INTEREST IN POLITICS HAS NO BUSINESS HERE AT A ALL.” Pericles, 495–429 BCE

orator in 5th-century bce Athens, consolidated the power of the masses by compensating the poor for the time they spent attending the assembly. DEMOCRACY AND EMPIRE

As Athens’ power waxed, the attractions of holding office grew. Ostracism – a vote by the ekklesiaa to exile over-mighty politicians – aimed to curb the abuse of power by a few. Athenian defeats in the Peloponnesian W War (see p.122) 2 twice suspended democracy, which, although later restored, became a shadow of its former glory by the time the R Romans took over Greece in the mid-2nd century bce. The Porch of the Caryatids, on the Acropolis of Athens, had to be rebuilt after being burned down by the Persians in 480 BCE.

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119

GREEK COLONIZATION From the late 9th century bce, the Greeks dramatically expanded their world by despatching colonists from cities in Greece to all corners of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This process continued for more than three centuries. Exactly why colonization was so important is unclear, but it may have been both a catalyst for trade and a pressure valve for excess population or political difficulties in Greece itself. THE ACQUISITION OF LANDS

Although the Greeks had set up foreign trading posts, such as at Al Mina in Syria, their new colonies were fully fledged citizen communities. Among the earliest were those in eastern Sicily, including Syracuse, founded around 733 bce. Shortly after this, colonization began in southern Italy, with cities such as Rhegium, Sybaris, and Croton springing up in a network so dense that the area came to be known as Magna Graecia (“Greater Greece”). The movement spread far to the south and west, founding Cyrene in North Africa around 630 bce, and Massilia (modern Marseilles, in Fran Fr ance an ce)) ar arou ound ou nd 600 600 0 bc bcee. Th Thee Gre reek eks firs fi irrsst reac reacche re hed th hed the he Ib ber e ia ian Pe Pen niins nsul ula la –

A silver coin from Catana (modern Catania), a Greek settlement in Sicily that was colonized around 720 BCE.

at Tartessus in modern Spain – in around 640 bce. In the east, colonies spread up the coast of the Black Sea, f om Byzantium to the fr Crimea, and to Trapezus (modern Trabzon) on the northern coastline of the Anatolian peninsula. By the late 6th century bce, the Greek impetus for colonization had faded, and as the system of city-states in Greece itself came under strain, future Greek expansion would come largely under the patronage of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian empire and its successor states. The city of Ephesus, a Greek colony located on Turkey Tur key’s ’s wes wester tern n coas coastli tline tli ne, wa wass e esta stabli sta blishe bli sh d in she an 11t an 1 h-c h-cent entury ury BCE BC wave wave off Gre Greek k exp e an ans nsion io . ion

The Pa Parth rthenon, n th the e grea at temp mp ple e to to th the he god goddess dde s Athena en , wa ass bu built at Athen Athen Ath ens ns in th t e midmid-5th 5th ce entury ntu t ryy tu BCE. The he project was as ini i tia tiated ted byy th t e city t ’ss le ty’s lea ead din d ing ng statesman n Pe eric ricles les, and the les the th ew wo orkk was wa w as partl r ly ove erseen by Phidia Phidia as, s, one one off C on Clas ass ssica ssica icall Grre eece’ ce’ss g eat gre atest ate st a art rtist stss. Itt w was as cco ompl plete ete te ed arou arou o nd nd 432 32 2 BCE.

122

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR n Gre Greece ece cee, W Turk urkey, y, Sic iciily icily l

d 4431–4 –44044 bc bc bce cee

The Peloponnesian W War, a bitter 30-year struggle, arose from the rivalry between the two most prominent Greek citystates, Athens and Sparta. Unlike the democratic constitution of its rival (see p.118), 8 Sparta was governed by kings and a small military élite, moderated by five annually elected magistrates (or ephors). s The mass of the population were helots, effectively serfs, with no political rights. In the mid-5th century bce, Athens established an empire based on its maritime strength, bringing it into conflict with Sparta’s land-based power.

THUCYD THU CYDIDE CYD IDES IDE S

One of the first true historians, Thucydides (c.460–c.404 BCE) wrote a History of the Peloponnesian War, recounting events he had lived through. The speeches he put in the mouths of the protagonists are some of the masterpieces of Greek literature.

supporting the Syracusans, and Athens was sucked into a debilitating and ultimately unsuccessful siege of the city. In 413 bce, the Spartans destroyed the Athenian armada in Sicily, THE STAGES OF WAR but still the war dragged The initial pretext for on. Finally in 405 bce, war was the attempt in at Aegospotami on the 432–431 bce by Potidaea, Hellespont, the Spartans an Athenian client-city in captured most of the northern Greece, to break Athenian fleet while it away from the Athenian was beached on shore. empire. Sparta and its Deprived of their naval allies came to Potidaea’s support, the Athenians A helmet typical of the protective gear of the hoplites, the heavy aid, but the Athenians could not resist a Spartan infantry of the Greek armies. initially held the upper blockade, and in 404 bce hand. Sparta fought back, winning a they surrendered, agreeing to the great victory at Amphipolis in 422 bce, destruction of their defensive walls. and both sides agreed to observe a Athens would never again 50-year truce. be such a dominant force Hostilities broke out again in 415 bce, among the Greek city-states. when the Athenians, encouraged by the extremist anti-Spartan statesman The Athenians’ naval fleet Alcibiades, sent a great fleet included oared warships to Sicily, intent on absorbing known as triremes. These Syracuse into their empire. vessels were fast and manoeuvrable, and were The Spartans reacted by able to ram enemy ships.

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CLASSICAL GREEK CULTURE The Classical Greek city-states of the 6th to 4th centuries bce gave birth to a civilization of extreme creativity, remarkable both for its uniformity of belief and culture, and its diversity of political systems. It has given us philosophers, artists, and playwrights whose works we still celebrate today. RELIGION, ART, AND PHILOSOPHY

The possession of a common religion was a hallmark of “Greekness”, and temples, shrines, and oracles to the principal gods – Zeus, their king; Hera, his wife; Apollo, the sun god – sprang up throughout Greece and the Greek colonies. Cult centres such as Olympia and Delphi became important pan-Greek gathering places and at some, in particular at Olympia, the Greeks held games in honour of the gods.

Socrates (lived 469–399 BCEE) revolutionized Greek thought, but his radicalism led to his execution.

The temples the Greeks built to their gods are among the most breathtaking relics of the Classical age, and include the great marble temple of the Parthenon built on the Athenian acropolis between 447 and 432 bce. Sculptors such as Phidias (born 490 bce), who created the great cult statue of Athena for the Parthenon, are among the world’s earliest named artists. The Greeks excelled in the dramatic arts, too, with tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and comedies by Aristophanes, being performed at an annual religious festival, called the Dionysiaa in honour of the god Dionysus. Of equally profound and lasting influence was the work of Greek philosophers such as Socrates (c.469–399 bce), Plato (c.427–347 bce), and Aristotle (384– 322 bce), the first to apply rigorous logic in an attempt to understand the world, whose works were valued into the Middle Ages and beyond. The art of vase painting reached new heights during the Classical period of Greece, often depicting scenes from myth.

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

THE CONQUESTS OF ALE XANDER THE GREAT n Greeec ecee, th the he Nea Neeear East asstt d 33366–3 6––3323 23 bce c ce

In the 4th century bce, Greece saw a struggle for power between several city-states, with first Sparta and then, from 371 bce, Thebes emerging as the victor. From the early 350s bce, the northern Greek state of Macedonia began to expand under an energetic and ruthless new king, Philip II. In 338 bce, Philip, aided by his 18-year-old son Alexander, gained victory against the Thebans and their allies at Chaeronea. The other Greeks then rapidly submitted to M Mac aced edon onia ian n ov overlordship p. The he youngg Alexander was not Phi hili ililp’ ps oon nlyy son o aand nd his his ssuccce cess s ion ss ion to to tthe he tthr hrron one waas byy no m meeaan ns as assu sure red. d. P Phi hililiip’ hi p’s assa as sass sass ssin naattio tio ion in in 336 6 bc bce has lon ng beeen be n su ussp peecctted ed to b bee at

Alexander’s prompting. Once his father was dead, Alexander moved with brutal speed to put down rivals and, in 335 bce, suppress a Theban revolt. THE INVASION OF PERSIA

Now secure on the Macedonian throne, Alexander embarked on an enterprise of staggering ambition: the invasion of the Achaemenid Persian empire. In 334 bce, he led an army of some 50,000 across the Hellespont into Asia Minor – modern T Turkey – with th he initiall in inte teent ntioon of o liberatting thee G ee Gr e k ci c tiiess theeree fro ro om Pe P rrssia i n cont ntro nt rol.l.l ro Disspu utteed ssu ucc ucc c es essi s on ons an and d r b re beellio llliioons onss had ad wea eake kene ke n d the th he Ach chae aem meeni nid em em mpi pire pi re

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The Temple of the Oracle, in the Siwa Oasis, Egypt, where Alexander came to consult the oracle of Zeus Ammon in 332 BCE.

in the 4th century bce, but its ruler, Darius III, could still call upon resources vastly superior to those of Alexander. Nonetheless, Alexander, with tactical and strategic brilliance, and with more than an eye for his image as an all-powerful ruler, defeated a large Persian force at Granicus in 334 bce, and then the next year bested Darius III himself at Issus in Syria. Utilizing the professionalism and manoeuvrability of his smaller forces agains nst the vast, cumbersome Persian ns armi ar mies mi es,, he see es e me med d un u be beatab a le. Pausing to vis i itt Eggyypt p , he d def efea ef fea e te ted d Da Dari rius u one final all time im me at at Gau uggaam meelaa oon n the t he th b nkks off tthe ba he Tigg riis iin he n 331 31 bce bce. Th bc Thee fugi fu giitiive ve Peerrsiiaan n kin kin ing w waas as mu urd der e ed d th hee follow foll fo lllow win ing yyeearr and nd Ale lexaand ndeerr too ook oon n

A Roma Roma oma an-e era ra mos mos mo osaic a sh showin sho howin wing g Alexxa and nd de err rid r ding ding ng his h iss hors ho orse se eB Bu uce cep ce ephal phal halus us us in int nto battle, nto nt att ttle le, e p po oss ssib ssi sibly blyy att Iss a Issus us in 333 3 BC BC . BCE

the trappings of an oriental potentate, adopting Persian court dress and protocol and moving to secure all the former provinces of the Achaemenid empire. FINAL CAMPAIGNS AND DEATH

Alexander spent 329 and 328 bce suppressing revolts in the eastern provinces of Bactria and Sogdia, after w ich he pushed on into northwestern wh India, defeating the local ruler Porus at H daspes in 327 bce. Finally, even his Hy loya lo yal Macedonians refused to go further. ya A lo long ngg and gruelling return across desert teerrai terr ain ai n to reach central Persia, and the perc pe rcei ceived influence of native Persians in Allex A lexan exander’s entourage, fuelled a series of muti mu tini in niies e . Then, in 323 bce, aged only 32, tth he co conq nq que u ror of the known world died off a feevveerr at Babylon. His embalmed bodyy was bo body as ssent to Egypt, and his generals plootttteed to seize power for themselves, pl siin ncce, e as he was still relatively young a th at he time of his death, Alexander had not chosen a successor.

“HIS FRIENDS ASKED: ‘TO WHOM DO YOU LEAVE THE KINGDOM?’ AND HE REPLIED ‘TO THE STRONGEST’.” Dio D iod dorrus Siculus on the death of Alexander do (Library of Historyy, XVII, 117)

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THE SUCCESSORS OF ALE XANDER n Egyp gypt, t,, Syri yr a, Mac Macedo edo ed donia d i

d 33223–3 –331 bce bcee

Alexander the Great’s death in 323 bce led to a long struggle for control of his empire. This began almost at once, for Alexander’s wife R Roxana was pregnant, and the army split between those wanting to see if she bore a son and those who supported the severely disabled half-brother of Alexander, Philip Arrhidaeus. In the end, the child was born male and as Alexander IV he ruled jointly with Arrhidaeus, who became Philip IV. However, this only masked the deep divisions between the generals, who then proceeded to carve out their own territories: Ptolemy in Egypt; Antigonus in Asia Minor; Lysimachus in Thrace; Eumenes in Cappadocia; and Seleucus in Persia. A series of wars between these Diadochoii (or “successors”) The Greek city of Corinth in the Peloponnese was taken by the Romans in 146 BCE, marking the end of mainland Greece’s independence.

The Ptolemaic Greeks adapted Egypt’s practice of mummification, creating mummy portraits of the deceased in a western style.

erupted, which between 323 and 279 bce gradually eliminated the weaker contenders. DECLINE AND FALL

By 301 bce, three main successor states survived – the Antigonids based in Macedonia, the Seleucids in Mesopotamia and Syria, and the Ptolemies in Egypt – together with a constellation of smaller statelets that fed off warfare between the big three. After Antigonus I of Macedonia was defeated by the others at Issus in 301 bce and the other weaker states had been eliminated, the tensions diminished and the three Greek kingdoms survived until they were successively swallowed up by the Romans: Macedonia in 168 bce, a R much-reduced Seleucid kingdom in 64 bce, and finally, Egypt in 31 bce.

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HELLENISTIC CULTURE Alexander’s conquests left a large part of western Asia and North Africa in Greek hands. As part of his efforts to solidify his hold over this enormous territory, Alexander himself encouraged the foundation of Greek cities in the newly conquered lands, including most notably Alexandria in Egypt. These became the focus for the diffusion of Greek culture, known as Hellenism, throughout the East. THE HELLENISTIC CITY

Greek-speakers were a definite minority in Alexander’s empire and the successor states, but everywhere the cities bore the hallmarks of the mother country. These included temples built in the Greek fashion, a central marketplace and meeting space (or agora), a and the gymnasium um m, which was not merely a placee ooff exercise, but acted as a centrre fo or Greek-style education wheree you ung ng men could study classic au uth horrs aan nd obtain a sense of Greek cul ultu l ure. re. re DIVERGENCE AND DISSOLLUTI TION ON N

Although united by the Greekk language, the Hellenisticc ci c ties ti s and kingdoms did absorrb eaaste stern ern influences, notably in Egy gyptt where the Greek-speak akking in ng kings ruled as pharaaooh hs.. Hellenistic art styless also travelled far to the eas ast, st influencing the Budd ddh dd haa h figures of the Indian n st stat atee ooff Gandhara in the 2nd cen enttu ury ry bce. In science and liiterrat atur ure, ure e, the Hellenistic Gre reek re ekss ek continued the Claass s iccal al tradition of creativ ivvit ity. y The mathematicia ian ns ns Antiochus I of Commagen en ne (r ne (rule (ru led led ed 70–38 BCEE) was ruler off a Hellle llen enist istticc kingdom near Armenia a and and ha h had ad th his iss spectacular funerary mon nume um u ment me nt built to himself in the Gre ree re ek sty ek sty st tylle le. e.

Euclid (c.300 bce) and Archimedes (287–212 bce), the comic playwright Menander (342–293 bce), and the historian Polybius (c.200–c.118 bce) are a few of the influential figures whose work was absorbed by the Romans during their conquests of R th he He Helllllen eniis isti tic la tic lands nd ds, ens enssur uriin ing that th hat at Gre reec eccee’’s cu cult ltur lt u all leg leggac a y lliive ved d on o .

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

ME From Fr om ina om naus nau uspici piici c ous ous be ou beggiinn nnin in ngs gs as a sm maalllll hi hillll-ttop op set ettl ttl t em emen meen nt in n cen entr t al al Ita tallyy in th he mi mi d d--88tth ce c en nttur tury urry bc u bce, Rom me su s rviv ived iv ived d turb tu rbul u en nt ea earl rly ceentu urriiees to u to ccon o q on qu uer er tthe h ent ntiirre Itali taliian ta an peen p niins nsul nsul ula – an and th and theen then n cre reated ated at ed an an em empi pire re enc enc nccom om ompa mpa passsssiin ing th the he whol wh hol ole of of tth he Medit he ed dit iter terra erraane er neaan nean nw wor orld or rld, ld, pa ld p rt rts ts of of the he Neeaar Easst, t, a dn an noort orthw rtthwes hwes hw este stteern n Eu urrop ope. e. Rom ome’ e s mi e’ milliita mili tary ry and d a mini ad niist strraaati tive strengt tiv ti gth aalllo gt gth owe w d it too een ndu dure r sevver eral al cri al r ses se se until, fin naallllyy,, waves off baarrb n bar arian a inva vaadeers rs brroought aboout ut ittss fal a l.

EARLY ROME n Cent entral entral al Ital al t y ta

d 7553–5 3 099 bc bbce ce

According to tradition, Rome was founded on 21 April 753 bce by Romulus, R said to have been the son of the god Mars. Like most of the traditions associated with R Rome’s earliest days, it is hard to disentangle truth from myth. ROME UNDER THE MONARCHY

The first settlement, atop the Palatine Hill overlooking the Tiber river, was almost indistinguishable from the area’s myriad small 8th-century bce villages. Crucially, R Rome seems to have been more receptive to outside influences than its rivals, and particularly to that of the more developed Etruscan civilization that flourished in central Italy. Some of Rome’s early kings – there were seven R by tradition – may have been Etruscan. The story goes that the second king, Numa Pompilius, established many of Rome’s religious traditions, while Ancus R Marcius in the 7th century bce expanded the territory of the fledgling city-state through a series of localized struggles against the neighbouring Latin tribe.

In this Renaissance mosaic, Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome, and his twin brother Remus suckle from the she-wolf said to have raised them.

