GET FREE SHIPPING!
Use Promo Code SHIPFREE at Step 4 of checkout.
*Free Shipping only applicable to US orders. Restrictions apply.
A History of World Societies, Volume 1
Twelfth EditionMerry E. Wiesner-Hanks; Patricia Buckley Ebrey; Roger B. Beck; Jerry Davila; Clare Haru Crowston; John P. McKay
©2021ISBN:9781319299651
Take notes, add highlights, and download our mobile-friendly e-books.
ISBN:9781319302443
Read and study old-school with our bound texts.
ISBN:9781319559151
This package includes E-book and E-book.
ISBN:9781319385491
This package includes Paperback and Paperback.
Learn about world history through the stories of individuals and the societies they lived in
A History of World Societies, Twelfth Edition provides a regional approach to global history that is easily understood and presented in straightforward sections. With a focus on social history, students see how the stories of individuals affected the arc of global history. This book is also enhanced by LearningCurve, our easy-to-use adaptive learning system that will ensure that you come to class prepared.
Looking for digital-only access to Achieve? Please click here to purchase Achieve for A History of World Societies.
Looking for digital-only access to LaunchPad? Please click here to purchase LaunchPad for A History of World Societies.
Looking for digital-only access to Achieve Read & Practice? Please click here to purchase Achieve Read & Practice for A History of World Societies.
E-book
Read online (or offline) with all the highlighting and notetaking tools you need to be successful in this course.
Learn MoreTable of Contents
Contents
Preface
Versions and Supplements
Maps, Figures, and Tables
Special Features
1
The Earliest Human Societies
to 2500 b.c.e.
Evolution and Migration
Understanding the Early Human Past • Hominin Evolution • Homo Sapiens, "Thinking Humans" • Migration and Differentiation
Later Paleolithic Society, ca. 200,000–9000 b.c.e.
Foraging for Food • Family and Kinship Relationships • Cultural Creations and Spirituality
The Development of Agriculture in the Neolithic Era, ca. 9000 b.c.e.
Plant Domestication and the Development of Horticulture • Animal Domestication and the Rise of Pastoralism • Plow Agriculture
Neolithic Society
Social Hierarchies and Slavery • Gender Hierarchies and Inheritance • Trade and Cross-Cultural Connections
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Visual Evidence Paleolithic Venus Figures
Analyze Visual Evidence Bison and Human in Lascaux Cave
Think Like a Historian Paleolithic Hand Markings
Compare Viewpoints Calendar Megaliths in Egypt and England
Individuals in Society The Iceman, A Neolithic Murder Victim
2
Complex Societies in Southwest Asia and the Nile Valley
3800–500 b.c.e.
Writing, Cities, and States
Written Sources and the Human Past • Cities and the Idea of Civilization • The Rise of States, Laws, and Social Hierarchies
Mesopotamia from Sumer to Babylon
Environmental Challenges, Irrigation, and Religion • Sumerian Politics and Society • Writing, Mathematics, and Poetry • Empires in Mesopotamia • Life Under Hammurabi
The Egyptians
The Nile and the God-King • Egyptian Society and Work • Migrations, Revivals, and Collapse • Iron and the Emergence of New States
The Hebrews
The Hebrew State • The Jewish Religion • Hebrew Family and Society
The Assyrians and Persians
Assyria, the Military Monarchy • The Rise and Expansion of the Persian Empire • The Religion of Zoroaster
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Hammurabi’s Code on Marriage and Divorce
Analyze Visual Evidence Egyptian Families
Think Like a Historian Addressing the Gods
Compare Viewpoints Babylonian and Hebrew Ideas of Rulers and Divine Favor
Individuals in Society King Taharqa, Ruler of Kush and Egypt
3
The Foundation of Indian Society
to 300 c.e.
The Land and Its First Settlers, ca. 3000–1500 b.c.e.