From the reign of Tullus T Hostilius (673–642 bce) comes the first evidence of a R Roman senate, in the form of the Cura Hostilia building. The accession of his heir, T Tarquinius Priscus – probably an Etruscan – in 616 bce brought a new dynamism to Rome. R However the next king, Tarquinius T Superbus, was a tyrant, and his unpopular rule led to his deposition in 509 bce by a group of aristocrats. From this point onwards Rome was a republic.

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THE ROMAN REPUBLIC n Ita Italia lia i n peni ia pen en nsu eni ula d 509 bbce bc ce–c.25 c . 0 bbce bc ce ce

When R Rome became a republic in 509 bce, it retained some of the elements of the old monarchical system, including the Senate – an amorphous group of elders with decision-making powers. Every year, a citizen assembly elected two consuls, whose dual authority was an attempt to prevent despotism. THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY T

The early R Republic was dominated by the conflict between two groups of citizens, the patricians (elite landowners) and the underclass of plebeians. The patricians monopolized political p wer,, and provided all the members po fo for or th he Seena n tee. Pl Pleb ebei eb eian ei n res resen entm tmen entt off thi th his is hi hie iera iera rarc rchyy lled rc ed ttoo a se seri ries es oof viiol olen lentt confl co nflic icts ts,, wh whic ich h in 44944 bc bcee ressul ulte ted in thee cr th c eati tion ion of of a pl p eb ebei eian an ass ssem embl blyy wiith Th The h Te Templ m e of C Cast a or an ast and nd P Pollu uxx (ce (centre righ ht) t), in th Forum the Forum a att Ro Rome, me wa wass whe w re the he patri patricia cians cia n met to disscus cuss the e gov govern rnmen m t of the the early Rep publ blic. ic.

A statue of a lictor, who carried the fasces, the bundle of rods and axes that symbolized the power of the Republic’s magistrates.

two elected tribunes (who later came to have a veto over laws passed in the Senate). The codification of Roman laws in the “Twelve R Tables” in 445 bce eased other restrictions on the plebeians; and in 366 bce the first plebeian consul was elected. TH EX THE E PAN P SION OF ROME

Afftteer a R A Roman victory against a le lea eague of Latin neighbours in 496 bce, a series of “colonies” of R Roman citizens set out from Rome, R gradually forming a network of Rom oman an-con contr trol olle led d or -in incl clin ined ed d cciiti ities ies thro th roug ro uggho hout ut ccen entr tral al Ita taly ly.. In 396 396 bc bcee, th he Roman ans ca an captu ured the he lea eadi ding ng Etrrus usca caan city of Veii,, and by the the earlyy 3 d ce 3r cent ntury bc ce h had ad also a defeat ated ed d the Samn mnit ites es to to be b gi gin n the exteens n ioon of o their po powe wer into to sou o th t -central al Ita taly ly.

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

THE PUNIC WARS n Ital taa y, Spai p n, n, N Afri ricca ri ca

d 26 264 64– 44–1 ––1488 bc bce ce

Rome expanded its influence through R the Italian peninsula during the first half of the 3rd century bce, gradually creating conflict with other powers in the Mediterranean. Most notable among these adversaries were the Carthaginians,

help. The fighting – known as the First Punic W War – dragged on for 23 years, involving land battles and sieges that generally went the R Romans’ way, and more decisive naval battles ending in a Roman victory at the Aegates Islands in R

“WE HAVE BEEN DEFEAT A ED IN A GREAT A BATT A LE.” Marcus Pomponius announcing the disastrous Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene, 217 BCE

who, from their capital in modern Tunisia, North Africa, controlled an T empire that included Sicily. W War broke out with R Rome in 264 bce over a quarrel between Carthaginian-allied Syracuse and the Maame mert rtin in nes e of Messana, also in Sic icilily ily, y, who ho aap ppeeaale ppea pp led ttoo the he Rom oman oman anss fo forr

241 bce. Carthage was stripped of its territories in Sicily, but compensated by going on to form a new empire in Spain. A Second Punic W War broke out in 218 bce, when the Spanish city of Sagguntum, m, ffea m, eari ea ring ri ngg abs bsor orpt or p io i n byy thee Carrtth th ha hag agin inia ian ggeen ian neera ral Haan nnib niiba bal,l,

ROME

appealed to the R Roman Senate for aid. The R Romans demanded Hannibal’s surrender; the latter responded with an invasion. Crossing the Alps – with an army that included war elephants – in the winter of 218 bce, he soon defeated the Romans at Ticinus R and Trebia, in the north of Italy. HANNIBAL’S ITALIAN CAMPAIGNS

After this victory, many Cisalpine Gauls – Celts settled around Milan – flocked to Hannibal’s cause. A further Roman R defeat at Lake Trasimene, in central Italy, in 217 bce led to the deaths of around 15,000 R Romans. The next year the R Romans suffered an even greater A romanticized view of the battle of Zama in 2 BCE 202 B , wher h e Scipio cip ip fina ally defeated Hannibal and de troyed dest de des tro oyed y d hi h s last a ar army my – 2 20,000 Carthaginians died.

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A Carthaginian stela from the tophet, or graveyard, at Carthage. The horn-shaped symbol is for Tanit, a moon goddess.

disaster farther south at Cannae, where their general Varro rashly allowed his army to be outflanked and encircled by the Carthaginian cavalry, and an d th then en massacred. Man any ny ci citi ties ties e then defe de fecctted ed frroom the Rom oman caaau u usssee, but Gen Ge neera ral Fa Fabius bi Maaxxim imus us kept Hann Ha nnibal away from Rome and halted the momentum of his earlier victories. In 207 bce, Hasdrubal, the brother of Hannibal, was defeated and killed at Metaurus, northeast Italy, and five years later a R Roman counterstrike by Scipio forced Hannibal to return to Africa. THE END OF THE PUNIC WARS

In October 202 bce, the Carthaginians were defeated, and were stripped of their Spanish territories and reduced to a small territory around Carthage. Yet R Rome was not satisfied, and in 149 bce used a pretext to begin a Third Punic War. With no land army to speak of, Carthage was soon besieged, and was stormed in 148 bce. The R Romans razed t e city, deported its people, and finally th annexed its remaining territory. HANNIBAL

Born c.247 BCE, Hannibal became Carthage’s leading general during the Second Punic War and commander-inchief in 221 BCE. His plan to lead an army across southern Gaul (modern France) into Italy was a bold one and he showed tactical genius in a string of victories against Rome. Yet he lacked strategic vision and became bogged down once Roman resistance stiffened. After the war, he was chief magistrate of Carthage, but Roman fears of a Carthaginian revival led to his exile in 195 BCE. He died in c.183 BCE.

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

THE END OF THE REPUBLIC n Ital talyy, y, Ga Gau Gau ul

d 13 1 7–444 bce cee

During the 2nd century bce the political situation in R Rome became increasingly tense. Then, in the 80s bce, the city was hit by a political and military struggle for power between Marius, the reformer of the R Roman army, and Sulla, a politician who, after Marius’s death, became Dictator, or sole ruler, in 82 bce. POMPEY AND CAESAR

That year, Sulla killed more than 500 of his opponents and packed the Senate with his supporters. After Sulla’s death in 78 bce, another popular general, Pompey, rose to power. For 15 years Pompey excelled at his political role, and bolstered his military reputation with several victories in the East. Yet, in 60 bce, increasing factional violence led him to broker a three-way alliance, called the “First Triumvirate”, with the rich financier T The assassination of Julius Caesar was carried out by only a small group of senators; most fled or waited to see what actions the assassins would take next.

JULIUS CAESAR

Born in 100 BCE, Caesar became Roman consul in 59 BCE. He created a new province for Rome in Gaul from 58 to 52 BCE and this brought him great political power and popularity – which ultimately led to his murder in 44 BCE.

Crassus and a rising military star – Julius Caesar. This collapsed in 49 bce and led to civil war between the factions of Caesar and Pompey. THE FIRST CIVIL WAR

Caesar pushed Pompey out of Italy and, in 48 bce, defeated him at Pharsalus in Thessaly. Pompey was murdered in Egypt, but his partisans fought on until, in 46 bce, Caesar triumphed, becoming Dictator for life. Fearing Caesar would make himself king, a group of republicans, including Marcus Brutus, assassinated him. However, their murderous act failed to save the R Republic from collapse.

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THE FIRST EMPEROR: AUGUSTUS n Ita Italy, ly th ly, he Medi diiter te ran an nean ean d 44 44 bce cee–14 14 c 14 cee

After Julius Caesar died in 44 bce, his chief lieutenant Mark Antony, attempting to manipulate public opinion, allied himself with Octavian – Caesar’s 18-year-old adoptive son – in order to exploit his family connections and gain political support. Antony miscalculated, for Octavian, although young, was even shrewder than Caesar. He remained in alliance with Antony and Lepidus – who played the role of financier in this “Second Triumvirate” – for only as long as it took to defeat the armies that had been raised by Brutus and Cassius, Caesar’s murderers. In 32 bce, war broke out among the Second Triumvirate. At Actium the following year, Antony was defeated, and both he and his mistress, the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra, committed suicide. Octavian did not seek immediate revenge against Antony’s partisans. Nor did he have himself made Dictator, as Caesar had done. Instead, he manipulated Republican politics to acquire R supreme power without seeming to usurp the Senate’s authority. FROM GENERAL TO EMPEROR

In 27 bce, Octavian was granted a special form of authority, known as proconsular imperium, for 10 years, which in effect allowed him to act as he chose in all provinces where the army was currently based. In the same year, he took the title “Augustus”. In 23 bce, Augustus acquired the During Augustus’s reign (27 BCE–14 CEE), the production of images of the emperor, such as this statue from Turin, Italy, became a vital part of imperial propaganda.

permanent power of a tribune of the plebeians, making him invulnerable to legal action. Although he did not refer to himself as an emperor, this was the position he now held. MILITARY EXPANSION

Augustus secured the empire’s borders along the Danube river and sent armies into Germany, which he was about to conquer when a disastrous defeat in 9 ce caused a retreat from the Elbe river back to the Rhine. His last years saw a defensive stance along existing frontiers.

“WA W RS, BOTH CIVIL AND FOREIGN, I UNDERT R OOK, BOTH ON SEA AND ON LAND!” Inscription of Augustus (the Res Gestae Divi Augusti ) from Ankara, Turkey, c.14 CE

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

THE GOVERNMENT AND ARMY n Rom omaan empi m ree d 27 mp 27 bce cee–c.2 ..20 2200 cee

The empire over which Augustus A assumed rule in 27 bce was very different from the R Rome of the early republic. Now ruling over territories that stretched from the Iberian peninsula in the west to Syria and Armenia in the east – as well as large parts of North Africa – the Roman R government faced far greater challenges than the old, informal systems could manage. GOVERNMENT AND THE PROVINCES

imperial treasury, were assumed by freedmen (former slaves). Provincial governors, however, who administered Rome’s imperial territories, were almost R all senators. The R Roman government raised its revenue mainly through indirect taxes on sales or death duties. Some was spent on the upkeep or building of Roman roads, which linked R the main cities of the empire, but as much as 80 per cent was spent on the army. THE ROMAN LEGIONS

Augustus had inherited A At the centre of Roman R 80 legions, which he cut government, the role of to 28, each comprising the emperor remained around 5,000 men. ambivalent. Certain Supporting them, and emperors, such as Claudius directly answerable to (ruled 41–54 ce), liked to the emperor, were infantry flatter the old senatorial and cavalry regiments The legio gio ions’ ns’ supe ns’ su uper peri erior iorr eq io equip uipm i ment me class with the fantasy that and training made them more than of non-citizens (called a match for non-Roman enemies. the emperor was just a “auxiliaries”). The total superior sort of senator; others, such as manpower may have been around Nero (ruled 54–68 ce), tended to much 300,000. The legions formed a formidable more direct, despotic, and capricious strike force, almost irresistible in open rule. The early empire had little in the combat. Their engineering expertise way of a public service, and many meant they could also conduct siege important roles, such as running the warfare expertly and take on large-scale construction projects, such as roads and fortifications. Over time the army formed its own power base, through the imperial guard (the Praetorians) based in R Rome and the legionary frontier garrisons, and became as much a cause of internal instability as a guardian against outside threat. The Roman road network, much of it paved, was vital for the rapid transit of Roman armies.

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THE EARLY EMPIRE n Rom oma man n emp m re d 14 mpi 14–69 14–69 6 cee

Augustus died in 14 ce, having chosen Tiberius, the son of his wife Livia by her first marriage, as his heir. Tiberius was 55 when he came to the throne, having proved himself a capable general and administrator, yet he was never truly popular and, in the middle period of his reign, became dominated by Sejanus, the prefect of the Praetorian guard. In the last seven years of his life, Tiberius shut himself away in his palace on the island of Capri, leading to an atmosphere of frustration and stagnation in Rome. R THE POST-TIBERIAN EMPERORS

Tiberius’s rule gave way to a new, young emperor, Caligula (ruled 41–54 ce), whom the governing class welcomed with open arms. However, Caligula’s patent instability and dangerous temper

A cameo showing Augustus’s wife Livia and her son Tiberius, who became the second emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (27 BCE–68 CEE).

led to his assassination and replacement by a man the Praetorians thought would be a pliant weakling: Claudius (ruled 41–54 ce). Yet Claudius proved shrewd; he sponsored large-scale public works that included a new port at Ostia and, although not a military man, ordered the conquest of Britain from 43 ce. Claudius was succeeded by the mercurial Nero ( ul (r uled ed 554– 4 68 ce ce)), w who, unsuited to po p wer, beca be came ca me m mir ired ir ed in in co corr rru rr upti upti up tion on.. Wh on When en aan n army ar myy rev revol oltt br brok okee ou outt in Spa Spa p in in in 68 ce ce,, civi ci vill wa warr er erup upte ted d, lea leadi ding ng to to fo four ur em mpe pero rors rs in a si sing inglle le yea yearr, r, u unt n il finaallllyy nt Vesp Ve spas sp asia as ian ia n (r (rulled d 69 69–79 79 ce),) a toughminded gen ner e al al,, em emer erge er ged ge d tr triu iump iu mp pha han nt. nt. The Co Colos losseu seum m, the empir i e’s ’ largest amphithea atre – begun under er Ves Ve pas asian as ian a and comp comp omplet leted let ed by by hiss so sson n Titus – hous o ed spe specta ctacul acu ar gladiatorial shows.

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

THE EMPIRE AT ITS HEIGHT n Rom o an n emp empire em ree d 669–18 1880 ce c

Vespasian’s accession in the talented governor of 69 ce inaugurated a new Upper Germany, Trajan, dynasty, the Flavians, as his son, beginning a during which stability practice that would see at first seemed to the next emperors, return to the empire. Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Vespasian’s economic and Marcus Aurelius, reforms filled the all adopted by their treasury, and new pred pr edec dec eces ces esso sso sor. r. T This gave territory was occupied the th he em empi mpi pire re a gol o den age in northern Britain – a cen centu ce tu urry ooff stability. and parts of Germany and Asia Minor. TR AJA N A ND TR N D HADRIAN But Vespasian’s son Nerv Ne rva died after just Titus, succeeding him tw years, and Trajan two tw A marble frieze from Ephesus showing in 79 ce, was to die soon began to enlarge emperors Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius Verus. Hadrian has a beard, a Greek after just two years. the empire’s frontiers, Titus’s younger brother fashion he made popular at Rome. seizing Dacia (modern Domitian (ruled 81–96 ce) made Romania) in two wars between 101 and a promising start, but degenerated into 106 ce; the mercantile kingdom of tyranny and was assassinated, possibly Nabataea (largely in modern Jordan) in on the orders of the Senate itself. 106 ce; and much of Mesopotamia (now Iraq) from 115 to 117 ce. These victories THE “GOLDEN AGE” brought massive booty that helped fill The Senate then put forward one of the treasury. Yet the eastern territories their own as emperor, a 70-year-old, were not secure, and when Trajan died much-respe p cted senator named Nerva. in 117 ce were already in revolt. To eens To n uree th thee su succ cces essi sion on,, Ne Nerva ad adop opted d Itt w was as p perha haps ps thi thiss th that at p per e suad ded Trajjan Tr an’s ’s suc uccce cess ssor ss orr, Ha Hadr dria ian,, ttoo be b mor oe Hadria Had dria r an’s ri n’’s ’ Wa Wal W ll ll is i am monu onumen onu mental tal b barri barri rrier err str stretc et hin etc h g 80 caut ca utio ut ious io us. He H sta tart rrtted ed no ne new w wa wars of of Roman Ro Rom ma an n mil miil m i es es ((11 11177km km) acro crro osss no n the nor thern rn n Bri Britai t n, ta n, built buiilt to de to defend def en nd d th the pro rov ovvinc ince ag ince in ga gai aiinst nsst n st ba barba rb baria ba riia an incursi ncu n ccursi rsio rs onss. on expa ex p ns pa nsio ion io n an nd bu buililt de deffe fens nssiv ive w iv wo ork rkss in in

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TRAJAN

Trajan (ruled 98–117 CE) was from an Italian family that had moved to Spain, making him the first emperor with strong non-Italian roots. He made his name while fighting under Domitian along the Rhine in the 80s CE and as governor of Upper Germany. Popular with the army, he was an obvious choice to succeed Nerva. He showed astonishing energy in expanding the empire’s frontiers, an achievement he celebrated in Trajan’s Column, which was built beside the new Forum that Trajan commissioned in central Rome.

Germany and Britain. Hadrian travelled widely, seeing more of his domains than any emperor before him, and established a permanent imperial council that reduced the importance of the senate. THE LAT A ER ANTONINES

Hadrian adopted the elderly Antoninus Pius (ruled 138–161 ce), intending the latter’s young protégé Marcus Aurelius to succeed him quickly. Yet Antoninus lived for another 23 years in a tranquil reign that saw few revolts. When Marcus Aurelius finally succeeded in 161 ce,

ruling jointly with Lucius Verus – another of Hadrian’s circle – he faced a series of crises. A plague between 168 and 169 ce killed thousands, including Lucius Verus, and the empire became entangled in the Marcomannic Wars against barbarians on the Danube, whom the emperor could never wholly subdue. Before his death in 180 ce, Marcus had chosen his own son Commodus to succeed him, the first son ever born to a ruling emperor. However, like Domitian’s, Commodus’s rule was unstable and would spell the end of Rome’s golden age.

“HE WAS THE FIRST TO CONSTRUCT A WALL… WHICH WA S TO SEPARATE B A R B A RI A N S A N D R OM A N S . ” The Th The he H His isstto tor o orriia a Au Aug ug u gust usta sta on on H Ha adrian adri dri rian’ an n s buil bu uiliilldin ui din ing ng o off th he eW Wa Wal allll

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

CRISIS AND REFORM n Rom Roman an n emp empire d 18 em 180–3 0 05 0–3 05 ce c

The emperors of the late-1st and 2nd centuries bce had handpicked their successors. Marcus Aurelius was the first emperor for a century to have an adult male son, Commodus – but he proved a lesson in the weakness of hereditary succession. Commodus was rash and fickle. His behaviour sparked a series of military revolts that led finally to the triumph of Septimius Severus (ruled 193–211 ce), the governor of Upper Pannonia (in modern Hungary). A firm and active ruler, Severus seemed set to restore confidence in the empire.

This Roman coin from c.218 CE bears a depiction of the controversial emperor Elagabalus.

He divided large provinces into two, to avoid any one governor having too much military power, and he conquered territories in Mesopotamia. Yet his successor Caracalla (ruled 211–217 ce) proved more capable of making enemies than ruling – he murdered his brother and co-emperor Geta. Caracalla himself was murdered in 217 ce near Carrhae (in modern Turkey) by an army faction fearful that he would execute them.

ROME

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“THIS MAN... OVERT R URNED THE WHOLE ORDER OF THINGS: FOR HE CHOSE THREE OTHER MEN TO SHARE THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT WITH HIM.” Lactantius, speaking of Diocletian, De Mortibus Persecutorum

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

For a while the empire teetered between hope and farce. Emperor Elagabalus (ruled 218–222), who was a Syrian high priest of dubious morality and Septimius Severus’s great-nephew, scandalized and alienated Senatorial opinion. His cousin Severus Alexander, brought in to replace him, lost the support of the army and was murdered in Germany in 235 ce. This ushered in a half-century of chaos, when emperors, brought to power and then murdered by their own soldiers, rarely lasted more than a few years.

For 20 years, Gaul broke away to be ruled by its own emperors. More dangerously, after the Persians captured the emperor Valerian (ruled 253–260 ce) in 260 ce, the city of Palmyra in Syria established its own eastern empire under Queen Zenobia and her son Vaballathus. To add to the official empire’s woes, new groups of barbarians, including the Goths, pressed down from eastern and central Europe toward the Rhine and Danube frontiers. Aurelian (ruled 270–275 ce) finally defeated Zenobia and brought Gaul back into the empire, but he had to abandon Dacia and still barbarians such as the Franks and Alamanns raided Gaul, and the Goths pillaged across the Danube. It was all too much for a single emperor to deal with. THE TETRARCHY

Nominated by the army as emperor in 284 ce, Diocletian chose an old military colleague, Maximian, to rule jointly with him. In 293 ce, he further subdivided the imperial office by selecting two junior emperors (or “Caesars”) to reign with the two senior ones (or “Augusti”). Now that there were, in effect, four emperors – in a system known as the Tetrarchy – facing a challenge in one area of the empire no longer meant abandoning problems elsewhere. Diocletian also reformed the army, recruiting smaller legions better adapted to combat the barbarian incursions. In an unprecedented act, in 305 ce Diocletian abdicated voluntarily due to ill health, and retired to his palace at Spalatum (modern-day Split, Croatia). The detailed carving on this imperial Roman marble sarcophagus shows Roman soldiers battling the Goths during the 3rd century CE.

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

CONSTANTINE AND THE NE W CHRISTIAN EMPIRE nR Roma man ma n emp emp mp re mpi re d 306 3006–3 6– 37 cee

When Emperor Diocletian retired in 305 ce, his system of four rulers (the T Tetrarchy; see p.139) 9 fell apart. The new college of four emperors excluded Maxentius, the son of Diocletian’s colleague Maximian, and Constantine, the son of a Caesar in the Tetrarchy. T The result was chaos, and by 310 ce there were no fewer than seven competing emperors. In the civil war that followed, Constantine won out, first defeating Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 ce, and then finally, in 324 ce, becoming the unchallenged sole emperor. CONSTANTINE’S REFORMS

Constantine divided the army between a mobile field force (the comitatenses) s and the frontier garrisons (the limitanei ). The bureaucracy became much more formal, hierarchical, and efficient, headed by a praetorian prefect. The new emperor also founded a new capital city at

CONSTANTINE

Born in the 280s BCE, Constantine took a long road to Christianity. He claimed to have received a vision before the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 BCE, and after this he honoured the Christian god. He was finally baptized on his deathbed in 337 CE.

Constantinople (now Istanbul), modelled on R Rome with its seven hills, from which to administer the eastern empire. CONSTANTINE AND CHRISTIANITY

Constantine is best known for his support of Christians, following their persecution under Diocletian. He decreed freedom of worship by the Edict of Milan in 313 ce, sponsored the first large churches in R Rome, and allowed bishops to take an increasingly important role in politics. Constantine (right) gives the symbols of imperial rule – the Phrygian bonnet, canopy, and Lateran Palace – to Pope Sylvester I in this 12th-century fresco.

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THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE n Rom omaan empi m ree d 33 mp 337–4 7 476 76 ce 76 ce

Following the end of the reign of Constantine (see facing page), e the Roman R empire became overwhelmed, by an increasingly complex and inflexible political and bureaucratic system; by pressure from barbarians along the frontier; and by a series of ineffective rulers in the western empire. A division between eastern and western empires meant that after 395 ce, no one ruled both halves together as sole emperor. No longer able to absorb the outsiders pressing against its frontiers, by the mid-4th century the empire was on the defensive, and the A Roman legionary fights a Germanic warrior. Almost invincible at its height, the Roman army later catastrophic destruction of the eastern suffered a decline in resources that left it vulnerable. field army by the Goths at Adrianople in 378 ce almost led to a total collapse. ineffective rules of Honorius (395–423 ce) and Valentinian III (424–455 ce) did THE EMPIRE FRAGMENTS AND FALLS nothing to stem the tide. The barbarians moved from raids A series of short-lived western emperors to seizing land on which to settle, became the puppets of the conquering reducing the number of citizens the German chieftains. In 476 ce, the empire’s central authorities could tax Germanic general Odovacar and put to work. Much of the eastern demanded land in Italy for empire was shielded from this – his soldiers. When the it was the western half that boy-emperor Romulus R lost much of Spain and Augustulus defiantly Gaul to the Visigoths and refused, he was deposed. the Franks in the first part Odovacar did not bother to appoint a of the 5th century ce, and new emperor, ruling as a king himself, the grain-rich provinces of and as a result, the Roman R Empire in North Africa to the Vandals the west was at an end. between 429 and 439 ce. Britain broke away from the “THE IMPERIAL R CITY... empire in 410–411 ce, and Rome itself was sacked – the R WAS DELIVERED R TO first time it had fallen to a foreign enemy in almost 800 THE LICENTIOUS years – by the Goths in 410 ce. The westward movement of the FURY R OF THE TRIBES R Huns from the 430s meant that OF GERMANY R AND the empire was facing challenges on too many fronts, and the ”

SCYT Y HIA.

The barbarians fought the Romans with primitive weapons, such as this francisca, a Frankish throwing axe.

Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, on the sack of Rome by the Goths, 410 CE

142

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

ELTIC C AND G ERM A NIC EUROP E Alt ltho ltho houggh it it is tth hrooug ugh th he Roman om maan ns tth haatt we kn know w muc uch off the hi th the his istorry of the peo eo p plles es who ho bor ord deere erreed th heir em mp piire,, maanyy of these of hessee gro he roup oup ups h haad rriiich ch tra ch radi diti tion ons ooff the heir ir own wn. The he Cel elts ts th hri riveed in n cen entr tral al and nd wes estteern r n Eu urrop o pe u un nti til the the Rom th omaan ns ccoonque nq queered red G re Gaaull aand nd Brriita nd tain, in n, wh whilile th he Ge Gerrm Germ man nic ic tribe riib beeess migr mi grated ated at d wes est and d sout ssoout uth, th, h, finalllly lly co conq conq nque uering ngg mucch of of the he westeerr n Rom wes we oman an emp mpiirre iin n thee 4th th an nd d 5th th cen enturi tu urriies es ce ce.

THE CELTS n Cent e ra en ral al an and W Eur and uro ro ope d 50 500 bce cee–8 –83 833 ce ce

Fierce warriors and skilled ironworkers with a love of feasting, the Celts swept across large areas of Europe from around 500 bce, dominating much of the centre and west of the continent by 200 bce. Although they were not one cohesive people, they displayed a uniform culture (known in its later phase as the La Tène culture). It was typified by organization into tribes or clans, village or nomadic life, and a strong warrior

tradition, with warfare common between tribes. T Tribes or even individual families occupied hill forts – hilltops encircled by a ditch and bank – for protection. BELIEFS AND DECLINE

The Celts relied on oral transmission of culture through bards and poets; their religion, governed by the priestly class (the Druids), had a complex pantheon. Metalworking was a speciality and was used to embellish objects from household utensils to battle-chariots. From the 50s bce, the Romans pushed the Celts to R the margins of Europe: tribes in Gaul were conquered by Julius Caesar, and the British Celtic kingdoms were subdued between 43 and 83 ce. Only in Scotland and Ireland did Celtic culture survive. A detail from the Gundestrup Cauldron, a silver vessel dating from around the 1st century BCE, perhaps used in rituals.

CELTIC AND GERMANIC EUROPE

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SUCCESSOR STATES TO ROME n W and and d S Euroope d 44118–7 –7774 74 ce c

As the power of R Rome waned, barbarian groups began to put down permanent roots on former R Roman territory and establish more settled forms of government. The most successful of the new states to emerge was the kingdom of the Franks. At first a confederacy of Germanic tribes in the area of modern Belgium and Holland, the Franks were united under the leadership of Clovis (ruled 481–511 ce), who conquered most of the old Roman R provinces of Gaul. Clovis also converted to Catholicism, a sharp divergence from the practice of many other Germanic kings, who had adopted a new form of Christianity called Arianism (after the 4th century priest Arius), which was rega re gard ga rded rd ed aass here hereti tica icall byy ot oth ther Chr ther hris hri isti tian ians ns. Clo lovi vis’ vi s s de desc sce sc cen enda dant dant nts, ts, s the he Mer erov rov ovingi ovin in ngi gian ans, ss,, rulleed Fr ru rul Fran Fran nccee unttill tth he 8th he h ceen ntu tury ry ce ce. Th Ba The Battl Battl tt e of Tolb tt ollbiac o lbiia lb iac acc, a c, rec re ecrea ecrea ec re eated ea ted d in in tth his 19 19t 9th-c 9th h cent e tu uryy paiinti pa pai ntting, ng g, sa saw tthe he h e FFra ra anki nk n k kish kiish h king kin k in ng Clov lovis iiss eme em e merg me rgge rge e vic ictor torriou to ious ous agai ga ga aiin nssstt a g nst grrro gro oup up na na am m med ed the ed the th he Alam Ala Al am ama man manns ma nns nss. n

Alaric, whose name means “king of all”, was the Goths’ greatest war leader. He led his tribe in a sack of Rome in 410 CE.

The Goths, who had threatened the Roman R empire in the late 4th and early 5th centuries ce, split into two groups: Visigoths and Ostrogoths. The former settled in southwest France under Theoderic I, but in 507 ce were pushed out by the Franks, finally settling in Spain. The Ostrogoths, having stayed in the Balkans, moved to Italy in 488 ce at the urging of Zeno, the eastern Roman R emperor, who wanted revenge against Odovacar – the deposer of the last western emperor, in 476 ce. By 493 ce Zeno was king of Italy, beginning a dy dyna nast styy th that at las laste ted d un unti til th thee east ea ster eerrn Rom oman anss co comp mplle mp lete lete ted d tth hei eir ir reco re c nque co nque nq uest st ooff Ita st tally ly in 5544 ce in ce..

144

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

EOPLE OF THE STEPPES Th hee ste tepp peess – grraasssslaand nds th that at strreettcch h frroom Eas assttteerrn n Eur urop pe to Chi to hina na – h haav ave be been hom me to to nom omad adiicc and nd sem emii--n nooma mad diic grou gr ups fo foorr miilllle lleenniaa. The he hissto tory ry of th the st s ep pp pee peo eoop plle ha p ha s beeeen n in nfl flueen flue ncceed d by ge geog ograaph phy, y, wh hiilee the heiirr mig igrraaati ttiions brough gh ht cl clash aassh hees wi with th a ran ange ange ge o f p poowe wers rs, fro rs, from fr om the he Room he man an s in n th hee weesst to to the he Par arth hiaans ns, Saasssa ssani san sa niids ds, an and Ind ndiiaa’ss Maaur M aurrya yan em yan mpi pire re in tth he he ea east east st .

THE SCYTHIANS n Cent e ral en all Asia si

d 6tth cent cent entury ury ur u r bc ry b –2n bce 2n nd cen eent ntury u y ce ur ce

First mentioned in historical sources in the 6th century bce, the Scythians seem to have migrated from central Asia to southern R Russia at about that time. Their warriors fought with bows, arrows, and axes, and most often on horseback. They sported felt caps, and, except for some members of the aristocracy, wore little or no armour. CULTURE AND WEALTH

The Scythians possessed sizeable territories at different periods, although tracing them is made difficult by the tendency of Greek and Latin authors to refer indiscriminately to groups from the steppes as “Scythians”. One group, the “Royal R Scyths”, controlled an area around southern R Russia, where stunning grave finds of gold artefacts point to a well-developed culture. By the 2nd century ce, the Scythians had been marginalized by Sarmatians – Iranian-speaking newcomers – who were in turn defeated by the Huns (see facing page) e in the 4th century ce.

A gold comb from a grave at Socha kurgan, depicting Scythians in battle; the mounted warrior bears equipment far superior to that of the soldiers on foot.

The Scythians have left a large number of pyramid-shaped burial mounds, known as kurgans, in the south Russian R steppes, particularly at Pazyryk. In these they buried the mummified bodies of rulers, together with their horses and lavish grave-offerings of gold.

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THE HUNS n S Ru R ssi siia, a ce ce tra centra ral Euro rope, ro e th he Balk Ba an ans nss d 44tth and and d 55t 5th tth h ce centu centu ntttu n urrie ies bce bce

First mentioned in the 370s ce, the Huns, who became the most feared and loathed of Rome’s barbarian enemies, were most likely a composite group whose numbers were swelled by those they defeated. In 434 ce, the Hunnish king Rua died and his son Attila initiated an increasingly aggressive ATTILA

Attila (ruled 434–453 CE) was known as “The Scourge of God” because he devastated swathes of Christian Roman territory. A ruthless warrior, he died as a result of overindulgence at his wedding feast.

policy, ravaging much of the Balkans and sacking a string of cities in 441–442 ce and again in 447 ce. In 451 ce, the Huns turned west towards the rich lands of Gaul, but were defeated by a last-ditch alliance of Romans under the general Aëtius and his barbarian allies. Undaunted, Attila moved into Italy the following year, but was deflected from an attack on Rome, possibly by an outbreak of plague. After their father’s death the year after that, Attila’s sons failed to keep the empire together, and within 10 years the Huns had almost disappeared as an organized group.

THE KUSHANS n Cen e tra en raal Asia si , N In si ndia ia d 11sst st cent c ntury ury rryy bce bcee–c.35 bc 3550 ce ce

Possibly originating in a nomadic group P known to the Chinese as the Yuezhi, the Kushans (or Kusanas) dominated a region of northern India around the Punjab from the early 1st century ce. The Kushan empire reached its zenith under Kanishka (c.78–100 ce), who ruled virtually all of northern India, including the great cities of Ujjain and Pataliputra. Unde Un derr gr g ea eatt pr p es essu sure re fro from m th thee Sas assa sani sa nid ni d

Persians (see p.115) P 5 from the 220s ce, the Kushan empire fragmented and the rise of the Guptas to their south in the 320s ce finally put an end to their rule. Kushan art, influenced by Greece and Buddhism (to which they converted), is most notable for its elegant statues. Although influenced by Zoroastrianism, the Kushans converted to Buddhism and built temples such as this 4th-century 4th t y CEE examp examp a ple le at Tak Takhtht-i-R i-Rust ustam, am, Af Afghanistan.