The Aryans During the Vedic Age, ca. 1500–500 b.c.e.
Aryan Dominance in North India • Life in Early India • Brahmanism
India’s Great Religions
Jainism • Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism • Hinduism
Western Contact and the Mauryan Unification of North India, ca. 513–185 b.c.e.
Encounters with the West • Chandragupta and the Founding of the Mauryan Empire • The Reign of Ashoka, ca. 269–232 b.c.e.
Small States and Trading Networks, 185 b.c.e.–300 c.e.
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Conversations Between Rama and Sita from the Ramayana
Analyze Visual Evidence Gandharan Frieze Depicting the Buddha’s Enlightenment
Think Like A Historian Harappan Artifacts
Compare Viewpoints Divine Martial Prowess in India and Sumer
Individuals in Society Sudatta, Lay Follower of the Buddha
4
China’s Classical Age
to 221 b.c.e.
The Emergence of Civilization in China
The Impact of Geography • Early Agricultural Societies of the Neolithic Age
The Shang Dynasty, ca. 1500–1050 b.c.e.
Shang Society • Bronze Metalworking • The Development of Writing
The Early Zhou Dynasty, ca. 1050–400 b.c.e.
Zhou Politics • Life During the Zhou Dynasty
The Warring States Period, 403–221 b.c.e.
New Technologies for War • The Victorious States
Confucius and His Followers
Confucius • The Spread of Confucian Ideas
Daoism, Legalism, and Other Schools of Thought
Daoism • Legalism • The Workings of Nature
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence The Teachings of Confucius
Analyze Visual Evidence Inscribed Bamboo Slips
Think Like A Historian Ideas About the Divine Realm
Compare Viewpoints The Inglorious Side of War in the Book of Songs and the Patirruppattu
Individuals in Society Li Bing, Water-Works Expert
5
The Greek Experience
3500–30 b.c.e.
Greece in the Bronze Age and the "Dark Age," ca. 3000–800 b.c.e.
The Minoans and Mycenaeans • The "Dark Age"
The Development of the Polis in the Archaic Age, ca. 800–500 b.c.e.
Organization of the Polis • Overseas Expansion and Trade • The Growth of Sparta • The Evolution of Athens
Turmoil and Culture in the Classical Period, 500–338 b.c.e.
The Deadly Conflicts, 499–404 b.c.e. • Athenian Arts in the Age of Pericles • Social Hierarchies and Sexual Relations • Public and Personal Religion • The Development of Philosophy
Hellenistic Society, 323–30 b.c.e.
From Polis to Monarchy, 404–200 b.c.e. • Building a Hellenized Society • The Hellenistic Economy
Hellenistic Religion, Philosophy, and Science
Religion in the Hellenistic World • Philosophy and Its Guidance for Life • Hellenistic Science and Medicine
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Homer’s Iliad
Analyze Visual Evidence The Acropolis of Athens
Think Like a Historian Gender Roles in Classical Athens
Compare Viewpoints Hellenistic and Chinese Spells
Individuals in Society Archimedes, Scientist and Inventor
6
The World of Rome
ca. 1000 b.c.e.–400 c.e.
The Romans in Italy
The Etruscans • The Founding of Rome • The Roman Conquest of Italy • The Roman State • Social Conflict in Rome
Roman Expansion and Its Repercussions
Overseas Conquests and the Punic Wars, 264–133 b.c.e. • New Influences and Old Values in Roman Culture • The Late Republic and the Rise of Augustus, 133–27 b.c.e. • The Successes of Augustus
Rome and the Provinces
Political and Military Changes in the Empire • Life in Imperial Rome • Prosperity and Problems in the Roman Provinces • Eastward Expansion and Contacts Between Rome and China
The Coming of Christianity
Factors Behind the Rise of Christianity • The Life and Teachings of Jesus • The Spread of Christianity • The Growing Acceptance and Evolution of Christianity
Turmoil and Reform
Political Measures • Economic Issues • The Acceptance of Christianity
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence The Edict of Toleration and the Edict of Milan
Analyze Visual Evidence The Temple of Hercules Victory
Think Like a Historian Army and Empire
Compare Viewpoints Roman and Chinese Officials Confront Natural Disasters
Individuals in Society Cleopatra, Ruler and Sex Symbol
7
East Asia and the Spread of Buddhism
221 b.c.e.–845 c.e.