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

NDIA From Fr rom om th hee 4th h cen entu turryy bc bce, no norrtthe herrn n an nd d ceen ntr tral a l In nd diiaa cam me too be do domi mina natte ted by by a ser erie ies ooff emp mpir ires es, be begi gi n nn nin ing wi with th th he Ma Maur uryyaan, n, w whi hiich h icch h reeaacch hed ed ittss ggre rreeaatteesst ccu ullttur ural al flow ower e ing iin ng unde un und der tth he ru rule le of Ash shokka, a, a g rreeat eat at pro romo mote ter off Bud ter ud d dh his ism. m. Afftter e an in interl rllud ud de off Kus ush usha haan ru ru ule le, th le he Gupt Gu G up pttaass the the hen eem meerrge ge d too domin omin om nat ate Ind ate ndiaa foorr 150 50 yeeaars rs, b beefo fore fore re att ttac taccks ks by the ba th barb barb rbar aria ian Whi ian hite ite te Huns uns le un led ed too the he reeggiioon on re reve vert rtin ng to a coollle to lle lect ctiioon off smallller kin ingd gdoom ms..

CHANDRAGUPTA AND THE RISE OF THE MAURYANS n N an nd cen nd centr trral Indi tra ndi diaa

d c.3221–1 1––1185 85 bc bbce cee c

Around 321 bce, Chandragupta Maurya (ruled c.321–298 bce) toppled the Nanda dynasty of Magadha, the most prosperous state in north India, to found the Mauryan empire. MAURYAN RULE

By 303 bce, Chandragupta had defeated the Seleucids, rulers of Persia, and had secured areas around modern Herat and in Baluchistan. He presided over a thriving agricultural state backed by a p weerf po r ul arm r y. His sson on Bindusara ((ru rule leed c.2 298 98–2 –27722 bc bce) ma mayy ha have ve ext xten end deed th the the

Mauryan empire into south India, and his successor Ashoka (ruled c.268–232 bce) conquered Kalinga (in modern Orissa) in 261–260 bce. On Ashoka’s death, the empire broke into western and eastern parts and, despite a brief reunification around 223 bce, was gradually reduced to its heartland in Magadha. The assassination of the last emperor, Brihadratha, in 185 bce brought the Mauryan era to an end. The cave complex at Ajanta in Maharashtra contains pa pai p a nti ntings ngs th hat a sp spa pa an the h period of time me e fr fro rrom the the 2nd 2n 2 nd n d ce c ntu nt ryy BCE nt BCE to t th the e Gupt ptas in th the 6t 6 h cen ent nttury uryy CE ur CE.

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ASHOKA AND BUDDHISM n Indi ndiaa d 268–23 68–2 2 bce bce

After a particularly bloody battle at Dayala in the state of Kalinga, where the rivers ran red with the blood of the slain, the Mauryan ruler Ashoka (see facing page) e is said to have been stricken with remorse and converted to Buddhism. In 259 bce, he toured his domains, spreading the Buddhist message of dhamma, or moral principles, and ordered the construction of stone pillars bearing edicts that promoted the Buddhist creed. He also sent missionaries abroad. Although Ashoka’s reign was a period of peace and prosperity, subsequent Mauryan rulers were more concerned with war than with religion. A metal relief of a symboll –a group of four lions – that Ashoka chose to top many of the inscribed pillars he erected during the tour of his empire.

GUPTA INDIA n Indi ndi d a d c.32 .320– 0–c.5 0– .5770 ce ce

After the Mauryans (see facing page), e the Sungas briefly ruled central India until 73 bce. Thereafter, save for a century of Kushan dominance in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries ce, no one group dominated as large an area as the

Mauryans, until Chandragupta I (ruled c.320–330 ce) captured the old imperial capital of Pataliputra, resulting in the emergence of the Gupta empire around 320 ce. Under Chandragupta II (ruled c.376–415 ce), the empire reached its greatest extent, defeating the Saka satraps (governors) who had ruled western India, and expanding eastwards into Bengal. Under Kumara Gupta (ruled c.415–455 ce), incursions by the Hephtalites (or “White Huns”) undermined the empire. By the mid-6th century ce, it was reduced to a small area around Maghada and then, around 570 ce, it disappeared entirely. Carvings from the temple complex at Udayagiri in Orissa, India. Possibly begun in the 2nd century CE, the temples were in use into the Gupta period.

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THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

WORLD RELIGIONS From the first millennium bce, religions spread across huge areas. Hinduism and Buddhism made their way across Southeast Asia, while the Middle East saw the expanding influence of Judaism, followed by Christianity and Islam. By the 7th century ce, Hinduism and Buddhism were in retreat, and Christianity and Islam had taken root throughout the R Roman and Sassanid Persian empires. HINDUISM

By the 6th century bce, the ancient religion of India focused on three main gods: a remote deity called Brahma; Vishnu the creator; and Shiva the destroyer. Around 500 bce, the main form of worship was Brahmanism, and about this time great epics such as the Mahabharataa and Ramayanaa were composed. Hindu beliefs spread as far as Java (where they gave rise to the lavish temple complex at Prambanan in the 9th century ce), Bali (wh wher e e th hey

Reverence for Shiva the destroyer became one of the principal expressions of Hinduism, especially in southern Asia.

survive still), Angkor in Cambodia, and Champa in modern Vietnam. BU B UDD DDHI HISM SM

A rooyyal yaall p prrince born in no in orrtth hea east India aarrou ound nd 563 bce, Sid iddh dhartha Gautama turned his back on his wealth to develop Buddhism. Promoting an ascetic way of life and a set of moral values rather than belief in a god, Gautama (the Buddha) taught that the only way to escape samsara, the cycle of death and an d re rebi birt rth, h, w was as to to ac achi hiev eve ve mo mora rall

INDIA

perfection. Initially finding great success under the Mauryan ruler Ashoka in the 2nd century bce, Buddhism became almost extinct in India, but spread into China and Japan, becoming established there from the 7th century ce.

149

This 4th-century Christian artefact is a bronze lamp in the form of a boat carrying St Peter and St Paul.

MONOTHEISTIC FAITHS

Judaism, the first monotheistic religion to spread widely, evolved from an older, ritualistic form attributed to Moses. By the time of the Roman empire, Jewish communities had become dispersed throughout the Mediterranean. Despite intermittent persecution, Judaism has never lost its status as a world religion. Christianity began as an offshoot of Judaism in the 1st century ce, but then became a distinct faith focused on the belief that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died to atone for human sin. It endured waves of repression, nota no tabl blyy un unde derr th thee Ro Roma man n em empe pero rors rs Dom omit itia ian n in thee lat latee 1s 1stt ce c nt ntur uryy ce and an d Dio iocl cletian in the earrlyy 4th ceent ntur uryy ce ce.. Ye Yet once Emp peror Cons Co n ta tantin inee (r ( uled 306–3 3377 ce ce)) decree cree cr e d it itss toole lera rati tiion in in 31 3133 ce,, it beecame caa e the h emp pirre’ e s of offi fici cial ci al rrel elig el elig igion igio n

and spread through gh hou outt th the he Roman world, reaching Germany, Russia, and Scandinavia by the 10th century. The last principal monotheistic religion to emerge was Islam in Arabia in the 7th century ce, spread by the prophet Muhammad. His supporters proclaimed that he had received a divine revelation, enca en capsul ulat ated ed in in th thee Qu Qur’ r an an.. Arab b armi ar mies es ins inspi pire reed by Isl s am a swe wept pt thro th r uggh th thee Nea earr Ea East st aand nd Nor orth th Africa, rea each c in ingg Spain byy 7111 ce ce. Th The he stupa pass and and Buddh Bud Bud ddha ha image images co constructed d around aro und 80 800 0 CE at Bo B rob bod odur in Javva are amon mong g the the world’ wor ld s most mos o ex expressi sssive ve im ima mages of Bu Buddh ddhism ism sm m.

150

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

H INA By the By he 5tth h ccen entu en ury ry bc bce, Chi hina ina na had d dis i in integr inte tegr te graatted d int in ntto a nu umb mb ber of co comp mpeetting mpet in ng ki king king ng d dooms ms kno n wn as th the War arri ring ingg Sta t te tes. s. The s. h sta tate tee of Qi Qin cco onq nque uereed th hes ese se oon ne b byy one, ne, an ne an d haad de defeeatteed d tthe hem he m all all by al by 22211 bc b e und nder der er Qin n Sh hii Hua uang ng,, th thee firrst st em mp per eror o of a u un niitted ed Ch hiina na. He brroou ugh ht a pe periiood d of sttaab biillit ity ty an nd pr pros ospe spe peri rity ty to Chi hinaa, bu butt th the Q Qiin dy dyna n sty diid noot su n surv urv rviv ive fo for or lo long ng. Arrooun und 200 2000 bbc ce the he Han a seiize zed po ower, r aan nd woul wooul w uld ru ule le Chi hina na for or soom me ffoour ur cen entu tu uri ries ies e.

THE WARRING STATES n Chin h a d 481 481–22 –2211 bbce –22 c cee

The Zhou dynasty that followed the Shang (see p.105) 5 was the last of the pre-imperial dynasties. The Zhou lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, but from around 722 bce, it disintegrated into a number of independent states. From 481 bce, China entered the W Warring States period, when a series of conflicts between the minor territorial overlords led to a process of gradual consolidation. By the 3rd century bce, there were just seven competing states, the most powerful of which was the state of Qin. In 356 bce, the chief minister of Qin, Shang Yang, established a new political philosophy – known as Legalism – based on rule of law, with a new legal code that diluted the power of the nobles and increased that of the ruler. The whole power of the state was directed towards warfare, with all adult males being registered for military service. By about 230 bce, Qin was ready to begin the conquest of its remaining rivals.

A bronze lei, or wine vessel, from the Warring States period. Despite the political chaos that characterized this time, it also saw cultural achievements.

CHINA

151

THE FIRST EMPEROR n Chin hinaa d 246 246–20 –2066 bce –20 bc cee

In 246 bce, Qin Shi Huang ascended to the throne of Qin. An energetic and ruthless ruler, from 230 bce he set about the absorption of all the other Chinese states, completing the process with the conquest of Qi in 221 bce. Having secured his position as the “First Emperor”, Qin Shi Huang began a series of reforms to consolidate his rule. THE FIRST EMPEROR’S REFORMS

Under the guidance of his chief minister Li Si, Qin Shi Huang put into place Legalist reforms, abolishing feudal fiefs and decreeing the adoption of a standardized written script and the establishment of official measurements for weights and lengths. In 213–212 bce he ordered the burning of books that criticized his policies, and conducted a purge of scholars, executing some 450 of them. Near the burial chamberr of Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum stood an army of terracotta warriors, intended to defend the First Emperor in death.

An inscription celebrating the unification of China by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE, in the script he ordered the whole country to use.

Qin Shi Huang reinforced China’s frontiers: his general Meng Tian constructed a defensive wall in the Ordos region of Inner Mongolia (the forerunner of the Great Wall of China); and he also had the Straight Road built, which ran 800km (500 miles) from the capital Xianyang to the Ordos region, to allow for the rapid transport of troops. He also sent troops to conquer new lands in Guangdong. THE END OF QIN

Eventually, Qin Shi Huang’s energies waned and he became obsessed with securing his own immortality. By the time the First Emperor died in 210 bce, China was afflicted by popular uprisings and factional plotting at court. Although Qin Shi Huang had claimed his dynasty would last for endless generations, by 206 bce Xianyang had been burned and Ziying, the last Qin emperor, had been deposed.

152

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

HAN CHIN NA n Chin hinaa d 206 bce bce–22 –2220 ce –22 ce

The fall of Qin was accompanied by a complex civil war from which Liu Bang, who had captured the Qin capital of Xianyang in 206 bce, finally emerged victorious after a decisive battle four years later at Gaixia (in modern Anhui province). He assumed the imperial title of Gaozu and began the Han dynasty, which went on to rule China for some 400 years. THE RULE OF GAOZU

Gaozu established a new capital at Chang’an, simplified court ritual, and, as a counterpoint to the old regime’s political p ilosop ph phyy of Leggalism (see p. p 150), 0), encouraged the rris i e off Con onfu fuci cian aniism, ism, with the emp per eror or b bec ecom om min ingg th thee ce cent n re nt of a sta state te ccul ultt. He al also so str stren engt gth hened d cent ce ntra rall ru rule le w wit ith h th thee or orga gani ga niza ni zati za tion ti on ooff commanderies (militaryy d dis istr tric icts ts)) inte in tend nded ed d to to av avoi oid d an anyy re retu urn to the chao ch aoss of th the Warring i States. Gaozu did,

A later Han glazed ceramic model of a watchtower, displaying precise architectural detail. Such pieces were often intended for the tombs of important personages.

however, tolerate the existence of ten semi-independent kingdoms to the north and east. Han China retained a strong bureaucracy, with a formal hierarchy established by the end of Gaozu’s reign, in a decree of 196 bce. THE HE E HE HE I GH T OF THE HAN HEI

Unde Un der Wu ud di (ruled 141–87 bce), th he Han an reached the height of thei th eir dominance. W Wudi cut do d own the remaining powers of the aristocrats,, relyyingg on a hand hand-p -picked civil service; in 124 bce an aca c de demy myy was ina ina nau ugur urat a ed fo at for futture offi ffice hold lders. In 11 115 bce he also al so eest stab st ablilish ab hed d ssta tate te gra rana nari ries iess to ke keep keep pric pr ices es und under er ggov over e nmen entt co c nt ntro roll. Wudi expa W pand nded ded the the bor borde ders rs of of th thee Chi hine nese se emp emp pir ire, e, fi figh ghti ting ing a llon ongg sseeri ries es

CHINA

of wars against the nomadic Xiongnu in the north from 114 to 91 bce, but achieving greatest success in the northeast, where he established four commanderies in Korea after 128 bce, and in the south, where he occupied parts of Guangdong, Guangzi, and north Vietnam from 111 bce. Yet the latter part of the emperor’s reign was marred by his increased introspection and his search for immortality. His successors were generally feeble and the court became dominated by eunuchs. The economy was undermined by financial mismanagement and the state weakened by widespread tax evasion.

153

LIU BANG

Born into poverty, Liu Bang was initially a supporter of Xian Yu, an aristocrat opposed to Qin rule. Yet he managed to bui uild his own armyy and capt p ure the Qin capita cap apital Xianyang in 206 BCE. He never leaarne le rned d to o read, ead ad, and d disstru t ste s d cour ou urt p oto pro toc o ol ol, ma makin king him king kin po p opula op pular ula lar outs utside iide de co cou co ou urt r cir ci cles clle cle les. s.

WANG MANG AND THE LATER HAN

In 9 ce, Wang Mang, the regent for a succession of child emperors, usurped the Han throne. He ordered large private estates to be broken up and began a programme of reforms, including restrictions on slavery. But a catastrophic famine that had begun when the Yellow River changed its course in 11 ce led to wide wi desp spre read ad pea peasa sant nt uprisings, and in 25 5 ce th the Han were rest stoored d und ndeer Guang Wu W di. A new cap pitall was set up at Luo Luoya y ng ya ng,, bu butt it it too tookk 11 yea ears rs to pu p t down do wn a ser serie iess of p pre rete tend der erss wh whoo cl claaime aime med d thee righ th riight ht to to suc succe ceed ed W Wan angg Ma Mangg. The Han nev ever er reg regai aine ned d it itss fo form rmer er pow power er.

A revolt by the Yellow Turban religious sect from 184 to 186 ce, and the brutal massacre of hundreds of court officials by a ruling eunuch clique in 189 ce, fuelled the chaos. In 196 ce,, the ge g neral Cao Cao o aass ssum umed dp pow ower er,, ru ruling ng tthrou ough gh a Han pup ppe p t, but but aaft fter er his his dea dea eath h in 2200 ce even th 22 thiis prete t nce was drop ppe ped d a d th an the h dyna dyna nast styy en st nde ded d. d. China’ss firstt emper China’ em mperor orr had h had soug sought ht to to pro prottect tect a un unifie ified fied China Chi na wit within hin a pro protec tectiv tive e wall wall,, but but int intern ernal al con conflic flicts ts b ame bec me a gre greate aterr thre threat at in the ce centu nturie riess to to foll follow. ow.

154

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

HE AMERICAS Du urriin ng th he “Cllaassssic ic” pe perriiod peri od, frrom m aro rou rou un nd 200 200 bc 20 bc cee, sseevera vera ve ra l ral culltturres cu es flour ou uri rish s ed ed in Centr en nttrraall Am meeri riccaa. Th hee Olm lmecs ec s w ec weeree su upe pers rsed eded d by a nu umb mb beerr of neew gr grooou ups ps, incl iin nccllu ud diin ng the th he inh inha in haaabi bita bi ita tants ntts ooff Teeooti n tihu h ac acán, the Zaapoteeccss of tth he Me he Mexiiccaan Gu G ulf lf coast oast oa st, an and and d,, essp peccia ialll y, y, the he May aya ci civi villiizzaattiioon n, whic wh hiicch sp spre pre reaad d thr h ou uggh hou out ssoout uthe th rn Meex exicco, o, the he Yuca ucat uc atán án, aan nd Gu G uat atem maallaa.. In Sou outh outh th Ame meri r ca c , reegiioon naall cul ultu turees, s, in nccclu llu ud diin ngg Moch Mo che, e, Naz azcaa, and an d P an Paarraaccaas,, suc u ceeed ded the he Chaavín víín of of P Per eerru. r u.

TEOTIHUACÁN n Cent e ral al Me al M xicco d 2nd 2 to o 7th 77tth cent nttury urryy ce u ce

The greatest Classic period Mexican city was T Teotihuacán. From the 2nd century ce, this enormous urban area was laid out on a grid pattern, its major axis (the ““A Avenue of the Dead”) running 6km (3½ miles) roughly north–south. At the centre of the axis was a large palace complex, and at its northernmost reach the great Pyramid of the Moon. At its southern end was the Pyramid of the Sun, built with some 1.2 million cubic metres (42 million cubic feet) of sun-dried bricks and stone. By the 4th century ce, Teotihuacán’s population T was as high as 200,000, and its influence spread throughout Mexico. Its wealth derived from its control of the resources of the fertile Valley of Mexico and domination of trade routes as far as the Gulf A series of spectacular murals was found at Teotihuacán. This one shows a priest linked to the cult of a rain god or storm deity.

and Pacific coasts of Mexico. Teotihuacán T ware has been found as far afield as the Maya city of Kaminaljuyu in Guatemala. THE END OF TEOTIHUACÁN

At some time during the 7th century ce, Teotihuacán’s palaces were burned T and its temples defaced. What crisis precipitated the vandalism is unknown. The abandoned city was thereafter treated by successive Mexican cultures, including the Aztecs, with almost reverential awe.

THE AMERICAS

155

THE ZAPOTECS n Val Valley leyy of of O Oaxaca, xac ac , Meexi xiico co

d c.5000 bce bbc c –c..90 ce 99000 ce ce

Around 500 bce, a powerful new regional culture, the Zapotecs, arose in the Valley of Oaxaca near Mexico’s Gulf coast, based around the city of Monte Albán. Built on a levelled hilltop site, the city flourished for more than 1,000 years. One of the city’s most evocative monuments is the T Temple of the Danzantes, containing hundreds of carvings of men in distorted postures, their disarticulated limbs and closed eyes probably indicating that they represent not dancers (“Danzantes”) as was once thought, but the chiefs of rival cities killed by Monte Albán’s rulers. Carved glyphs on the Danzantes stones reveal that the Zapotecs used a sophisticated calendar and writingg sys y tem. Most earl a ly Mesoame a rican i a cultures l pla l yed d a ver veryy simila sim ilarr, rit ila ritual ualize ual ized ize d ““bal balll game ba game”” o on n spec pectac tacula ularr sl slop ping or ter terrac raced ra ed cou courts rts;; tthis h is th his the e ccour ourtt at our a Monte e Al Albán.

A Zapotec deityy is depicted on an urn dating from Monte Albán’s Classic period, around 200 to 350 CE.

THE CLASSIC PERIOD AND DECLINE

By its Classic period, from 200 ce, Monte Albán had a population of about 25,000, with a series of satellite sett se t le leme ments on the lower ggrroou und surrounding tth he cciity he ty. Around 170 ty. ssu ub btter erranean ra tombs of no n obl bles have been found from this th h period. Between 150 bce and 150 ce, the city grew further with the building of a grand main plaza. A series of inscriptions here that feature upside-down disembodied heads are likely to refer to expansion by conquest. But by 900 ce, the urban centre of Monte Albán was mostlyy deserted. No onee kn on know owss wh whyy th thee si site te was was aba aband ndon oned ed,, butt it was bu a to to rema remaain in eemp m ty mp ty unt unt ntilil partiiall reus re usee by th the he Mixttec cu culltur lturee in n tthe he 112t 2th 2t h and d 13 13th h ccen entu turi ries ess ce. cee.

156

THE CLASSICAL WORLD 700 bce–600 ce

CLASSIC MAYA CULTURE n Cent entral ral aall America merica

d c.30 .30 300– 30 00––c.9 .90 9 0 cee

At its height (some 600 years referred to as the “Classic” period) the Maya culture flourished over a wide swathe of Central America, especially the Yucatán peninsula A and Guatemala’s jungle-clad lowlands. At its heart stood a number of important cities. Originally ritual centres, many grew into populous city-states. The Maya built huge, often pyramidal stone temples, such as those at Tikal in Guatemala, and showed a great talent for carved stone and stucco (plaster) reliefs, with some especially fine examples at Palenque in Mexico. MAYA CULTURE

Maya cities featured palaces, open plazas, and terraces, as well as courts where the Maya people playyed their ir sacred d bal balll ga g me me.. Rel eliligi igious ious rit itu ual pl ual play lay ayed ed a ma majjo jor pa part rt in in Maya Maya llif ife. if e. Thee M May ayya practi pr tise ised d a fo form rm m ooff “a “aut utooo-sa sacr crifi cri ifice ce”, e , in w in whi hich h the hey ey pi pier erce c d th thei eirr ow ei own bo bodyy body paart p rtss to relea elleaasee blood lood as as an off fferi ffe ring ri ngg to the th he go gods ds, bu ds, ds butt mo m ree exttre reme mee repor m epoorrts ep ts ooff hum hu man sa sacr crifi cr ifice ifi cee see eem em ttoo be un unfo foun und deed.. O of th On One the e pyramid yrrami yra mid mid dal al Ma May ayya temp ple les ess at e at Pa alen le enque in enque Mex exxico icco, a ci city ty who wh hosse e pow po ower ower ow er re rea rea ache ch he h ed its ts ze ze zen en eni nith ith it hu un nde der er er the e ru ru ulle le of of K’ K inich K’i nic icch Jana Jana ana aa ab ab’ b b’’ Pa Paka ka fr kal from om 615 15 to o 68 683 CE CE.

The Maya developed a sophisticated writing system using some 800 characters, or glyphs. They also had a complex calendrical system, featuring a 260-day sacred year and a 365-day solar year. MAYA HISTORY

Before Maya glyphs were deciphered in the 20th century, little was known of the history of the various city-states, such as Tikal and Palenque. But the glyphs have revealed an area riven by constant war, with unstable dynasties making rapid conquests and then vanishing into obscurity. The city of Yaxchilán, for example, produced one of the greatest Classic-period kings, Bird Ja J gu guar ar IV V ( ulled 7752 (r 52–7 768 ce ce)),), who con conqu q er qu ered ed a nu numb mb berr ooff ne neiig ighbou hb bouri ring ingg llor ord or ds aand ds nd d ere er rec ecte ted d ma many ny new ny new w buiild ldiings ings in gs, but wi but bu with thiin a ggen th ener en errat erat atiio ion ion off his is deeaath th tth he cit he citty had ha d st stag tag agna nate na ted d.

THE AMERICAS

157

EARLY SOUTH AMERICA n Perru

d c.50 ..55 0 bce bce––c..60 66000 ce ce

From around 500 bce, a number of regional cultures began to supplant Peru’s Chavín culture (see p.106 ). The Paracas people, who flourished in southern coastal Peru between 500 bce and 200 ce, adopted many elements of Chavín iconography, including the feline representations that appear on their pots. The dry climate, which allowed bodies to be mummified, also preserved beautiful textiles, lavishly decorated with mythical creatures and more earthly animals. The largest cache of mummies, around 430, was found at Wari Kayan on the Paracas peninsula, all wrapped in textiles and accompanied by grave goods such as gold ornaments. THE NAZCA

Perhaps the most famous of the Nazca desert images (or geogylphs), the spiral-tailed monkey is reminiscent of the spider monkeys found in Peru’s jungles.

hummingbird sucking nectar, a plant, and a monkey with a coiled tail. Their precise purpose is unknown.

The Nazca culture flourished in the south of Peru from around 200 bce to 500 ce. THE MOCHE While largely a village-dwelling people, In Peru’s northern valleys, the Moche the Nazca did construct some imposing came to dominate from around 100 ce. architectural complexes, such as Talented craftsmen, they constructed T the monumental religious large pyramids, known as huacas, centre at Cahuachi, and are particularly noted for which dates from around their fine textiles, metalwork, 100 ce. Although their and pottery. From great centres textiles, metalwork, and such as Huaca del Sol, with pottery are of high its flat-topped pyramids, the quality, they are better Moche rulers held sway over known for the vast a predominantly agricultural drawings that they society. Then, from around made in the desert. 300 ce, larger urban centres They created a range arose, the Moche expanded of animal pictures and into ssou in outh ou ther e n regions, and abstract representations iin ndi dica c ti tio ioon ns of large-scale by clearing stones from waarrffaarre app w appe ap pear (often the desert surface and depi de pict cteed d on the pottery). exposing the subsoil to In the the late th la 6th century ce, create lines. The patterns, een nvi vironmental disasters some of them many su as drought and su such kilometres long, can be flooding seem to have fully seen only from the undermined the Moche’s Typical Moche cups, this one in air. Spectacular examples stability, and their the form of a fox-headed human, feature a “stirrup” handle/spout. include a depiction of a culture collapsed.

160

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

THE WORLD IN 600 0–145 50 Follllow Fo o in ow ing th he ccoollllap apsse of th he w weest s errn Room man an emp mpire ire iin ir n the 5th ceen 5t 5th ntturry ce, cee, civilizati ttiioon n in Eu urrope ope feellll beh op hin ind tth he rest ree of th the he wo w orl rld d ffoor almo almo al m sstt a th ho ou ussan and yyeears. In this and th hiiss perriood China proved ed d to be po to poliliti t ca c llllyy ssttro ron ng and ng d tec ecchn hn nol olog ogiccal alllyy in nn nov ovative undeer the T ng Ta ng and nd Songg dy dyna nasttiiees, na s, whi hile illee mucch of the he Mid he ddle Easst an and

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England and possessions

CUZ C UZC ZC CO

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By 1300, large parts of Eurasia were dominated by the Mongols. Areas of northern India, North Africa, and the Middle East were controlled by various Muslim rulers, such as the Mamluks in Egypt. In Mexico, the empire of the Aztecs was just beginning to expand, while the Incas had only just settled around Cuzco in Peru.

161

THE WORLD IN 600–1450

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Toulo Toul TTo Tou ou o oulo oul ulo u ul llo ou usse use se PA A PAP P A AP APA PAL PA PAL ARI Black Sea CA SER SE S ER E R RB BIIA A BULG C STA TA T ATE TES ES E S Barc Bar B a ar arc rc rcce ellona lo lon on o ona na na Co Const Cons Con on nst n sta anti ant an antin nttin nti n ntin ttiin in o ople opl ple pl ple l ST Ba Rome R Ro o ome om m me e IL BY B YZA YZ Y ZA Z A NTI NTIN NT N TI T TIN IN I N E AR A RAG RA R AG A G O N POR RTU UG GA G A AL L E ple le es Sardin din di n iia a Naple EMPI E MPI M MP PIIR P RE E UM M Sicily Sic i cily c ily ly ly SE S E ELJ EL LJJUK L K RUM Tol TToled oled ol o ole lle ed e do Liisb sbo on MAJO AJO JJO ORC RCA C ACHAE A CHAE HAE AE EA ST ST TAT TA AT A TE ES S Córdo Có Cór C órd órrd ó rrdo d do ova va Sev Se evi ev vvil iilllle e HAF HAFS HA H AFS A AF FS F S ID IIDS DS DS V GRA RAN AN NADA A VENE ENE NETIAN Damas ama amas mas m asscu a cu uss (NA (N NAS AS SRIDS IDS ID DS D S) REPU RE REP R EP BLIC EP A ATHE NS ZAY ZAYY ZA AYY AY A YYANID YYA AN AN ANI NID DS

MARI MAR MA M AR ARI A RIINI R NIDS NIDS IDS ID S

Jerus Jeru erus eru er rus ru ussal u alem ale a llem em m Ca Cair C Cairo airo a iiro ro ro

The feudal monarchies of England and France had consolidated into large regional states by 1300, but conflict between popes and emperors prevented this process in the rest of Europe. In Spain, the Christian states of Castile and Aragon had reconquered much of the peninsula from Muslim emirates, leaving only Granada outside their control.

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THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

AST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA The he eaarrly Miid ddl dle Agees sa saw the tth he rriise se of sso oph phis isti tica cateed n neeew w cultur cu lttu urres es aand nd n d cen entral entr trral a iz ized ized d sttaate tes in in eeas aasst aan nd ssoout ut h heeast ast Asiiaa:: Jaap paan, n, Kor oreaa, Ang ngk gkor kor (C ko Cambo aam mbodi bodi bo dia), a), Pa a) Paggaan ((B Paga Burr maa),), and d Dai ai-Vie iet (Viieettn nam nam am) aalll fl am) floour ourrisshe hed un unde deer neew ki d king ngdo do m mss. Chiin Ch naa,, after fterr a peerrio ft iod of of dis isun u itty, y, reuni eu un niite ted d un un d deer th the he Taan ng d naast dy sty in in 6188 (an and tth hei eir So Songg ssuc ucce uc cess essssor ors ffrrom rom m 960 60), 0)),, and d reeaaccheed assto ou un nd diing ng tteeecchn chn hnol olooggical ical ic al and nd art rtis isti tic he h iggh httts. ss..

CHINA DIS SUNITED n Chinaa d 2221–6 1 188 ce 1– ce

In 221 ce, the Han dynasty that had ruled China for 400 years (see pp.152–3) collapsed amid a welter of uprisings. China split into the Three Kingdoms: the W Wei in the north, the Shu in the southwest, and the W Wu in the southeast. Their rivalry is recounted in the great 14th-century Chinese novel The Romance of A guardian deity at the Jinci temple, Shanxi province. The temple was restored and enlarged during Wei rule.

the Three Kingdoms, but in truth there was little romance about it, and the struggle left China debilitated by warfare. THE RISE OF THE SUI

The W Wei conquered the Shu in 264 ce and, under a dynasty called the Western W Chin, overcame the W Wu in 280 ce, but the period of unity was brief. Under pressure from northern nomadic groups called the Xiongnu and Xiangbei, the W Western Chin buckled, their capital Luoyang was sacked, and China fell apart, with the Sixteen Kingdoms ruling the north, and the Six Dynasties holding sway over the south. Finally, the north of China was united in 577 ce, and in 588 ce Yangdi – first emperor of the Sui dynasty – launched an invasion of south China. Only a matter of months later, the last Southern Chin emperor surrendered his capital at Jiankang (modern Nanjing), and China’s three centuries of disunity was over.

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163

TANG CHIN NA n China na

d 618–9077

In 617, Li Yuan, a frontier general, rose up against the Sui dynasty (see facing page), e which was exhausted following an ill-fated invasion of Korea. Capturing the Sui capital Chang’an in 618, by 624 Li Yuan had secured all of China and ruled as Gaozu, the first emperor of the T Tang. The dynasty is associated with prosperity, especially under Gaozu’s successor T Taizong (ruled 626–649). TANG RULE

Taizong set up state schools and colleges T and reintroduced the Han system of examinations for those wanting to work in official positions. T Tang armies expanded into central Asia, defeating the T Turks at Issyk Kul, in modern-day Kyrgyzstan, in 657 and advancing as far west as the borders of Persia. The head of a colossal Buddha statue, some 71m (233 ft) tall, carved on a cliff near Leshan aro aro ar roun und n 71 7 3 duri uring ng g the ea early rly Ta Tang dynasty.

GAOZU ( LI YUAN))

From a noble family, Li Yuan served as a general during the Sui attack on Korea in 613. When Emperor Yang was killed in a military coup in 618, Li Yuan took advantage of the chaos to push aside the last Sui emperor and seize power himself.

China attained a new level of cultural influence, with Chang’an, the terminus of the Silk Road, bringing in traders from across Asia, while painting and literature reached greater heights of sophistication. Late in the reign of Xuanzong (712–756), however, aristocratic factionalism led to a large-scale rebellion led by An Lushan in 755. Although this was finally put down in 763, the Tang T never regained their authority, and in 907 the last T Tang emperor, Ai, was killed by one of his generals. China split apart once more.

“HAVE I NOT HEARD THAT PURE WINE M AK ES A SAGE , A N D E V E N M U DD Y W I N E C A N M A KE A M AN WISE?” frrom fro rom D ro Dri Dr rriink nki nki king ng A Allo Alo lon nee iin n the th th hee M Mo oonl on o onligh nl nlight ig ig igh gh ht, byy Ta b TTan a an ng “g go god od do off p po oe etr et tryy”” Li tr try” Li Bai Ba B a aii, c. 710 10 10– 0– –762 762 2

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THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

SONG CHINA n Chi h naa d 960–1279 279 799

The first half of the 10th century was a period of disunity for China. A succession of Five Dynasties ruled the north, while the south fragmented into Ten Kingdoms. Zhao Kuangyin, T a general under the Later Zhou, the last of the Five Dynasties, usurped the throne in 960 to found the Song dynasty.

THE DECLINE OF THE SONG

In 1068, the emperor of the time, Shenzong, entrusted his minister Wang W Anshi with the task of implementing radical reforms. Wang W Anshi needed to raise money. He imposed a government monopoly on tea and challenged wealthy families who evaded taxes. T To reduce the cost of the standing army, he ordered every SONG PROSPERITY household to supply Under the Song, China m n for a local militia. me was reunited and entered Thi his me m asure was highly a period of economic un u npo popular and Wang W achievement, introducing Ans nshi hi was dismissed, but the first paper currency in tth he d dyynasty was weakened. 1024 and developing new The hen in 1125, the Jurchen, hen methods of rice farming that se semi-nomads from Manchuria, doubled output. A series captured the capital Kaifeng A Song Yaozhu-style vessel, delicately carved in a fashion of waterways improved and the Song court fled typical of the dynasty. China’s infrastructure, south. The southern Song and a fairer system for awarding the emperors, based at Hangzhou, could jinshii degree for officials overhauled the never regain control over the north. bureaucracy, so that a wider range of The dynasty was culturally dynamic, people could rise through the ranks. developing Neo-Confucianism – which stressed self-cultivation and conformity Ladies of the Song court are shown ironing silk in to Confucian ideals – but it was this painting by the eighth Song emperor Huizong, a patron of the arts and an accomplished artist himself. enfeebled politically and militarily.