The Age of Empire in China: The Qin and Han Dynasties
The Qin Unification, 221–206 b.c.e. • The Han Dynasty, 206 b.c.e.–220 c.e. • Han Intellectual and Cultural Life • Inner Asia and the Silk Road • Life in Han China • China and Rome • The Fall of the Han and the Age of Division
The Spread of Buddhism Out of India
Buddhism’s Path Through Central Asia • The Appeal and Impact of Buddhism in China
The Chinese Empire Re-created: The Sui and Tang Dynasties
The Sui Dynasty, 581–618 • The Tang Dynasty, 618–907 • Tang Culture
The East Asian Cultural Sphere
Vietnam • Korea • Japan
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Sixth-Century Biographies of Buddhist Nuns
Analyze Visual Evidence Hōryūji Temple
Think Like A Historian Who Made the Chinese Silks Found Along the Silk Road?
Compare Viewpoints Coping with Epidemics in Japan and Byzantium
Individuals in Society The Ban Family, a Tale of Three Siblings
8
Continuity and Change in Europe and Western Asia
250–850
The Byzantine Empire
Sources of Byzantine Strength • The Sassanid Empire and Conflicts with Byzantium • Justinian’s Code of Law • Byzantine Learning and Science • Life in Constantinople
The Growth of the Christian Church
The Evolution of Church Leadership and Orthodoxy • The Western Church and the Eastern Church • Christian Monasticism
Christian Ideas and Practices
Christianity and Classical Culture • Saint Augustine on Sin, Grace, and Redemption • The Iconoclastic Controversy
Migrating Peoples
Movement Patterns • Economic and Social Structures • Tribes, Warriors, and Laws
Christian Missionaries and Conversion
Missionaries’ Actions • The Process of Conversion
Frankish Rulers and Their Territories
The Merovingians and Carolingians • The Warrior-Ruler Charlemagne
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence The Capitulary de Villis
Analyze Visual Evidence Orthodox Icon of Jesus
Think Like a Historian Slavery in Roman and Germanic Society
Compare Viewpoints Roman and Byzantine Views of Barbarians
Individuals in Society Theodora of Constantinople, Actress and Empress
9
The Islamic World
600–1400
The Origins of Islam
Society and Culture in the Arabian Peninsula • Muhammad’s Rise as a Religious and Political Leader • The Teachings of Islam
The Expansion of Islam
Islam’s Spread Beyond Arabia • The Shi’a/Sunni Split and the Umayyad Caliphate • The Abbasid Caliphate • The Environmental Impact of Islamic Expansion
Fragmentation and Military Challenges, 900–1400
Breakaway Territories and Shi’a Gains • The Ascendancy of the Turks • The Mongol Invasions
Muslim Society
The Social Hierarchy • Slavery • Women in Islamic Society • Sexuality and Marriage
Cultural Developments
The Cultural Centers of Baghdad and Córdoba • Education • Cultural and Intellectual Life • The Mystical Tradition of Sufism
Trade and Cross-cultural Interactions
Trade and Commerce • Muslim-Christian Encounters
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Towns and Travel in the Western Sahara
Analyze Visual Evidence The Court of the Lions at the Alhambra
Think Like a Historian The Risks and Rewards of Indian Ocean Seaborne Trade
Compare Viewpoints The Muslim Conquest of Spain
Individuals in Society Ibn Battuta, World Traveler
10
African Societies and Kingdoms
1000 b.c.e.–1500 c.e.
The Land and Peoples of Africa
Early African Societies
Agriculture and Its Impact • Bantu Migrations • Life in the Kingdoms of the Western Sudan, ca. 1000 b.c.e.–800 c.e.
The Trans-Saharan Trade
The Berbers of North Africa • Effects of Trade on West African Society • The Spread of Islam in Africa
African Kingdoms and Empires, ca. 800–1500
The Kingdom of Ghana, ca. 900–1100 • The Kingdom of Mali, ca. 1200–1450 • Ethiopia: The Christian Kingdom of Aksum • The East African City-States • Southern Africa and Great Zimbabwe
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence A Tenth-Century Muslim Traveler Describes Parts of the East African Coast
Analyze Visual Evidence The Queen of Sheba and King Solomon
Think Like a Historian Great Zimbabwe
Compare Viewpoints Early Descriptions of the East African Coast
Individuals in Society King Ezana, Christian Ruler of Aksum
11
The Americas
To 1500 c.e.
Societies of the Americas in a Global Context
Trade and Technology • Settlement and Environment
Ancient Societies
Olmec Agriculture, Technology, and Religion • Hohokam, Hopewell, and Mississippian Societies • Climate Change and North American Societies • Kinship and Ancestors in the Andes
The Incas
The Inca Model of Empire • Inca Imperial Expansion • Imperial Needs and Obligations
The Maya and Teotihuacan
Maya Agriculture and Trade • Maya Science and Religion • Teotihuacan and the Toltecs
The Aztec Empire
The Mexica: From Vassals to Rulers • Life in the Aztec Empire • The Limits of the Aztec Empire
American Empires and the Encounter
The Last Day of the Aztecs • The Fall of the Incas
Chapter Summary
make Connections, look ahead
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, The First New Chronicle and Good Government
Analyze Visual Evidence The Maya Calendar
Think Like a Historian Feathers, Snakes, and Humans
Compare Viewpoints Inca and Spanish Views on Religion, Authority, and Tribute
Individuals in Society Tlacaelel, Architect of Empire
12
States and Cultures in East Asia
800–1400
The Medieval Chinese Economic Revolution, 800–1100
China During the Song, Liao, and Jin Dynasties, 960–1232
The Song Dynasty and its Northern Rivals • The Scholar-Officials and Neo-Confucianism • Women’s Lives in Song Times • Environmental Crises
Korea Under the Goryeo Dynasty, 935–1392
Japan’s Heian Period, 794–1185
Fujiwara Rule • Aristocratic Culture
The Samurai and the Kamakura Shogunate, 1185–1333
Military Rule • Cultural and Economic Trends
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Kamo no Chomei on Calamities Witnessed
Analyze Visual Evidence Ma Yuan’s Painting On a Mountain Path in Spring
Think Like a Historian When and Why Did Foot Binding Begin?