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165

MONGOL AND MING CHINA n China na

d 11279– 9 164 644 64

In 1279, the southern Song were overrun by the Mongol armies of Kublai Khan (see pp.166–7). The Jin of northern China had already been pushed aside by the Mongols in 1234, so China became united under the Mongol rule of the Yuan dynasty. The Mongols imported a military elite whose cultural differences from the native Chinese hindered integration. By the 1350s, dissatisfaction with Yuan rule led to a series of revolts, including, from 1351, that of the Red T Turban Army. From the ranks of this army rose Zhu Yuanzhang, who outfoxed his rivals in a complex civil war to seize power as the first Ming emperor, known as Hongwu, in 1368. CHINA UNDER THE MING

The Ming ruled China for some 250 years, presiding over the gr groow owth h of a vigorous urban cultur uree. Emper ur eror or Hongwu reformed the hee arm my an nd th the taxation regime, ins nssti titu tu tuti uti t ngg a syysste tem m of THE EMPEROR YONGLE

The third emperor of the Ming dynasty, Yongle ascended the throne after overthrowing his older brother Jiangwen in 1403. He oversaw an expansive phase in Ming history, sending expeditions north to smash the remnants of the Yuan, and in 1406 dispatched an army south that crushed the rulers of Vietnam and absorbed it as a Chinese province. At his new capital of Beijing, Yongle also constructed the vast palace complex of the Forbidden City.

The Pavilion of Myriad Springs in the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City, Beijing, which was built in 1535 under the Ming dynasty.

secret agents to cement his rule. In 1403, Emperor Yongle transferred the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and dispatched a number of ambitious maritime expeditions, led by the eunuch Zhen He, th hat rea reach hed d as as far far as eas easst Afr fric fric i a. Lat a er empe em p ro pe rors rss, ho howe w ve we verr, r, wer wer eree we weak aker ak ker and and the h refform re form min ng in inst nstiin inct of th inct the he first firstt rrul uler ul ers ga gave vee way to way wa to ina nact ctiv ct i it iv ityy an and nd co cons nser ns e va er v ti tism ssm m. By By th he mi mid d--177th th ccen ent en ntu turyy, th tury the Mi the Mingg’ss h Ming hol old ol ld on n powe po werr haad be beco come co me bri ritt ttle tt l . le

The Fo The orbi bidde d en Ci dd dde City ityy, sit situat u e ua ed d in n Bei B jin jing, g, Chi g, C na, Ch na a was co con onstruc nsstruc nst ns r cted d un under der Em der mperor per pe erro orr Yon Yo ongle of o th the Ming dyna Mi Min Ming dynasty sty tyy be betwe tween twe en 140 40 06 and and d 1420. 0 For al almos mo t fiv ce five centu n rie es, s unttil the th h falll off the Qing g dyn dy ast astyy in in 191 191 912 12, 2, it se ser errvved e ve e ed d a dua d l role rol ole le as as th he hom ho om me off th the e emp emp pero e r an and nd the he e ce centr ntttrrre e of Ch hiin hin nese ese e go gover ve ver errnme e ernme n nt. ntt

168

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THE MONG GOLS n Centra tra rall Asia si E Eurrope, sia, pe, e, Ch hina in naa, SE Assia n siia d 120 12006–1 6–1 6– –140 405 405 0

Before the early 13th century, a number of nomadic groups to the north and west of China periodically entered the settled regions. Some were defeated in battle, others contained, and others still assimilated into Chinese culture. The Mongols were one of these groups, but were hopelessly disunited until the leadership of T Temüjin, who took the title Genghis Khan in 1206. Proclaiming his supreme rule, he welded together the Mongol clans, whose domination of the steppes and neighbouring lands would continue for more than a century. THE MONGOL CONQUESTS

By 1218, Genghis had overcome the Kara Khitan khanate of central Asia and he then unleashed a devastating six-year campaign against the Khwarezmid empire that controlled much h off mod dern Iran and d Afgh haniistan. t It was du duri ring thi this ti time tha thatt th the Mongols ls earned d th heiir rep putatiion as mercililess fight fig hter erss, sac sacki king ng the the Sil Silkk Roa oad d ci citi ties es off Samark S kand d and d Bukh khara and d

A set of Mongol knives, part of the arsenal of weaponry with which Genghis Khan’s army spread terror as it swept aside all opposition.

slaughtering the populations of any town that dared resist. The Mongols, excellent horsemen who were highly mobile and able to strike with speed, proved formidable enemies even for well-organized states. Genghis died in 1227, and in 1229 Ogedei, who had inherited the title of “Great Khan”, sent the Mongol armies into China, pushing the Jin (see p.165) 5 out of the north of the country by 1234. Ogedei then despatched his horde westwards, overrunning almost the whole of R Russia, including Kiev, its most important city, by 1240. Still the Mongol appetite for territorial aggrandizement seemed d unab bated d and d th the follllowiing year thei th eir de defe feat at off a Po Polilish sh–German G army att Leggnica, i , Polland, d, struckk terror in th hose furt fu rthe herr we west st, wh whoo th thou ough ghtt th heir i turn would ld come next.

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169

GENGHIS KHAN

Born in 1162 as Temüjin to a family of minor chieftains, Genghis Khan spent much of his childhood as a precarious semi-outlaw. He earned a military reputation in minor skirmishes against the Chinese, eventually securing a leading position among the tribes. In 1206, he was proclaimed Genghis Khan, or “universal ruler”, going on to command a feared army of more than 200,000 men. He is thought to have died following a riding accident in 1227, and was buried according to custom in an unmarked grave in Mongolia.

“IN MILITARY EXERCISES I AM ALWAYS IN FRONT AND IN TIME OF BATTLE I AM NEVER BEHIND.” Words attributed to Genghis Khan by a Chinese monk, c.1224

The death of Ogedei in 1241, however, caused the Mongol army to withdraw while the Mongols chose a successor. LATER MONGOL RULERS

Mongke, who was selected as Great Khan in 1251, campaigned in northern China and against the A Abbasid caliphate (see p.18 1811) in th the M Mid iddl dle Eastt, sacki king Bagh Ba ghda dad d in 1125 2588. Sho hort rtly ly aft fter h his is death d th in 1126 2600, th he Egy gypt p ian Mamlluks k (slave sold so ldie iers rs)) de defe feat ated ed a ssma mallll Mon Mongo goll ar army my aatt Ain Jalut, l puncturing i th he M Mongolls’’

reputation for invincibility. In the 1270s, Kublai Khan concentrated his attentions on the south of China (see p.165), 5 and the Mongols ruled China until 1368. They dominated central Asia for a century after that, but the only real resurgence in their power came under T Tamerlane, from 1370 to 1405, who united a large part off centtrall Asia i and d very nearly l destroyed t d the Ott th ttoman Turki kish sh empir ire (see p.18 1833). Th cit The itad dell off Al Aleppo pp in i S Sy yria, i whi hich h was captu pt red d by the Mongols in spring 1260, marking the high point of their success in the Near East.

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THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

EARLY JAPA AN n Jap pan

d 5th century ur bce too 551 cee ury

The earliest recognized Japanese culture, earthen tomb mounds (or kofun). n the Jomon – who were predominantly Paintings found within these tombs, hunters and fishermen – transformed showing warriors wearing under Chinese influence into the Yayoi elaborate armour, indicate culture around the 5th century bce. a powerful aristocracy. Yayoi people lived in small farming communities in square or THE YAMAT A O circular pit dwellings Japan’s villages with thatched roofs. gradually coalesced They were expert into larger communities and, potters and stonemasons, in the 4th century ce – possibly and began a long under the influence of Korean tradition of Japanese refugees fleeing from a Chinese metalworking, especially invvaasi in inva sion o in 369 – a larger in bronze. From around king ki ngd doom emerged in southern the middle of the 3rd Japan, Ja pa on the Yamato plain. century ce, the Yayoi From then until the 6th Terracotta figures or haniwa began to build large stone were ritually placed around century ce, the Yamato burial chambers and huge Yayoi burial mounds. kings unified Japan.

THE ASUKA AND NARA PERIODS n Japan an

d 552–7794 4

The arrival of Buddhism in Japan in 552 ce marks the beginning of the Asuka period. The regent Shotoku T Taishi (ruled 572–622) founded the great monastery at Horyuji, and promoted Chinese models in politics, art, and religion. In 710, the Japanese capital was fixed at Nara, and Buddhism became more dominant in court life, especially during the reign of Shomu (724–749), who ordered the erection of the Great Buddha figure inaugurated at Nara’s T Todaiji temple in 752. Shomu was the first emperor to retire and become a Buddhist monk. Buddhism became so powerful that in 784 anti-Buddhist factions moved the imperial court north to Nagaoka to distance it from the old capital’s monasteries. A decade later it moved again, this time to Kyoto.

The Gojunoto (five-storeyed) pagoda in the Horyuji temple complex, founded by Shotoku in the 6th century, is the oldest wooden pagoda in Japan.

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171

THE HEIAN N PERIOD n Japan n

d 794–1185 85

In 794 the Japanese court managed to dispense with moved to Kyoto, and the a Fujiwara regent. Under 400 years that followed his successor, Shirakawa is known as the Heian (ruled 1072–84), the period. It was marred curious practice of early on by a struggle to “cloistered emperors” put down a rebellion in (insei)i emerged, whereby northern Japan. The the emperor would rebellion was finally abdicate in favour of a crushed around 801 by child successor and retire Tamura Maro, who was T to a monastery but still, consequently honoured to some extent, direct with the title sei tai-shogun affairs from there. This (“barbarian-crushing did nothing to temper A painted scroll illustrating a scene from The Tale of Genji, a general”), the first holder the growing powers of novel of Japanese courtly life. of the title in Japanese warring clans, who were history. In 858, Fujiwara Yoshifusa rivals to the Fujiwara. The tensions became regent for the young emperor erupted into the Gempei Wars Seiwa, beginning a domination of the (1180–1185), a bitter struggle for court by the Fujiwara family that would dominance between the last for more than 300 years. powerful Minamoto an and nd Tai aira ra fam amilililiies. ies. JAPAN UNDER THE FUJIWARA

The most powerful of the Fujiwara regents was Michinago, who held sway from 995 to 1027, assisted d by the marriage of fourr of of his daughters to success sssive emperors. The Fujiwar arra period saw great cultu ural achievements, amongg them m the The Tale of Genji – written, unusually,, by a female author, the Lad adyy Murasaki Shikibu – which h encapsulates beautif ifu ullly the refined aesthetiic tastee of the period. After Michinago o, th the Fujiwara’s power decclilineed somewhat and an empero ro or named Go-Sanjo briiefl efly This fine sculpture of a fierrce gua ua ard rdian rdi n kin ng, created during the Fujiwa ara a perio pe od, is ty typic iccal of the high level of craftsma ansship sh of the tim me.

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THE KAMAKURA AND MUROMACHI SHOGUNATES n Japan

d 11 1 85– 5 15773

In the early 1180s, the Gempei Wars W racked Japan until Minamoto Yoritomo triumphed after a great naval victory at Dan-no-Ouro in 1185. However, peace did not come until the early 1190s, as Yoritomo, who in 1192 became “shogun” (or military dictator), subdued or killed any remaining lords who seemed to threaten his authority, including his long-time ally Yoshitsune, the victorious general at Dan-no-Ouro.

ASHIKA ASH IKAGA IKA GA TAKA AKAUJI UJI J

Among the most ruthless samurai, Ashikaga Takauji was employed by the Hojo regent to crush the revolt of Emperor Go-Daigo in 1333, but changed sides and restored imperial power. After 1335, he broke also with the imperial court and declared himself shogun.

slicing off an enemy’s head with his two-handed sword. He subscribed to an austere code of honour and, rather than THE SAMURAI AND SHOGUN POWER face defeat, would commit ritual suicide From the factionalism of the Gempei (seppuku) u by disembowelling himself. Wars emerged the samurai, originally W The emperors of the time, although rough fighting men who evolved into occasionally seeking to assert themselves, a striking mix of the savage and the were largely powerless. Instead, the refined. The ideal warrior was as capable shoguns, based from 1185 to 1336 at the of dashing off a poem as he was of Minamoto centre of Kamakura, acted through a council and judicial board A scene from the Tamamo-no-mae, written during the of enquiry that largely bypassed the Muromachi era, which tells of a beautiful courtesan who turns out to be the spirit of a malevolent fox. imperial court at Kyoto. For much of

EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

the 13th century, the power of the shogunate was itself subverted by the regent, a position that was held by ten successive generations of the powerful Hojo clan. THE END OF KAMAKURA POWER

Attempts by the Mongols to invade in 1274 and 1281 were the only real threat to Japan during this time. The samurai pushed back the first attack, and a great storm, called the kamikazee (“divine wind”), ended the second. In 1333, Emperor Go-Daigo tried to impose his direct rule, attracting some support from the nobility. The Kamakura shogun sent general Ashikaga T Takauji to punish this presumptuousness, but the general defected and captured Kyoto in the name of the restored emperor. Kamakura was burned and the last Hojo regent deposed. Go-Daigo’s rejoicing did not last long, as his two generals T Takauji and Nitta Yoshisada quarrelled. The emperor supported Yoshisada, but Takauji won the power struggle. T While Go-Daigo established an alternative court in the Yoshino

173

The curved samurai sword or katana, the samurai’s badge of office, was made of hard layers of tempered steel that gave it an extremely sharp cutting edge.

mountains south of Kyoto, Takauji T appointed a new emperor – Komyo – and declared himself shogun, the first of the Ashikaga period. THE MUROMACHI SHOGUNATE

The Ashikaga shogunate (from 1392 referred to as the Muromachi) ruled Japan for 240 years. It took nearly 60 years of intermittent war before Yoshimitsu, the third Ashikaga shogun, suppressed Go-Daigo’s rival court at Yoshino and restored the imperial regalia to Kyoto. Then, for five decades, Japan experienced peace and a cultural renaissance. However, peasant risings followed famine and plague in the 1420s, and when Shogun Yoshimasa retired in 1467, civil war (the Onin War) broke out over the succession. A tense peace was restored in 1477, but central authority was disrupted, and real power rested with the regional daimyo (warlords). This led to a Japan that was unified in theory, but wholly disunited in practice.

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GUNPOWDER WEAPONRY Europe adopted gunpowder in the 14th century, but it was not a European innovation – the Chinese had used it for centuries. It was, however, in Europe that its rapid spread and refinement led to a revolution in military tactics, and, ultimately, to the development of handheld weapons and field artillery of massive power with which European armies would come to dominate the battlefield. EARLY GUNPOWDER the development The earliest recipe of faster-burning for gunpowder was gunpowder around recorded in China 1420. The French around 1040, and the defeat of the English at Chinese may have used Castillon in 1453 was gunpowder offensively the first example of a in “fire-lances” as early battle won through the as 1182. Yet, it was not use of such artillery. until the Ming dynasty, in the 14th and 15th HANDGUNS centuries, that the The 1450s saw the This early Chinese gunpowder Chinese began to use development of the weapon fires a volley of arrows from a bamboo launching tube. gunpowder weapons first handguns. Called on a wider scale, with innovations arquebuses, these muzzle-loaded such as the deployment of dragoons, weapons were fired by a matchlock or mounted gunners. mechanism, which allowed for By then, the technology had been reloading during combat. These exported to Europe. The English first firearms were able to pierce plate used cannons at Crécy in 1346, but armour. However, reloading was these early firearms were liable to slow, and the arquebusiers, as they overheat or explode. More reliable were called, therefore needed to be mobile artillery came with the protected by groups of pikemen introduction of iron – rather than (in a formation known as the stone – cannon balls, which meant Swiss phalanx). that the guns could be smaller, and

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175

The French army bombards a city’s walls using new cannon weaponry during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453).

ARTILLERY

By the early 16th century, technological advances had boosted the capabilities of artillery. T Trunnions – protrusions from the barrel of the gun – allowed it to be raised or lowered easily, vastly improving aim. Cities that had previously been protected by thick walls became vulnerable, and warfare returned to a pattern of field engagements.

to allow the musketeer to fire it, had greater force and range. Although firearms were most advanced in Europe at this time, Asian powers, such as China, had also continued their development. The Chinese, for THE SPREAD OF FIREARMS example, devised a primitive form of During the Italian Wars (1494–1559), machine gun in the 16th century. gunpowder weapons came of age. At Firearms spread into Japan and the Battle of Ravenna in 1512, a India too, so that by the end of two-hour artillery duel opened the the 16th century, wherever there fighting. Arquebusiers played a vital was conflict, it was almost bound role in the decisive Imperial victory to involve the use of gunpowder at the Battle of Pavia in 1525. New weaponry. Those cultures without weapons appeared, notably the firearms, such as the Aztecs and musket, which, although heavier than Incas in the Americas, and the arquebus and requiring a stand most sub-Saharan African peoples, became relatively easy prey once the gun-wielding Europeans arrived.

Mattchl Mat Ma hllock ck k mu uske sket k ts ts wer were re a hu h huge uge g tec tech ecchno hno olog log gica ica al advanc adv d anc ance nce, e, and d we were re eff re effect ffect ective ive at ra ran nges o nges nge off up to 100m ((330 330 ft ft)). The Their ir sim simple ple desig desig sign n mean mean eantt that that they they were used in Europe up until the 18th century.

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THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

MEDIEVAL KOREA n Kor o eaa d 10 1 8 bce bce––1910 ce ce

The Korean peninsula was subject to Chinese influence from very early times. In 108 bce, it was conquered by Han armies (see p.153), who established a series of commanderies there. W With the decline of the Han from the 1st century bce, three rival kingdoms vied for control of Korea: Silla in the southeast, Baekje in the southwest, and Koguryo in the north. A small group of city-states known as Kaya also flourished in the southeast from around 40 to 532 ce, escaping the grasp of their larger neighbours. THE UNIFICAT A ION OF KOREA

The protracted struggle for supremacy between Silla, Baekje, and Koguryo lasted until 668 and is known as the Th hrree Kin Kingd gdom omss pe peri r od od.. Silla,, founded iin n 57 57 ce ce,, em eme mer erge erge ged d as as tthe he mos he mos ostt po p we werf rful rf ul The he Bu Bulgu lguksa lgu ksa te templ mple mpl e in Sou Sou uth t Kor Korea. ea. King Kin g Beop Beop eophun hung foun hu ounded ou ded th t e first first rs t ple tem l on th this hiss sit site si e arou arou round nd d 528 528. 28

WANG WAN G GEON G EON

The founder of the Goryeo dynasty, Wang Geon (ruled 918–943) had been a general to the anti-Silla rebel Gung Ye, who created the state of Taebong with Wang Geon as prime minister. When Gung Ye’s rule grew tyrannical, Wang Geon deposed him.

of the three. Under King Beophung (ruled 514–540 ce), who adopted Buddhism, the Silla encroached on Baekje’s territory. Baekje had been a conduit for Buddhism into Korea in the 4th century, thanks to close ties to Japan and China. After the kingdom’s eventual fall to Silla in 660, many Baekje nobles fled to Japan, becoming ancestors of several daimyo (warlord) clans. Kogu g ry gu ryo su suffe ffere ffe r d frequent Chinese inttervven enti tion ion on,, wi with t iits th ts cap pit ital al aatt Wandu destro de dest roye y d se ye seve veera rall ti time m s. Yet Yet the he kkin i gd in gdom o reco ove vere red, d, and d und und der er G Gwa waang wang ngga g et etoo (r ( ul uled ed ed

EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

177

Fierce guardian spirits of the north and the south protect Korea’s great Buddhist temple at Bulguksa.

391–412) conquered most of the Korean peninsula. However, internal strife, pressure from Baekje and Silla, and conflict with Sui and T Tang China (see pp.162 and 163) in the early 7th century led to Koguryo’s decline and, in 668, it too fell to Silla, completing the unification of Korea under the Silla king Munmo. Attempts under the unified Silla state to impose a Chinese-style bureaucracy and generally enhance royal authority foundered in the face of aristocratic resistance, and in the late 9th century, Korea broke up again. Civil war ensued, but Korea was united once more in

this end, Sejong instituted a civil service examination system along Chinese lines and created a new phonetic alphabet (called hang’ul ) for the Korean language. He also encouraged the advancement of science, particularly in astronomy and meteorology, and agricultural reforms to increase the yields of the countryside. Rivalries among scholar-officials who vied for positions in the state

“BAEKJE IS AT FULL MOON, SILLA IS AT HALF MOON.” Prophecy of the decline of Silla and rise of Baekje, 659

935 by Wang Geon, founder of the Goryeo dynasty. Although generally prosperous, the country suffered civil wars in the 12th century, and in the 14th century fell under the control of the Mongol Yuan dynasty of China. Goryeo finally collapsed in Go 13392 13 9 after a rebellion by the ggeeneral Yi Songgye. CH CHO C H OS ON KOREA

Yii Songgye founded the Y Ch C hos oson dynasty, which wo w ould uld rule Korea into ul mod mod deern r times, only finally bein be ing de d posed in 1910. Yi’s son Seejjong implemented a so sseeri rieess of Neo-Confucian rie reffo oorrrm ms, which aimed to harm ha r monize n all aspects of huma hu man behaviour with an under un und deerl d rlying universal order. To rly T

bureaucracy plagued Sejong’s successors. This sapped Korea’s strength and the country was unprepared when Japan invaded in the 1590s. T Two invasions in six years devastated Korea, but the Japanese were finally repelled. Choson recovered in the 17th century, and the reigns of Yeongjo (1724–76) and his successors brought peace until the end of the 19th century, when Korea was drawn into rivalry between Japan, Russia, and China (see pp.298–301), finallyy becoming a Japanese prot pr o eecctora toora rate te. The Choson w rree eevvveent we ntu uaalll y removed from th the he thrroone ne in 1910. Th Thi Th hiis m mae ma ae a eb eb by byo yong wine vessel (from the Chi Ch Chi h hin ine nes nes ese fo for “vase for plum blossom”) is cha ch cha haracteristic of Korea’s Goryeo period.

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THE KHMER EMPIRE n Cam a bod dia ia d 889 889––1431

Around 800, King Jayavarman II (ruled 802–55) consolidated small central Cambodian kingdoms to establish a state called Kambujadesa, marking the start of the Khmer empire. Its culture was strongly influenced by India, and Jayavarman ordered the construction of Indian-style Hindu temples near Siem R Reap. Under Indravarman, who became king in 889, a capital was established in at Angkor, which gr g ew to become a vast ceremonial comp co mple lex. x. Ang ngko korr re reac ache hed its pe p ak under Suryyav Su Sury avaarma arma man, n,, wh who ho fro rom m 10 1011 11 rreu euni eu nifie ni fied d Caamb C m od dia ia af after fterr a p per eriio er iod of cciv iod ivilili war ar.

EMPIRE AND DECLINE

In 1177, the Chams (see facing page) e sacked Angkor, but four years later were in turn defeated by Jayavarman VII, Angkor’s greatest ruler, who then extended the empire to include parts of modern Thailand and V Vietnam. Jayavarman VII was a Buddhist and, after his death in 1215, a Hindu reaction set in during which all the images of Buddha at Anggkor were defaced. The emp pire then went into decline and became a locallized d p we po werr. It diisapp saapp ppea eare red d en enti tire rely lyy aft after er tthe hee sackk off Ang sa ngko k r by the h Tha h is in 1431.

The Angk Angkorr Wat tem em emple mple wa wass founded d by by the e Khm Khmer er kin kiing k Suryav yavarm arm man II II (r (ruled d 1113–45)..

PAGAN BURMA n Bur urr maa d 849 49–12 49 –12887 –12 87

Burmese chronicles give 849 as the date when King Pyinbya founded the city of Pagan, which would become the centre of Burma’s first powerful state. Later, under King Anawrahta (ruled 1044–77), Pagan emerged as a real power, conquering the Mon city of Thaton, a centre of Indian civilization, in 1057. Anawrahta also annexed parts of Thailand, Arakan on the border of India, and Nan-chao in southern China, creating an empire that would last into the 13th century. The density of temples in Pagan itself was such that by the early

13th century, the empire established a new centre several kilometres to the east. Under Kyaswa (ruled 1234–50), Pagan fell into decline, as the king confiscated the lands of Buddhist monasteries, an unpopular policy that undermined royal authority. The despotic ruler Narathihapate (ruled 1254–87) dared invade the Mongol vassal state of Kaungai in 1277, only for the Mongol armies to retaliate and sack Pagan in 1287. Narathihapate fled from Burma and in the aftermath, Pagan’s subjects rose up and its empire collapsed.

EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

CHAM CH AM AMPA MPA

DAII VIET DA VIET VI E

n S Vi Vietn etn tnam tn am m d 19 192–1 192–1 –11471 4711

n N Viietn et am am d 93 938–1 938–1 –11528 28 28

The kingdom of Champa may have had its origins in the state of Lin Yi, founded around 192, but by the 7th century was independent, with its own culture. Successive capitals of Champa were destroyed by Javan attacks, before king Indravarman II (854–93) founded a new centre at Indrapura (in modern Quan-nam province). In 979, an invasion of Dai Viet (see right)t led to a long struggle that ended only in 1471 with the Dai Viet capture of Vijaya, the last Cham capital. Stylized sculptures of fearsome guardians and mythical animals adorned Champa temples.

Dai Viet (“Great Viet”) was established in 938 as an independent state in northern Vietnam 938 by Ngo Quen, after a revolt against Chinese overlordship. Under Dai Viet’s Li dynasty (1009–1225), a series of wars broke out with Champa to the south (see left) ftt over disputed border provinces. From 1225, during the Tran T dynasty, Dai Viet fought off three Mongol invasions, and finally, under Le Thanh-Ton T (ruled 1460–97), succeeded in conquering Champa. After 1528, Dai Viet broke up and was not reunited until the early 19th century.

SRIVIJAYA n Javaa

d 7t 7 h–1 h 4th t cceenturie ntu uriees

From the 5th century, the island peoples of Sumatra and Java set up prosperous trading communities rivalling the coastal states of the Southeast Asian mainland. By the 7th century the Srivijaya empire controlled most of Sumatra and the Malay peninsula. The earliest account comes from a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, in 671, who remarked that there were a thousand Buddhist monks at the court, and Srivijaya clearly acted as a centre for the diffusion of Buddhism in the region. Srivijaya faced many rivals, including the Sailendra kingdom of central Java – which constructed the vast temple at Borobodur around 800 – and its hold began to weaken in the 11th century. By 1400, it had been replaced by newer maritime powers, especially the Malay Majapahit empire.

179

A gallery of Buddha statues from Wat Phra Borom in Chaiya in southern Thailand, which was a regional capital of the Srivijaya empire.

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THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

HE MIDDLE EAST A ND NO RTH A F RIC A In th the eeaarlly 7t 7th ce centtur cent ury, y, th hee eme merg rgen ence ce of a ne new re r lliigi gioon n, n, Isl s am am m,, ch c an ange ged th the sh hap ape of of the he Mid iddl dd dlle Eaasst st fo foorr eevveerr. The he new fait ne new faiitth in fa nsp spir ired ed unp npreece ceede de n de nttted ed uniityy iin ed n th he ttrrib bes es of th the he Ara rabiian n pen niin nsu ula la, aan nd Arraab aarr m miieess caarrriieed d Isl slam am thr am hrou rou uggh h the Mid th dd dlle Eas astt aan nd No Norrtth Afr fric fric icaa.. Deesspi pite te fra raggm men enttaati tion on n in th he Isl s am mic ic wor orlld d in th he 88tth cceent ntu tur uryy,, Isl slaam mic ic emp mpirreess, such ssu uch ch as tth he Se Seljljuk ukk an nd d Ott ttom oman an, ssttilill ro rossee ttoo pr prom rom omiin nen neen nccee.

THE RISE OF ISLAM n Arab abia, ab bia, a th a, he Near a East as d 6610 100–66 –6 1

The prophet Muhammad was born around 570 in the prosperous central Arabian trading town of Mecca. Around 610, he received the divine revelation that would form the basis of the religion of Islam, and began to gather a group of followers. THE SPREAD OF ISLAM IN ARABIA

Although some in Mecca accepted Muhammad’s new creed, others were threatened by it and, in 622, Muhammad was forced into exile in Medina. The citizens of Medina were long-time rivals to Mecca and willingly accepted Muhammad and his teachings, providing him with many converts. This led to a bitter struggle with the Meccans, which finally ended with the capture of Mecca in 630. From there, Muhammad directed the conquest of much of the rest of the Alam standards, carried in Shia religious processions, were intended to represent the sword of ’Ali. Holy names are carved along the blade.

Arabian peninsula before his death in 632. Abu Bakr was appointed caliph (or successor); under his rule (632–634) anti-Muslim uprisings in Arabia were put down and Arab armies began to penetrate Sassanid Persia (see p.115) 5 and Byzantine-held Syria (see p.202). 2 Under the next caliph, Umar (ruled 634–44), the Islamic empire expanded far beyond Arabia. EARLY EXPANSION AND CIVIL UNREST

The Arabs smashed the Byzantine field army at Yarmuk in 636, leading to the capture of Jerusalem in 637 and the occupation of Egypt in 641. The Sassanid Persian empire also fell to the caliphate after the defeat of the Persian shahh (king), Yazdegird III, in 642. Increasing disputes over the succession, especially after the murder of the third caliph, Uthman, in 656, finally led to a civil war and the assassination of ’Ali, the fourth caliph and Muhammad’s cousin, in 661.

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181

THE UMAYYAD AND ABBASID D CALIPHATES n Midd dle East ast st d 66 661–1 1–1 1– ––112258 ce ce

After the assassination of the fourth Muslim caliph ’Ali, Mu’awiyah, the governor of Syria and a distant relative of Muhammad, seized power, installing himself in a new capital at Damascus. Mu’awiyah founded the Umayyad dynasty, which borrowed heavily from Byzantine and Persian institutions to build a strong central authority for the Islamic state. The Umayyads extended their rule in North Africa, capturing the Byzantine stronghold of Carthage (in T Tunisia) in 698, and swept into Spain in 711. FROM DAMASCUS TO BAGHDAD

Despite these Ummayad successes, in 750 a number of anti-Umayyad factions joined in a successful revolt against them led by ’Abbas, who claimed the caliphate and moved the seat of government to Baghdad. His descendants, the Abbasids, would be caliphs until 1258. Initially A mosaic from the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, a beautiful Islamic–Byzantine building constructed under the caliph al-Walid between 706 and 715.

HAROUN HAR OUN AL-RA AL-RA RASHI SHID SHI D

The greatest of the Abbasid caliphs, Haroun (786–809) turned Baghdad into the most prosperous city of its day. He defeated the Byzantines in 806, and was a fine diplomat, exchanging ambassadors with the Frankish ruler Charlemagne.

’Abbas presided over a golden age, in which art, science, architecture, and Islamic jurisprudence flourished. In 756, however, Spain broke away under a line of the Umayyad family, and North Africa followed with the foundation of a rival F Fatimid caliphate in Egypt in 969. By the 11th century, the Abbasid caliphs controlled little beyond the suburbs of Baghdad and were firmly under the thumb of the Seljuk T Turkish emirs (see p.182). 2 In 1258, even this pitiful flame of independence was snuffed out when the Mongol Hulegu sacked Baghdad (see p.167) 7 and had Al-Mutasim, the last caliph, trampled to death by horses.

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THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

THE SELJUK K TURKS nT Turk urkey, urk ey Sy ey, Syria r d 10 1038–1 8–1 –1306 3066 306

Throughout the 9th century, groups of Turkish-speaking nomads migrated T westwards from central Asia. In the 10th century they reached Persia, where many of them took service in Muslim armies and converted to Islam.

ALP ARSLA AR SLAN N

Initially a Seljuk governer, Alp Arslan succeeded to the sultanate in 1064. His first invasion of the Byzantine empire in 1068 failed, but after his victory against the Byzantines in 1071, Anatolia would always remain largely Turkish-occupied.

THE FIRST SELJUKS

One group, the Seljuks, led by Tugrul T Beg, initially served the Kara-Khanid emirs of Bukhara in Persia, but became so powerful that in 1038, Tugrul T declared himself sultan, in the city of Nishapur in northeastern Iran. From here his armies moved westwards. In 1055, T Tugrul became involved in a

power struggle between the Abbasid (see p.181) caliph Al Qa’im and his Egyptian Fatimid rival, who had taken Baghdad. Tugrul took Baghdad for the Abbasid T caliphs in 1060, but then reduced them to little more than figureheads. Tugrul’s T successor, Alp Arslan, conquered Georgia and Armenia in 1064, and in 1071 defeated the Byzantine emperor R Romanus IV, V leading to Turkish T o cupation of much of central Anatolia oc ((iin modern Turkey). T The administrative reforms of Alp Arslan’s Persian official Nizam al-Mulk supported the sultan’s military victories and cemented Seljuk stability. DECLINE OF THE SELJUKS

Alp Arslan’s son Malik Shah I (r (ruled 1072–92) consolidated Seljuk rule in Anatolia, but a r volt by his cousin Suleyman re in 1086 led to the rival Seljuk Sultanate of R Rum, which controlled much of the west of co Alp Arslan’s former domain. By the 12th century, Malik Shah’s Seljuks had disbanded; pressure f om the Mongols in the early fr 13th century and competition w th more vigorous Muslim wi emirates put the R Rum Sultanate into decline, and after 1306 it disappeared entirely. The main gateway of the Ince Menare medrese (school of theology) in Konya, Tur TTu u key, built by the Seljuks around 1267.