Compare Viewpoints Painters of Uncanny Skill in China and Rome
Individuals in Society Shen Gua, Polymath
13
Cultural Exchange in Central and Southern Asia
300–1400
Central Asian Nomads
Nomadic Society • The Turks • The Mongols
Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Empire
Chinggis Khan • Chinggis’s Successors • The Mongols as Rulers
East-West Communication During the Mongol Era
The Movement of Peoples • The Spread of Disease, Goods, and Ideas
India, Islam, and the Development of Regional Cultures, 300–1400
The Gupta Empire, ca. 320–480 • India’s Medieval Age and the First Encounter with Islam • The Delhi Sultanate • Life in Medieval India
Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Growth of Maritime Trade
State Formation and Indian Influences • The Srivijayan Maritime Trade Empire • The Spread of Indian Culture in Comparative Perspective • The Settlement of the Pacific Islands
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence The Abduction of Women in The Secret History of the Mongols
Analyze Visual Evidence Bayan Relief at Angkor Thom
Think Like a Historian The Mongol Army
Compare Viewpoints The Mongols’ Adoption of Paper Money
Individuals in Society Bana, Romance Writer
14
Europe and Western Asia in the Middle Ages
800–1450
Political Developments
Invasions and Migrations • "Feudalism" and Serfdom • The Restoration of Order • Law and Justice
The Christian Church
Papal Reforms • Monastic Life • Popular Religion • The Expansion of Western and Eastern Christianity
The Crusades
Background and Motives • The Course of the Crusades • Consequences of the Crusades
The Life of the People
The Life and Work of Peasants • The Life and Work of Nobles • Towns, Cities, and the Growth of Commercial Interests • The Expansion of Trade and the Commercial Revolution
Learning and Culture
Universities and Scholasticism • Cathedrals and a New Architectural Style • Vernacular Literature and Drama
Crises of the Later Middle Ages
The Little Ice Age and the Black Death • The Hundred Years’ War • Challenges to the Christian Church • Peasant and Urban Revolts
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Courtly Love Poetry
Analyze Visual Evidence The Battle of Nicopolis
Think Like a Historian Christian and Muslim Views of the Crusades
Compare Viewpoints Italian and English Views of the Plague
Individuals in Society Hildegard of Bingen, Abbess, Mystic, and Composer
15
Europe in the Renaissance and Reformation
1350–1600
Renaissance Culture
Wealth and Power in Renaissance Italy • The Rise of Humanism • Christian Humanism • Printing and Its Social Impact • Art and the Artist
Social Hierarchies
Race and Slavery • Wealth and the Nobility • Gender Roles
Politics and the State in the Renaissance
Warfare, Money, and Mining • France • England • Spain • The Habsburgs
The Protestant Reformation
Criticism of the Church • Martin Luther • Protestant Thought and Its Appeal • The Radical Reformation and the German Peasants’ War • Marriage and Women’s Roles • The Reformation and German Politics • England’s Shift Toward Protestantism • Calvinism and Its Moral Standards
The Catholic Reformation
Papal Reforms and the Council of Trent • New Religious Orders
Religious Violence
French Religious Wars • Civil Wars in the Netherlands • The Great European Witch-Hunt
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty
Analyze Visual Evidence Woodcuts from Agricola’s De re metallica
Think Like a Historian Humanist Learning
Compare Viewpoints Chinese and European Views on Proper Behavior
Individuals in Society Leonardo da Vinci, Artist, Inventor, Genius
16
The Acceleration of Global Contact
1450–1600
The Afro-Eurasian Trade World
The Trade World of the Indian Ocean • Peoples and Cultures of Southeast Asia • Muslim Influences and African Trade • Genoese and Venetian Middlemen
The European Voyages of Discovery
Causes of European Expansion • Technology and the Rise of Exploration • The Portuguese in Africa and Asia • Spain’s Voyages to the Americas • Spain "Discovers" the Pacific • Early Exploration by Northern European Powers
Conquest and Settlement
Spanish Conquest of the Aztec and Inca Empires • Portuguese Brazil • Colonial Administration • Economic Exploitation of the Indigenous Population • Patterns of Settlement
The Era of Global Contact
Population Loss and the Ecological Impacts of Contact • Sugar and Early Transatlantic Slavery • Spanish Silver and Its Economic Effects • The Birth of the Global Economy
Changing Attitudes and Beliefs
Religious Conversion • European Debates About Indigenous Peoples • New Ideas About Race
Chapter Summary
MAKE Connections, LOOK AHEAD
REVIEW AND EXPLORE
Primary Source Features
Analyze Written Evidence Columbus Describes His First Voyage
Analyze Visual Evidence Depictions of Africans in European Portraiture
Think Like a Historian Who Was Doña Marina?
Compare Viewpoints Aztec and Spanish Views on Christian Conversion in New Spain
Individuals in Society Catarina de San Juan, Former Slave and Popular Saint