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

183

RISE OF THE OTTOMANS nT Turk u eyy d mid-1 ur d 3th ceentu ury– ryy 1481

In the 12th century, Turkish T Seljuks Orhan crossed into Europe to occupy dominated Anatolia (see facing page), e but Gallipoli. F From this bridgehead, the their influence weakened in the 13th Ottomans spread through eastern century and rival T Turkish groups vied for Thrace and across the Balkans. Murad I power. Among them was a small band (ruled 1362–89), as well as expanding led by Osman, after whom the Ottoman Ottoman land in eastern Anatolia, empire would be named. captured the great city of Osman’s group took Adrianople (Edirne) in advantage of a strategic Thrace in 1369, which position on the eastern thereafter became the approach route to Ottoman capital. Constantinople (now Istanbul) to secure RISE AND FALL possession of many The Ottomans began Byzantine cities in to exert pressure on the western Anatolia (see other Christian regions of p.203). This provided the Balkans, capturing Sofia them with resources for (in Bulgaria) in 1385 and further expansion. destroying the army of Blue tilework k graces many Ottoman-era mosques at Iznik, Prince Lazar of Serbia in an early Ottoman conquest. THE EARLY SULT LTAN S 1389. It seemed only a Osman’s son Orhan (ruled 1324–62) matter of time before Constantinople took the major city of Prusa (Bursa) and would fall, but in 1402 the Mongol established it as his capital, marking the Tamerlane smashed the Ottoman army T effective establishment of the Ottoman outside Ankara (see p.167). 7 The Turkish T empire. By the late 1330s, the Byzantines emirates that the Ottomans had were confined to just a few settlements conquered over the previous century close to Constantinople. In 1352, aided broke away, and it took 50 years under by the Byzantine emperor John VI Mehmet I (ruled 1413–21) and Murad II Kantakouzenos, who was locked in civil (ruled 1421–51) to regain the Ottoman war with his rival John V Palaiologos, position in Anatolia and the Balkans. MEHMET II

Known as “the Conqueror”, Mehmet II (ruled 1451–81) was the Ottoman sultan who, in 1453, finally took the Byzantine capital Constantinople. Having constructed a series of fortresses to throttle the city’s communication lines, he laid siege in early spring, using cannons to pound the city walls. In 1456, he failed to repeat his success at Belgrade, but he successively conquered Serbia (1458), Bosnia (1463), most of Albania (1478), and even, in the last year of his life, oversaw the capture of Otranto in the heel of Italy.

184

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

NDIA Kin Ki nggd do ooms mss an m nd d emp mpir ires ros ose aan nd fe fellll in In nd diaa iin n th th e Miid dd dlle Age ges. ges s. Fol ollo lowi owi win ngg th hee dem emise ise off th is hee Gup pta tas, s, in 66006 Em mp peerror or Haarrsh sha ha eessta tabl blis blis is h heed a p po ow weerf rfu ull sttaate te acr croosss mu cros much ch of nort no rthe hern r n Ind ndia ia, a, b bu ut ut af afte ter his his de hi deatth th the eem mpi mpi pire re frraaggm mente ente en t ed in in nto ttoo smal maallll kkin in ngd gdom ms, s, onl n y rreeal ally ly to be be uniitteed u un n nd der th de the Deelllhi hi hi Sullttan Su anat ate in in the he 13t 3th ce c en nttu urrry. y. Soou y. uth uth her er n India ern ndia nd ia saw saaw w siim mililar ar ssttru uggggle less,, wiitth rriiva val st stat atees es figgh hti ting ng bit itte terrlly un unti til tth he he em meerrgeen ncce of of t h hee Cho holaas iin hola n th hee 9th th ceen ntur tury tu ry.

CHOLA IND DIA n Sou o th h Indi n a d c.85 nd 850–1 85 0–1 –127 –1279 279 799

Between the 7th and 9th centuries, the Pallava and the Chalukya kingdoms contested the right to rule southern India until the rise of the Cholas, around 850. They were to sweep away the two rivals to establish a new state that would dominate the area until around 1200.

at Thanjavur and at Gangaikondacholapuram, a Hindu riposte to the growing power of Islam in northern India. Rajendra I also projected Chola power overseas, conquering Sri Lanka and exercising some influence, if not control, over the Srivijaya empire of Indonesia and the state of Kadaram RISE AND FALL (around Penang in The Chola kingdom modern Malaysia). overthrew the Pallavas Back in south India, around 897 under Aditya, however, the Cholas fell but then suffered a century into difficulties. Sri Lanka of decline at the hands of was lost in 1070 and the rival Rashtrakuta around 1118 a resurgent A statue from the 11th-century Brihadishwara temple in the kingdom. Then, under Chalukya kingdom took Chola capital of Thanjavur. Rajaraja I, who came to much territory around the throne in 985, Chola was on the Mysore. Beset by civil strife and faced with ascendant once more, conquering all the threat of the Pandyan Empire on his south India and even intervening as far borders, Rajendra III, the last recorded north as Bengal. Rajaraja and his son Chola ruler, struggled on until 1279, after Rajendra I built magnificent temples which his kingdom disappeared.

INDIA

185

THE DELHII SULTANATE n Nort o h Indi n a d 12206–152 06–152 26

In 1193, the armies of Muhammad of Ghur (from modern Afghanistan) sacked Delhi, carving out an empire from a number of weak and fractious Rajput Hindu principalities. After Muhammad’s death in 1206, his most trusted general, the former slave Qutb-ud-din Aibek (ruled 1206–11), gained control of his territories and established the Delhi Sultanate. A FRAGILE RULE

The rule of Aibek’s successors was precarious. The nomadic tribes who made up the nobility did not have a strong tradition of hereditary kingship, and during the rule of the Slave Dynasty (1206–90) at least five of the 11 sultans were assassinated. Then, between 1299 and 1307, Sultan A Alauddin Khilji launched a series of successful military stri st rike kess ag agai ains nstt th thee ri rich ch kkin ingd gdom oms sout uth h of Del elhi lhi hi.. By By 132 3211, 1, muc uch h of tthe he ssou outh th was u de un derr th the he co cont ont ntro roll of gov ro gov over erno er nors no rs aapp ppoi oint inted d by tth he sul he ulta lta tan an, and and Sul ulta tan ta n Mu Muha haamm h mmad ad iibn ad bn n

MUHAMM MUH AMMAD AMM AD OF GHU GHUR R

In 997, Muhammad of Ghur succeeded his father as the ruler of a minor state around Ghazni, in modern Afghanistan. From here, he created a vast empire encompassing large parts of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and northwest India before dying in 1030.

Tughluq even moved the capital and its whole population 1,100km (700 miles) south to Devagiri. Although A Delhi was reinstated two years later, so many of its people had died in the two moves that travellers reported it to be a “ghost town”. The sultanate’s strength was now waning, and the establishment of the Hindu Vijayanagar empire in central India in the 1330s ended its rule there. The Delhi sultans, declining in policial force, limped on until 1526, when they were finally supp su ppla lant nted ed iin n Delhi by the Mugh g als. The Qutb Qutb Min Minar ar mos mosque que in De Delhi lhi ha hass a mina mina naret ret that that is 73m (240 (240 ft) tall tall ll. Itt cel celebr ce ebrate ates Sultan Aib at bek’ ek’ss vi victtories. i

“ W H E N I E N T E R E D DE L H I I T WAS ALMOST A DESERT… . ITS BUILDINGS WERE VERY FE W AND IN OTHER RESPECTS IT WAS QUITE EMPT Y.” Arab Ara rab trav trravvell e er Ibn n Ba Battu ttutah t , visiitin ng Delh Delh lhi in n 1334 1334 4 af a ter Su ulta tan ta n Muha uham h mmad d dep de eport orted ed its po p pul p lati a on

186

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

UB-SAHARAN AFRICA Bu B uoy oyed ed by tr ed trad din i g lilink nkks w n wiith h Asia siia and an nd Isl slam mic ic Nor orth th Affrricca, a, from fr m the he 8th h ceen ntu uryy a num um mb beer off pro osp sper eroou us em mpi pires aan nd commer comm co mmeerrciial mm al ceen ntrreess foorr me med in in Afric fric fr ica to to the he sou o th of tth he Saaha S hara r desser ert,, inc nclu udin diin d ngg the he Maalllii an and Soong ngh hay em mpi pirreeess in in Wesst Afr fric riicca aan n nd d Gr Greaat Z Ziimb mbaab bw wee in sout ssoout ut h h--ceen nttraal Afr fric i a. ic a Th hee sprrea ead of of Issllam m acr cros roosss no norrttth h an and nd ea e stt Afr fric riicca he help llp ped ped d creeaate cr te rou outees th th oug thro uggh h t he d deese sert rt tha th haat beca cam mee the he firrsst ttrradin ng neettw n woorrks to en ncomp cco omp mpas asss th he su s b b--S Saaha hara ran regiioon ns. s.

THE MALI EMPIRE nW West e Affri rica ca

d c.80 8000–1 0–1545 545 455

In West W Africa, between the 8th and 11th centuries, the Ghana empire grew powerful on the trans-Saharan gold trade. Yet by the 12th century it was in decline, and was supplanted by the Mali empire, founded in 1235 by Sundiata Keita. Like Ghana, the Mali empire was based in the Sahel, the savanna region along the Sahara’s southern border. From here, it too exploited the Saharan trade routes, exchanging desert-mined salt for gold. WEALTH AND COLLAPSE

Mali reached its peak in the 14th century under Sundiata Keita’s grand-nephew Mansa Musa (ruled 1312–37). He is most noted for his spectacular “Pilgrimage of Gold” to Mecca in 1324–25, when he spent or gave away so much gold that the inflation it caused damaged the economy of North Africa

The walls of the Great Mosque at Djenné, a trading city conquered by Sonni Ali, first great king of the Songhay empire which rose to overcome Mali.

for a decade. Mansa Musa extended Mali’s territory and built up the city of Timbuktu into a wealthy commercial hub and a centre for scholarship. In the early 15th century, Mali’s subject states, notably Songhay, based at Gao some 400km (250 miles) downriver from Timbuktu, broke away. Having lost control of the crucial trade routes after a disastrous defeat by Songhay in 1545, Mali’s empire collapsed.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

187

IFE AND BE ENIN n Nigeeria ia d c.7000–1 1500 5000

The Ife kingdom developed among the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria around 700. At its height, between 900 and 1200, this kingdom had grown to dominate a large area of western Africa. The capital, Ife, was the centre of this sophisticated empire, most notable for its production of high-quality bronze heads. However, in around 1400 the Ife were supplanted by the empire of Benin, which grew up to their west. Under Ewuare – the first great obaa (ruler) of Benin, from 1440 – the capital was fortified

with a great moat and armies sent out that ultimately dominated an area of some 80,000 sq km (31,000 sq miles). Like their Ife predecessors, the people of Benin produced superb terracotta and bronze heads and they grew rich from a monopoly on contacts with European newcomers – initially the Portuguese – in the later 15th century, profiting from trade in ivory, palm oil, gold, pepper, and slaves. A brro ron on onzze e If IIfe fe e head ad, d,, cast in a be b e ea au uti ttiifu fful ull natu tu tur urrali al alistic style that ha h a ass ma made de th th culture’s artistic the pro pr p rro od du duc uction u ti justly famous.

GREAT ZIM MBABWE n Sout u her ern rn Africa

d 11 11th– th– h 115t 5tth th cent nttu urrriiess uri

One of the greatest urban centres of sub-Saharan Africa grew up from the 11th century at Great Zimbabwe (from which the modern state of Zimbabwe takes its name). The huge settlement sprawls over 7 sq km (3 sq miles), with a numb nu mber mb er ooff st ston onee en on encl clos cl osur ures ess con con onta tain ta inin nin ingg some so mee 300 0 sstr truc tr ucctu uctu ture ress. re s. G Gre reat re att Zi Zim imba imb babw bwe bwe was in was wa in a ssttr trat trat ateg eggic pos osiit ition iti ion to to ccon ontr on troll trad de – in incllud udi din ing in ing in gol o d – fr from from m tthe he he interi inte in rior ior ttoo the th he ea east st coa oast st of Afri frica ica. It

was also home to a thriving agricultural economy. With a population of around 15,000 people, Great Zimbabwe served as the centre of the Mwenemutapa empire. However, possibly as a result of over-cultivation of the surrounding land la nd,, in the nd the mid mid-1 d-115t 5th h ce cent ntur ury, ur y Gre y, reat at Ziimb Z bab abwe bwe was was ab aba band ndon doned ed. d Th 13 The 3th-cen th th h-cen centur ce tury Great Enclosu ncl cllosure osure is is th the he most most os impres impres re siv sive i e of of th the he sto stone ne str struct ucture uct uress a ur att Grea Grea r t Zimb Zimb imbabw abwe abw e. Its 255m (82f It (82f 82ft) t) wal walls ls mayy ha have ve enc enclos losed los ed a ro roya oya y l palace. ala l ce.

188

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

U RO PE Aroun roun ro u d th he ea earl rly 5t 5th ce ce n nttur ur y c ceee,, Ge Gerrm Germ man manic aan nicc barb aarrb baari ariian an tri ribe b es sett sett se ttle ttle led o led on n thee for orrme meer te m territ rrit rr itoorry of of tthe hee Room h man n emp mpire mpir iirre. e. But, ut, by ut by arou ar ound ou und d 600 00, tth he ch chao os haad re ressoolvveed d iits t el ts elf an an d w and wh hat at had d on ncce ce beeeen b n th hee Room man an eemp mp m pir ire wa was n noow a se seri ries ieess of su succ succ cces esso esso es or st stat stat ateess. A Chr hris isti isti tian an ccul ulltu u ture re em meerg rged ed in Eur urop opee,, in p paart rt bas aseed d on a form form fo r m ooff so soci cial cial al and nd p pol oollit itical iccaall str sttrru ucct cture ttu ure res kn know now own as as feeu uda daallilism sm, sm, wh w hiicch w hic wooul uld pe perrssiisst th thrro thro oug ugh wa wars r s an nd d ccri rriise rise s es iin nttoo th hee mid-1 id d--1 155tth ceentur nttu urry. y

OSTROGOT THS AND LOMBARDS IN ITALY n Italy

d 4993–7 3 744 3–

Between 488 and 493 ce, Theoderic I, setting off the Gothic W Wars. By 554 ce, ruler of the barbarian Ostrogoths (see after hard and bitter campaigning, p.143), conquered Italy. His Justinian’s forces emerged the kingdom drew deeply on Roman R masters of a devastated Italy. forms of administration, yet opposition to his rule drove him LOMBARD ITALY L to execute Boethius, a leader of In 568 ce, the barbarian Lombards the old R Roman Senate, in 525 ce. invaded Italy from the northeast After Theoderic’s death in under Alboin (ruled c.565–72 ce). 526 ce, his daughter Amalasuintha In 572 ce, they reached Pavia and acted as regent for his young carved out a kingdom in northern grandson and designated Italy. This soon split into 35 heir, Athalaric. Dissent dukedoms, but was reunited under among the Ostrogoth Authari (ruled 584–90 ce) A nobles led to the whole and, from 589 ce, held state unravelling. off Byzantine Amalasuintha appealed advances. Under to the Byzantine emperor Agilulf (ruled 590–616 Justinian (see p.202) 2 for ce), the Lombards became help, and after her murder Catholic, controlling (possibly on the orders of northern Italy until the her cousin) in 535 ce, Frankish Charlemagne (see An Ostrogothic brooch from Justinian took the p.190) 0 deposed their last around 500 CE, showing a vibrancy far removed from Roman art forms. king, Desiderius, in 774. opportunity to intervene,

EUROPE

189

VISIG GOTHS S IN SPAIN N n Spain n

d 469–77111

The Visigoths, who settled in southwestern Gaul in 418 ce as allies of the Romans, R began from 469 ce to conquer territory in Spain. In 507 ce, when the Franks defeated them in a great battle at Vouillé, near P Poitiers, the Visigoths fell back on these Spanish territories. THE VISIGOTHIC KINGDOM

Under Agila (ruled 549–54 ce) the Visigoths lost territory in southeast Spain to a resurgent Byzantine Empire. From its capital at Toledo, however, the Visigothic state recovered, reaching its apogee under Leovigild (ruled 568–86 ce), a great organizer and legislator. Leogivild was succeeded by his son R Reccared, who in 589 ce converted to Catholicism, abandoning the kingdom’s previous

The church of San Pedro de la Nave at Zamora, built under the Visigothic king Egica (ruled 687–701) towards the end of Visigothic rule in Spain.

Arian form of Christianity. The Visigothic kingdom finally came to an end when, weakened by a civil war after the accession of R Roderick in 711, it easily fell to invading Muslim armies (see p.180). 0

ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND n Engl g and nd d d 411–1 1 1066 066

Britain was under R Roman administration until 411 ce, and in the little-understood period that followed, Germanic invaders – Jutes, Angles, and Saxons – began to settle on the island, displacing the native Romano-Celtic R population. By the 7th century, these had coalesced into a number of small states, conventionally known as the “Heptarchy”. EXPANSION OF WESSEX

Principal among these states were Wessex in the southwest, Mercia in the Midlands, and Northumbria in the north. In the long struggle between them, it was Wessex that would emerge victorious. Danish invasions in the 9th century

sapped the remaining power of Northumbria and Mercia, whose last great king, Offa, died in 796. Alfred the Great fended off the Danish conquest of Wessex with several victories in the 870s, but it was not until the time of Edward the Elder (ruled 899–924) that England was united under a single Anglo-Saxon monarchy. ALFRED ALF RED T HE GRE GREA AT

As well as saving Wessex from Danish invasion in 878, Alfred (ruled 871–899) restored Wessex’s defences by building a series of burhs (fortified towns), revising the legal system, and overseeing the first major translations of books into Anglo-Saxon.

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THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 600–1450

MEROVINGIAN AND CAROLINGIAN FRANCE n Francee d 51 5 1– 1 87 1–9

After the fall of the Roman R Empire, Europe fragmented into many states, the most successful of which was the Kingdom of the Franks. A confederacy of tribes originating from the area around modern Belgium and Holland, the Franks, under their leader Clovis (ruled c.481–511), conquered most of the old R Roman province of Gaul. THE MEROVINGIANS

Clovis overcame the R Roman general Syagrius (who controlled large parts of Gaul) in 486, saw off rival Frankish kings, crucially converted to Catholicism in 496, and expelled the V Visigoths from Gaul in 507. On his death the kingdom was divided between his four sons, establish